The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1840-05-01 00:00:00

UNIVERSITY INTELLIGENCE

OXFORD, APRIL 29.—This being the first day of Easter
Term a congregation was holden for granting degrees, &c.,
when the following were conferred :
BACTIELOR IN CIVIL LAW.—The Hon. and Rev. H.
W. Bertie, Fellow of All Souls College.
MASTERS OF ARTS.--The Rev. Francis Thomas New, of
St. John's College, grand comuounder; Edward B. Smith,
Queen's College; Rev. H. Manle, Queen's College ; Rev.
J. Satindeas, Queen's College; Rev. R. Lee, Lincoln Col-
lege; Edward A. Litton, Oriel College; Thomas Henry
Sheppard, Oriel College.
The following days are appointed for holding congregations
for granting degrees, &c. during the present term :
Thursday, May
.7 Thursday, May 21.

Thursday, May 14
The new proctors for the ensuing year
office on taking the customary oaths, &c
o'clock.

Sa turd.

.Tiine 6
admitted into

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A melancholy accident occurred, on Tuesday, to the son of
Captain Ellice, M.P., about 12 years of age. He had been
out with a companion, a son of Captain Basil Hall, with a
powder-flask, with which the young gentlemen were amusing
themselves in obtaining flashes, when, unfortunately, the
whole went off, and severely shattered the arms, face, and
eyes of Master Ellice.

The reports of mutinies among, the Carlist insurgents in
Spain are revived ; anti it is said that Espartero had pledged

lifinself to put an end to the civil war inArragon and Cata-
lonia by the month of September. Meanwhile, the budget
of the Minister of Finance shows an estimated excess of ex-
penditure over income of nearly seven millions sterling.
POLITICAL CHARACTERS—VISCOUNT MELBOURNE.—
Lord Melbourne's oratorical powers are of the most con-
temptible kind. It is positively painful to hear him speak.
If he is even asked. a simple, straightforward question, he
hums and haws, and stutters and stammers, for some seconds
before he can contrive to gasp out his usual answer. "My
—my—hum—my—Lords--I know nothing—haw--noth--
noth—my Lords—haw—nothing—hum—about the matter--
hume--to which the noble lord refers—haw—but I will in-
quire-, my Lords, and let him know to-morrow." Be the
question what it may, whether it relates to the destruction
of a fleet of battle ships to the loss of an important colony,
to frightful riots and fearful loss of life at Birmingham or
Newport, or to any subject of the most insignificant import-
ance, the noble premier's answer is always and invariably the
same ; like the laws of the Medes and Persians, it changes
not. It is but right to state that Lord Melbourne appears
to be fully aware that he is not a Demosthenes, or a Cicero,
a Pitt or a Burke, a Canning or a Brougham, and ; therefore,
wisely enough, when he does speak he makes his. observa-
tions as brief as possible • nothing, in fact, seems more dis-
agreeable to hint than to have to make a speech, mid he always
appears to rise on compulsion. The matter of his speeches is
generally poorstuff, badly put together, and badly delivered ;
some of his sentences are of a most alarming length, and sadly
involved; he repeats himself frequently, and when be has
occasion to withdraw a word, it costs him some moments
before lie can find another to supply its place. Lord Mel-
bourne is under as much obligation to the reporters as any
man in either house of parliament. To report one of his
speedhes, exactly as delivered, would annoy him excessively,
"callous" as he is, and afford great amusement to the mul-
titude; it would, 1 think, be an unexampled specimen of
oratory. Lord Melbourne speaks in a low tone of voice,
and uses but little gesticulation; occasionally, however, he
strikes the table, and' when he is much excited (an event
which happens but rarely, for he is too slothful to he easily
excited) by any remarks of his " noble friend," Lord
BroUghatn, or by a tender trouncing from Lord Lyndhurst,
he knocks his knuckles about most vehemently • and some-
times, but only, sometimes, when in the whirlwind of his
passion (if such a phrase nay with propriety be applied to
such a speaker), his retorts to his political opponents are act
unhippy. Among them may be particularly mentioned the
reply he gave to Lord Brougham. when that noble and
learned lord taunted him with " glozing," and flattering,
and .bending the knee at court."—Oxford Herald.
The public will rejoice to learn that an honest, industrious
townsman of Nottingham, named Edward Godfrey Leman,
is likely to succeed to the title, honour, rank, and dignity of
baronet, and is in a fair way to obtain several valuable es-
tates, which belonged to his ancestors, the Lemans of Nor-
thaw. We are also happy to learn that some gentlemen of
the legal profession, who have been successful in similar
cases, have kindly undertaken to prosecute the claims of Mr.
Leman.—Nottingham
VIENNA, APRIL 18.—The -Emperor has so far recovered
from his late attack as to, be able to attend to public business
as usual. His Majesty is notstrong enough to be present to-
day, to-morrow, or the next day, at the solemn procession and
other religious ceremonies that are to be performed in the
imperial palace. The celebration of the Emperor's birthday,
which is to-morrow, is put off till the 21st. It is still confi-
dently believed, that his Majesty will close the session of the
Hungarian Diet, in person, in the first fortnight in May. The
Diet of Transylvania will be convoked at the end of this year
or at the beginning of the next. For some days past a report
has been circulated of a projected marriage between a prince
of the imperial family and the daughter of a foreign king.
Duke Adolphus of Nassau will not leave Vienna till the end
of May. Count Fiquelmont, the Austrian ambassador to
the court of St. Petersburgh, is preparing to return to his
post; it is believed his excellency will sat out next month.
About the same time Prince Esterhazy will return to Loudon,
to be present at the conferences. It is believed that the reso-
lutions of the Diet respecting the Jews will not receive the
.royal assent.
WEST'S PICTURE OF THE ANNUNCIATION.—Yesterday
the splendid transparent picture of the Annunciation, painted
by the late Benjamin West -for the rectory church of St.
Marylebone, was brought to the hammer by Mr. Graves, of
Mortimer-street, under the orders of the present radical
vestry. This picture, which is of very large dimensions,
originally cost £BOO. It occupied, from the year 1817 to,
1826, a large space in the centre of the organ-loft of Maryle-
bone New Church, but was subsequently placed by the pre-
sent vestry in the Queen's Bazaar, but for nearly fourteen
years it has been lying useless in a lumber-room at the Mary-
lebone Court-house. The auctioneer read the following ex-
tract from the vestry minutes of St. Marylebone, in refer-
ence to the picture, dated February 15, 1817 :—" I have
always regulated my charge for historical paintings, and
under these regulations 1 charge the parish 4:800 for the
picture now in the new church of St. Alaryiebone. Were 1
a man of independent fortune, I would request the vestry to
honour me by accepting this picture as a gratuitous mark of
my profound respect fur the parish. P.entanain West. Feb.
14, 1817." Whereupon it was moved that £BOO be paid
to Mr. West. An amendment thereunto having been moved
and seconded, that a committee be appointed to obtdin the
opinion of the acallernicians as to the value of the transpa-
rency painted by Mr. West, and to get any other opinion
they may think necessary, there appeared to be 12 in favour
of the amendment, and 36 against it. The original question
was then put by the chairman, and there appearing to be :10
in favour thereof, and 10 against the same, it passed in the
affirmative." After reading this document, the auctioneer
proceeded to expatiate on the merits of the picture, and the
• fame of the-artist by whom it was painted, in glowing terms.
A considerable period elapsed before a bidding could be got
at all. At length, however the sum of ten guineas was
offered, and, notwithstanding the auctioneer promised
that the receipt with the autograph of the late Benjamin
West should be given to the purchaser, not a bidding could
be obtained above the first sum offered. It is understood
that during the time the picture occupied a place in the
Queen's Bazaar, the sum of £lOO was offered to the vestry
for it, and reftised.—Times of yesterday.
NOBLE EXAMPLE TO PROPRIETORS MILLS, FAc,-_

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