Other subjects of business or talk have been diligently handled
by the an English University question being of the number. Mr. Christie has made his quasi-annual move towards a reform in the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge, in an impressive speech, showing that the Universities have departed from their original intent, and that, for all their vast power and wealth, they are inefficient in many respects for their professed purposes. He.was feebly answered by the Conservative Members for the two seats of learning—Sir Robert Inglis and Mr. Goul- burn. One plea advanced by those gentlemen damns their case : in 1887, the Chancellors of the two Universities pledged them- selves to Lord Radnor that the statutes should be revised : that pledge has not been forfeited, say the two Members, for the sta- tutes are actually under " revision." That is to say, some persons have, in eight years, made g-reat progress in reading the statutes ; for altering them, says Sir Robert Inglis, is quite another matter— that depends upon Convocation. Mr. Christie's motion was nega- tived by a large majority ; but, with the help of his opponents, he has made a good step in advance.
The Auction-duties have been virtually disposed of. The Government proposition for abolishing special licences, and este-
blishing one general licence at 151., having been formally ad- vanced, Mr. George Bankes put in the claim of the agriculturists to, a preference in the remission of the 300,0001. which the change would involve. Warned, perhaps, by the fate of Mr. Miles's no- table plan for relinquishing county-rates, Mr. Bankes suggested no substitute, but only called upon the House, as a preliminary, not to abolish the Auction-duties. Why he and his brother agri- culturists turned upon this particular 300,0001. the eye of longing, does not distinctly appear. If they wished to act upon principle, it would have been more " consistent" to resist the Free-trade- like encroachment on the Sugar-duties. Perhaps their modesty selected this sum as being a small one, which would scarcely be refused to their importunity. Nobody defended the Auction- duties. Mr. Bankes found arrayed against his beggar's petition, the Ministerialists, the Free-traders, and even Mr. Stafford O'Brien turned round upon him and rebuked him for the idle nature of his proposition. The agriculturists never cut so feeble a figure. Lord John Russell acted a kind of neutral part ; not approving of Mr. Bankes's aim, nor yet being satisfied with the selection of the Auction-duties for reduction. However, the duties were reduced ; and the principle of reduction was carried even further than the original intention ; for, under a pressure. from Mr. Hume, Ministers consented to make the charge for the auctioneer's general licence only 101. Mr. Duncombe has again brought forward his peculiar subject for the session, the letter-opening at the Post-office ; moving to introduce a bill for securing the inviolability of letters. The cussion was a marked improvement on the former debates in tone and temper, especially on Mr. Duncombe'i side; though Sir James Graham adheres with needless pertinacity to, the idle stories against Mr. Mizzini. The bill went to abolish the .power at present exercised by the Secretary of State, to _open petters; and it was variously. received. Sir James insisted that the power, however odious, could not be spared ; though he did not succeed in.showing, or indeed try to show, what actual danger to the State.conld arise from its abrogation. Lord Howick suggested that the power should be retained, but not thesecrecy and disin- genuousness, which are so *degrading-; and he proposed that opened letters should be reclosed with a Post-Office seal, as they are in Austria. One difficulty in the working of such a prac- tice in England would be the clamorous indignation provoked. The subjects of Austria are used to the perpetual interference of a police in the affairs of daily life : but imagine the injured dignity of an Englishman, receiving his letters with an official mark' of their perusal in the transit ! About eight warrants a year are is- sued—one in six weeks : each aggrieved man could surely keep up an outcry on his wronged correspondence for six weeks ; and thus the Secretary of State would be perpetually baited through- out the year. Lord John Russell announced a project by Lord Radnor, for retaining the power, but limiting its exercise to cases where information of malepractices has been given upon oath ; which would of course greatly restrict abuses, and especially that
i abuse of the privilege in the service of foreign despotic govern- ments, which appears to be the chief reason why officialpeople wish to retain it. The subject was for the present disposed of by the rejection of Mr. Duncombe's bill ; but it will no doubt recur in the shape of Lord Radnor's.
There is a general concurrence in the belief that interment in towns is noxious to the living ; and Mr. Mackinnon introduced a resolution, preliminary to a bill, to abolish the custom : but Sir James Graham cannot believe that there is any harm in it, and he would not assent to the change. Mr. Mackinnon's resolution was mixed up with some dogmatical matter ; and Mr. Thomas Duncombe improved his position, by moving an amendment which simply asserted the mischievous nature of the present practice and pledged the attention of Parliament to the subject. To the surprise, probably, of none more than himself, Mr. Dun- combe carried his amended resolution l Sir James Graham had appealed to the House itself, so close to St. Margaret's church- yard, as proving how harmless is such propinquity : next day, Lord Ebrington read a report by a Committee of the House, de- claring the proximity of the churchyard injurious to the House : he asked whether Sir James meant to introduce a measure for the removal of the churchyard ? No answer. The Home Secre- tary wasperhaps in doubt as to what he must do in the duties thrust upon him ; perhaps only in dudgeon.
