STATE OF THE LONDON UNIVERSITY. • THE annual meeting of

the promoters of this institution, to which we have pointed in our last two numbers, was held on Wednesday, and justified our anticipations that it would prove in no common de- gree interesting. The muster of proprietors was strong, and the array of distinguished personages imposing ; but the best distinction of the meeting was its intelligent, investigating, and rational spirit. We ought to add, that notwithstanding the freedom of our strictures upon the management, we received a courteous invitation to the discussion ; in the course of which, the articles in this paper were alluded to in the handsomest terms.

The Warden, at the request of Mr. BARING, the Chairman, read the Report of the Council : it contained a statement of the finances of the University, of which the following is a summary.

RECEIPTS.

Shares and donations . . £147,782 10 0 Proportion of fees . . . . 5,634 16 0

£153,417

6 0

EXPENDITURE AND LIABILITIES.

Ground, building, &c. . . 136,746 19 0

Guarantees to Professors . 5,174 19 8

Expense of Management . 14,350 8 2 Miscellanies 824 19 11

157,097

6 9

Deficiency 3,680 0 9

To meet this deficiency, there are instalments due amounting to 15,680/. from which how- ever fall to be deducted those on 14 shares, not supposed to be recoverable, say 1,000/.

14,680 0 0 Anticipated balance, 31st December 1830, £11,000 0 0

The permanent annual expense of the University is estimated at 5,500. To support the establishment, without encroaching annually on the capital, it is computed that 885 students will be required. The number of students who attetid the University at present is 577. • The observation of Lord ALTHORP, that the progress of knowledge is at first slow, was never better exemplified. Whether some of the measures sanctioned or permitted by the Council have not tended to make it slower in the case of the London University than it other- wise might have been, is a fair subject of inquiry. We have ventured an 'opinion, that the lowering of the fees and the shortening of the courses would increase the number of pupils. There appears to have been another cause at work, of more or less hurtful tendency. Mr. AV. SMITH, M.P. regretted the apparent lukewarmness of the Dis- senters towards the University. One of the grand motives for the projection of this institution was to relieve students from the difficul ties which the antiquated regulations of Oxford and Cambridge op- pose to those who are not members of the Established Church. If not intended to be a Dissenting University, still less therefore was it intended to be a Church of England University. How has the great principle of absolute toleration—for this was the true mealting and motive of excluding theology from the system of the London Uni- versity—been acted on by the Council ? Ilave they not led Church- men as well as Dissenters to infer that the former had their warmer wishes—that the latter, if not excluded, were at least discountenanced by the institution ? , Mr. FEARON put this part of the case very forcibly. We cannot afford room for his able statement, but the fol- lowing extract indicates where the objection lies.

" Ile would first beg the attention of the meeting to two advertisements which appeared in The Times journal on the 2d of February 1829. They were both headed University of London ;' and one, which was signed with the name of the Warden, Mr. Horner, gave notice, on the part of the Council, that certain lectures on Political Economy would be delivered on certain days mentioned, by Mr. Macculloch. Immediately over that advertisement was another, headed also University of London,' and stating that the Divinity Lectures, established for the benefit of the students of the Church of Eng- land, July 4, 1828, will be commenced on Saturday, February 14, at two o'clock. The Rev. Thomas Dale, M.A., Lecturer. Further particulars may be learned of Mr. John Taylor, (the University publisher,) 30, Upper Gower Street.' Mr. Dale's lectures were shortly after published, with this notice on the back of the cover= University of London—Rev. Thomas Dale's In- troductory Lecture upon the Study of Theology and of the Greek Testament ;' and the title-page, headed as before, University of London,' bore—An In- troductory Lecture upon llw Study of Theology and of he Greek Testament, deli- vered at the opening of the Theological Institution, Saturday, November 21, 1829, by the Rev. Thomas Dale, Lecturer on Divinity at the above Institu- tion, and Professor of the English Language and English Literature in the University of London. Printed by Samuel Bentley, for John Taylor, 30, Upper Gower Street, bookseller and publisher to the University.'" On this apparent dereliction of the principles of its foundation, the Quarterly Review, which strenuously opposed the University, had ob- served that "the irreligious principle on which the Gower Street scheme was established had been abandoned in consequence of the success of the rival establishment" (of King's College.) Mr.BILOUGHam denied, and with perfect truth we believe, that the Council had sanc- tioned the conduct of the Reverend Mr. DALE ; but it must be added, that they did not by any indication lead the public to infer that they .had not done so. In proof of the impression which the neglect of the Council had created, Colonel JONES mentioned that two individuals had withdrawn their support. We are pretty certain that attempts on the part of Professors or others to give currency to their books, or fame to their lectures, by connecting them with the University in the above manner, will not be repeated. So far the vindication of the Council, and more especially the firm and explicit expression of his own sentiments against any interference, however slight, with the religious instruction of the students, made by Mr. BROUGHAM iSntfialsello.ei. ryto Mr. FEARON'S remarks, must be held as altogether atiS Another important branch of the discussion on Wednesday, was the University's funds. Colonel JONES expressed his opinion, that " If they went on in their present course, drawing upon their capital, instead of apportioning their expenses in some degree to their income, in 1832 they would become bankrupt. It would be better to prevent bankruptcy by timely economy, than to meet it when it came."

Mr. Baouorakm applied himself to dispel this gloomy apprehen- sion; and he was aided by Mr. WARBURTON, who endeavoured to slim, from financial documents in his possession, that the institution could live upon its own unaugmented resources, much beyond the date assigned to it in the prophecy of Colonel JONES. Mr. Hums treated these views as fallacious : one fact was certain—the Univer- sity at present subsisted only by drawing largely from its capital ; and he urged, that the expenditure ought, if possible, to be reduced to the level of the actual income.

Of course, the consideration of the Warden's emoluments-1000/, a-year of salary, and 200/. for house-rent—was not to be overlooked. Colonel STANHOPE asked- " What was the necessity for such an officer at present ? A secretary, with a salary of :300/. a-year, would answer the purpose just as well, and would be a saving to the institution of 900/. a-year. Ile could not believe that when the University was founded, such an (Alice, with such an exorbitant salary, was in the contemplation of the founders, certainly not of the subscribers He appealed to Mr. Hume, the natural guardian, as it were, of the public money in all institutions with which he was connected, whether such an ex- travagant salary as 1,200/. a-year to a Warden ought to be given in the present state of the University. It would take the subscriptions of 400 shareholders, or 40,000/. invested at 3 per cent, interest, to support this one officer alone; and the sum was greater than they paid to the Professors of Logic, Mathe- matics, and Political Economy together. It was twice as large as the salary

which Sir James Mackintosh received from College."

It transpired that there had been some division in the Council on the subject of- this salary, as well as other economical projects ; though Mr. BROUGHAM said they had come to an unanimous opinion on the "practical result." Mr. HUME called it" no result at all," as they had merely resolved to do nothing. The meaning of which is, that the Council, with the- full authority and sanction of the proprietors, had made a contract with Mr. HORNER, on theterms above mention- ed: that gentleman rejected the first offers of the University ; and it was not till they had " mended their bidding" that he agreed to aban- don his residence and a profitable occupation in Edinburgh, on the faith that the salary was to be permanent. It was explained, however, to the meeting, that if, after giving the experiment a fair trial, it should be found that the funds of the University could not afford so large a sa- lary, the contraet would be relinquished, and it would be open to the parties to form new engagements. Mr. HORNER, by his gesture, ap- peared perfectly to acquiesce in this construction ; and the most gra- tifying expressions of regard, and cordial testimony to his merits, were awarded from every side. Towards the close of the debate, .a gentleman made some pointed remarks on the uncomfortable situation of the Professors ; contrast- ing their emoluments, in reference to their services, with those of the Warden ; and disapproving of the Council's deduction of one third part of the fees—for where the student pays 71. 10s., the Professor re- ceives only 51. Hereupon, Professors BELL and THOMPSON, who are also proprietors of the University, took occasion to certify—in the first place, that the Warden was not overpaid for his services ; secondly, that the Professors are " satisfied with the mode of remu- neration adopted with respect to them, as they know that their emolu- ments must increase with the growing prosperity of the institution, of which there is every prospect." These gentlemen belong to the Me- dical department, and their classes are thriving ; their satisfaction is natural, and their gratitude becoming. It appears, however, from an advertisement in the last page of this paper, signed by ten Professors, that the two had no authority to speak for their colleagues. We have also received from one of the Professors, the letter which follows, and it fully corroborates all that we have advanced both as to fees and courses.

"TO THE EDITOR OP THE SPECTATOR.

Sta,—Being a Professor in the London University, and having, in con- sequence, a deep interest in its success, I return you my unfeigned thanks for the articles you have inserted in your valuable paper with respect to it. You have contributed more than any one else to make the proprietors and the public really aware of the actual state of the institution, and to enable them, while it is yet time, to save it from ruin.

"The disclosures made at the meeting yesterday completely confirmed all that you have stated. The classes of Literature and Philosophy are at a complete stand. In contrasting the students of last year with those of this year, the Council forgot to mention that Mr. Austin's lectures, which are attended by above twenty pupils, were not given last session ; and deducting these pupils, there is either no increase, or next to none.

"The cause of this want of success, is not, I think, difficult to discover. I agree entirely with you in thinking that it may be principally ascribed to the too great price and too great length of the courses. This remark is not meant to apply to the Greek, Latin, and Mathematical classes, which do not properly consist of courses of lectures ; but it applies to all the rest Who would think of attending a nine months' course of lectures on Moral Philosophy, Logic, or even Natural Philosophy ? Youngt men belonging to the middle classes of sixteen or eighteen years of age, in this busy me- tropolis, cannot afford to make such a sacrifice. Neither is it by diluting and drawing out lectures to aa inordinate length, but by condensing them, and presenting the more interesting phenomena in clear and striking points of view, that the attention of the student can be excited, and that he can be made to feel an interest in the science. I am, therefore, decidedly of opinion that the courses of lectures should be shortened ; that there should be two sessions in the year instead of one; and that the present practice of splitting courses should be relinquished.

"The policy of reducing the -fees seems to me most obvious. I do not certainly think that, looking at the quantity and quality of the instruction, it can be considered dear. But this is not the way to consider the matter. The citizens of London have not been accustomed to send their sons to a Uni- versity; and I really fear that it will be not a little difficult to satisfy them that it is for their interest to give 71. or 8/. for a course of lectures at the end of Gower Street, when they may attend one in Albemarle Street or Finsbury Circus for 2/. It has therefore always occurred to me that the first duty of the Council should have been to provide a fund to enable them to give rea- sonable salaries, say of 2001. or 250/. a year, decreasing according as the emo- lurnents from pupils increased, to the Professors o(PhilosopheY and Litera- ture, that they might thus have been enabled to lecture for a small fee, and to nurse, as it were, their classes.—If some -such plan as this be not yet adopted, I am well convinced that, as a literary and philosophical school, the University cannot possibly succeed. And I shall, if you will allow me, state at some future period the reasons that induce me to come to this conclusion.

"1 am also very clearly of opinion that the proportion of their earnings taken from the Professors by the Council should be reduced. You will have no difficulty in believing me, when I assure you that the sacrifice of one third of our fees is what many of us submit to with very great reluctance.— Suppose, to show the way it °Berates, that I had a class of one hundred pupils paying at an average 6/. a piece : instead of getting 600/. a year, I should only get 400/., so that the rent of my class-room would cost me 2001. a year ! A charge of this sort is not to be borne. A Professor who has a moderately good class might have rooms at Willis's, at the Thatched House Tavern, or at the Crown and Anchor, for a third of the sum which his room in the University costs him ; and it is quite certain that if this demand be continued, we shall be forced to consider, however reluctantly, what we shall gain or lose by shifting the place for delivering our lectures. Some of the Medical Professors seem to be well pleased with the system, and I am glad that it is so ; but I have yet to learn that any such satisfaction is felt by any individual belonging to the general school.

" There are, therefore, many points besides those that were touched upon yesterday, that deserve the maturest consideration of the proprietors. I have no fear for the success of the Institution if it be properly managed: but to accomplish this, a total change of system is indispensable. In the mean time, I agree with you in deprecating the outlay of another sixpence upon building libraries, &c. until a provision be made for insuring a supply of good and

cheap instruction. With great respect, I am, &e.