The Scotch Universities Bill is making good progress, and it
is pretty clear that it will pass. The Government have yielded on the point of giving local representation to the Municipalities of St. Andrews and Dundee in the University Court of St. Andrews, and to the Town Councils of Glasgow and Aberdeen in the University Court of those Universities, and this has greatly facilitated the passage of the Bill. On Thursday, the redaction of the number of University Com- missioners from sixteen to seven was discussed and rejected by a majority of 164 against 86, the Lord Advocate pointing out that a Commission dealing with four Universities could not be so small as a Commission dealing with only one, unless there was to be great danger of the failure of an adequate number of Commissioners to attend. Lord Rosebery, Sir Lyon Play- fair, and Mr. Bryce had all been asked to serve on the Com- mission, and had all declined; so that at least the Government could not be reproached with attempting to deal with the Com- mission in a partisan spirit. The division shows clearly enough that even the Scotch Gladstonians are not at all disposed to let the Bill drop.
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