As New-Year's Day falls on Sunday, the gifts annually made
by the Queen to the poor in the parishes of New Windsor the Holy Trinity, and Clewer, were to be distributed today, in the Riding School. They consist of 2910 pounds of beef, 54 tons 6,4 hundredweight of coals, and 4001. worth of clothing. Seated in a gallery at the end of the School, her Majesty, Prince Albert, and the Royal children, would witness the distribution; and each recipient in passing out of the School would bow to the Queen.
Prince Albert, through " C. Grey," has sent a letter to the Council of the Society of Arts suggesting that "it might prove useful, and could scarcely fail to be highly interesting, if a series of authentic portraits of distinguished inventors, either in art or science' were collected for exhi- bition on some future occasion, and historically classified."
"An attempt to form a collection of this description might also prove the means of rescuing from destruction many records that may still exist of by- gone men, eminent in science or in art ; and if a catalogue were added, con- taining some short biographical sketch of their lives, it might tend to the farther useful result of leading. others to study and Atempt to emulate the means by which such men acquired their reputation."
The text of Lord Palmerston's letter to Prince Albert, as Chancellor of the University of Cambridge, is published. After narrating the steps already taken, Lord Palmerston directs the attention of the University, by its Chancellor, to five points with respect to which Government con- ceive that Parliament would desire to see plans of improvement enter- tained. Briefly stated, these points are, an alteration of the constitution of the Universities, with a view to the more general and effective representa- tion of the main elements of which they consist; extension of the benefits of training, whether in connexion or not with Colleges and Halls ; the abo- lition or modification of restrictions attaching to Fellowships ; regula- tions to prevent open Fellowships from degenerating into sinecures, and to provide for their relinquishment at a given time ; and the establish- ment of provisions by which Colleges with ample means might render some portion of their property available for the general purposes of the University, beyond as well as within the College-walls. Lord Pal- merston states the reasons for delay hitherto, but adds, that her Ma- jesty's Government feel that the time has now arrived when these questions should be decided ; and he requests the Chancellor to inform him what measures of improvement the University of Cambridge may be about to take. Believing that repeated and minute interference by Parliament in the affairs of the Universities is an evil, her Majesty's Government earnestly hope "to find, on the part of these bodies, such mature views and enlarged designs of improvement as may satisfy the reasonable desires of the country, " and may obviate the occasion for further interference.
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