Lord' Granville, the Chancellor of the University of London, presided
on Wednesday at the ceremony of admitting to degrees the graduates of the past year, and conferring on the successful candidates for honours the distinctions they had won. Lord Granville is very clever at work of this kind, and was never either more successful or amusing than on this occasion. He answered the criticisms of one of the ablest censors of the London Uni- versity,—an Irish pamphleteer, —who had attacked the University for dispensing with collegiate conditions of residence, and for admitting so many to matriculation who never go on to their degree. Lord Granville's reply was conclusive. As to the non-requirement of collegiate residence, he pointed out that while opening an extra-collegiate competition for the stu- dents of the colleges it did not diminish, but rather increased, the actual number of collegiate students who apply for degrees,—so removing a real grievance which attended those too poor for any but private education, and not contribut- ing to lower the value attached to collegiate teaching. As to the number of matriculated students who do not proceed to the degrees, he showed that this was due to the character of the matri- culation examination, which is regarded as one of the completest tests of the thoroughness of school education that is applied in this country, and is, therefore, naturally valued by numbers who could in no case think of graduating. Lord Granville said that he had been charged by an Episcopal opponent in the House of Lords with incompetence to discuss the subject of education, on the ground that he had no children. " A recent circumstance," said his Lordship, with the perfect coolness of his caste, "has put me in a better position ; but I cannot gay that it has changed a single view which I ever held on the subject of education." Was a baby ever turned to more admirable oratorical account ? The ladies were deeply moved, and were evidently engaged for some time after in mentally fondling it,—matriculating it with honours.
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