§ THE EARL OF DERBYsaid, that on looking at the Votes that morning he found, to his surprise, that at the close of the proceedings on the previous evening the noble Earl the Lord Privy Seal had laid on the table a Bill to amend the Act for reforming the University of Oxford which had passed two years ago. No doubt the noble Earl had a right to lay any Bill on the table without notice; but, considering his (the Earl of Derby's) connection with the University, he thought that in courtesy the noble Earl might have afforded him an opportunity of learning that such a Bill was to be brought forward, and what was its nature. It was a matter of regret, after a question of this kind had received what was supposed to be a final settlement two years ago, that any course should be taken which involved interference with an Act which had so recently been passed; and no such Bill ought to have been laid on the table without notice, or without a word being said about it. He thought that the University should have had some notice of the intention of the Government to introduce a Bill on this subject; they might have had such notice, but he was not aware of it. He should be glad to know what was the object of the Bill.
§ THE EARL OF HARROWBYregretted that he should have omitted to mention the Bill to the noble Earl:—he certainly would have done so if the question involved in the Bill had been of any importance. The object of the Bill was merely to supply an almost clerical error in the Act of 1854, the clauses of which in regard to endowments did not provide for cases in which there were private Acts of Parliament.
§ House adjourned to Thursday next.