( 153 ) Answers respecting Revenues, &c., from the Halls at Oxford. ST. MARY HALL. To Letter I. of Her Majesty's Commissioners the following Answer was received: The Principal of St. Mary Hall begs to acknowledge the receipt of a copy of Her Majesty's Commission for visiting the University and Colleges of Oxford, together with the official letter by which it was accompanied, and to thank the Members of Her Majesty's Commission for the attention. To Letters II. and III. of Her Majesty's Commissioners the following Answers were received :— St. Mary Hall, Oxford, May 7, 1851. SIR,-I have the honour to acknowledge the receipt, by yesterday's post, of your letter, together with copies of Questions issued by Her Majesty's Commissioners for the University of Oxford. As it appears probable that the legality of the Commission will be brought under judicial decision, I trust I shall not be acting disrespectfully towards Her Majesty's Commissioners if I delay to furnish any information or express any opinions on the points to which their questions are addressed; which I should otherwise gladly avail myself of this opportunity of doing. I have the honour to be, Sir, your obedient humble servant, D. P. CHASE, Vice-Principal of St. Mary Hall. The Rev. A. P. Stanley, Secretary to the Oxford University Commission. Evidence, p. 379. MAGDALENE HALL. To Letter I. of Her Majesty's Commissioners the following Answer was received:: Oxford, October 28, 1850. MY LORD,-I have received a letter from your Lordship in the name of the Commissioners for inquiring into the state of the University of Oxford, expressing a hope that I will assist them in executing Her Majesty's commands by furnishing such information as may be in my power. I beg in reply to state, that I consider it my duty to comply with this request. I have the honour to be, my Lord, your Lordship's obedient servant, To the Lord Bishop of Norwich. J. D. MACBRIDE, Principal of Magdalene Hall.* To Letters II. and III. of Her Majesty's Commissioners the following Answers were received : Question 1. The amount of your corporate revenues and their specific application. 1. The Hall, not being incorporated, has no corporate property. The property, real and personal, which it possesses, is held in trust for it by the Chancellor, Masters, and Scholars of the University. Question 4. The emoluments of the Headships, of the several Fellowships, Studentships, Scholarships, Demyships, or the like. 4. There are no Fellowships (incorporated), Scholarships, Demyships, or the like. The emoluments of the Headship are as follows: :1 *For Dr. Macbride's general Evidence, see Part I., p. 219; for his Evidence as Lord Almoner's Reader, see Part II., p. 280. The rest of the income is derived from fees, principally from the room-rent of 43 sets of rooms. A benefice, South Moreton, Berks, producing I believe about 1007. after paying the curate, with a good house, was left to the Principal; on his declining it, to the Vice-Principal; and if he passes it, to the Senior Master. Since my time it has been held by Mr. James, who was formerly Vice-Principal, and is non-resident. This patronage is bad for the parish, and unsatisfactory to the Hall; and I wish that an Act of Parliament could be obtained to sell it and vest the produce in the funds, that the interest might be for ever appropriated in some way beneficial to the Hall. There are the following exhibitions : Dr. White left 407. to give 87. a-year to five students. The Rev. Mr. Meek left, in 1665, 1477. for Exhibitions of 107. each to Scholars educated at Worcester College School. The Rev. Dr. Brunsel, 1677, left 247. to be divided among three Exhibitioners. The Rev. Mr. Lucy, 1725, left 557. to be divided among five scholars for eight years, from Hampton Lucy School. This school has long ceased to exist. The money is paid me through the Court of Chancery. I give it out in Exhibitions according to my own discretion, as well as Dr. White's, and also Mr. Meck's when there are no applications from Worcester School. But I think it better to make them all 207.; and to two, who act as Bible Clerks, I give 301. each. In 1830 Mr. Lusby left lands, the rent to be appropriated for the benefit of the Society in any way that the Principal and the President of Magdalene College should determine. The President agreed to my proposal to found three Exhibitions to last three years, so that one should become vacant every year; and it is open to competition to Undergraduates of not above two years' standing, or to persons still at school, without any restriction as to place of birth, parentage, or pecuniary circumstances. As the printed Questions sent to me are put for the purpose of ascertaining the duties and state of the Heads and Fellows of Colleges, those from 1 to 29 rarely apply at all to Halls. The Commissioners are of course aware that they are nominally governed by the Statuta Aularia, which are printed in the Laudian Code, and were revised and reenacted by Convocation, March 6th, 1835. No change was made in them of any importance, it consisting entirely in the omission of specific fines, and minute regulations as to the days and subjects of lectures. Magdalene Hall (and I presume the others) had ceased to be governed by them; even the revised code is a dead letter, and the Society is governed by the Principal at his own discretion, with a due submission to the University Statutes, and no others seem to be required. Question 5. In what cases is the non-residence of your Head or your Fellows permitted by the Statutes, and how many of your Fellows are non-residents? Would the University or the College be benefited, in your opinion, by the general enforcement of residence? 5. "Quod nullus Principalis ab Aulâ se absentet ultra unum mensem in aliquo termino nisi ex causâ rationabili per Dominum Cancellarium ejusve Vice-Cancellarium primitus approbanda; sub pœna censuræ si diuturnitas temperis et absentiæ incommodum id requirat arbitrio Cancellarie infligendæ.”—Extract from the Aularian Statutes. Question 6. Is the marriage of the Head of your College permitted by the Statutes? If not, by what authority is such permission granted? Is that permission applicable to any other Members of the Foundation, besides the Head? 6. There is no prohibition of marriage to a Principal in the Aularian Statutes. Question 21. Is the Head of your Society statutably required to enter into Holy Orders? How many of your Fellows, Students, or the like, are subject to the same rule? If the Statute be not observed, on what authority does the non-observance or dispensation rest? Is the obligation to enter into Holy Orders expressly laid down by Statute, or is it deduced from an injunction to study theology, from an injunction to discharge clerical duties now disused, or from any other like provision? 21. The Head is not required to enter into Holy Orders. Question 25. What statutable restrictions limit the selection of your 25. "Statutum est quod ad Regimen Aularum assumantur viri matura, ætate, et morum gravitate venerandi saltem Magistri in Artibus vel in Jure aut Medicina Baccalauria qui ad nominationem Domine Cancellarii ab Aularibus eligantur, et per Vice-Cancellarium ad præfecturam et regimen admittentur."- Extract from the Aularian Statutes. Question 26. How many benefices in the gift of your Society have been added since the original Foundation? Will you state at what time and in what manner each was acquired? Have you at present a fund for the purchase of advowsons? 26. The rectory of South Moreton is the only benefice belonging to the Society. In 1711 Charles Palmer, M.D., left to it the alternate presentation of Finehampton, which was exchanged for this advowson by an agreement between the then Principal and the Rev. Elliot St. John, confirmed by a private Act of Parliament, 1755. Question 30. Are Gentleman Commoners in your Society called upon to pass the same examination at entrance as other persons? Do they follow the same course of studies, and are they subjected to the same discipline, as other persons in statu pupillari? To what charges are they liable, beyond those borne by other independent members? 30. There is no formal examination at entrance. Gentleman Commoners follow the same course of studies, and are subjected to the same discipline, as others in statu pupillari. They are not liable to more charges than Commoners, but the rate of room-rent, tuition, &c., is higher. Question 31. Can you state how many members of your Society re |