xiv UNIVERSITY OF LONDON 351 



the State was a source rather of weakness than of 

 strength ; all our fees were paid into the Exchequer, 

 and the money which we thus earn practically sufficed 

 to pay all our expenses. We had no Government 

 grant whilst the four Universities of Scotland, supply- 

 ing a population less than that of the metropolis, 

 obtained ,70,000 a year from State sources, and 

 gallant little Wales had not been forgotten. From 

 another point of view the University was at a dis- 

 advantage we could not ask for benefactions from 

 liberal donors. In the North of England as well as in 

 Scotland and in Wales many hundreds of thousands 

 of pounds, nay, even millions, had been subscribed to 

 found and support flourishing colleges and universities. 

 Why should not we in London command similar re- 

 cognition? Because we were still merely a Government 

 department. As soon as we were constituted a Uni- 

 versity in which teaching was united with examination, 

 a University independent and governed from within 

 itself, then we could hope that the aid which had so 

 wisely been bestowed by private generosity on the old 

 as well as on the new northern seats of learning would 

 be given to us. London, the largest, the richest, the 

 foremost city of the world, would not long consent to 

 occupy an inferior position to her northern sisters as 

 regards that most necessary defence of the nation, the 

 adequate provision for the highest possible education 

 of her sons and daughters. 



On February 5th, 1897, when the Prince of Wales 

 (the present King) distributed the prizes to the County 

 Council scholars in the Queen's Hall, I put forward 

 the case of the University of London towards the 

 mass of Londoners, and stated that it was the strong 

 desire of the Senate to see University education, 

 learning, and research spread more widely amongst 



