dden irruption
of the outer world. Recognitions took place at every street-corner. The
hotels were put upon their mettle. The porters' lodges of the Colleges
were besieged, and Boffin's Refreshment Rooms ran over with hungry
parsons from the country. As an evidence of the interest which the
question of Dean Stanley's appointment excited beyond the walls of the
University, I may mention that even the guards and porters at the
railway hallooed to each other to know "the state of the betting"; but
even they did not seem quite to have calculated on the matter being so
warmly taken up in London and by the country at large." At half-past one
o'clock the bell of St. Mary's gave notice to the combatants to prepare
for the fray, and immediately the floor of the Theatre was sprinkled
with representative men of all the schools. The non-residents appeared
in gowns of various degrees of rustiness, some with chimney-pot hats and
some with wide-awakes. The early comers conversed in small groups,
hugging instinctively those sides of the building on which were written
respectively _Placet_ or _Non-Placet_, giving thereby an inkling of how
they meant to vote. The gathering increased every moment, and soon the
Doctors in their scarlet began to dot the seats around the
Vice-Chancellor's chair. Prince Leopold, by right of his royalty,
entered the sacred enclosure with Dr. Acland, and afterwards took his
seat among the Doctors. Before two o'clock every inch of the floor was
full, the occupants standing in anticipation of the coming encounter.
"Still they gravitated towards their respective voting-doors, and on the
_Placet_ side one descried the scholarly face of Professor Jowett, the
sharply-cut features of the Rev. Mark Pattison, and the well-known
physiognomy of Professor Max Mueller. On the opposite side Mr. Burgon was
marshalling his forces, and Dean Goulburn, from the Doctors' benches,
looked out over the seething mass of M.A.'s below him." At two o'clock
the Vice-Chancellor arrived, and forthwith commenced proceedings in
Latin, which must have been extremely edifying to the ladies who, in
large numbers, occupied the Strangers' Gallery, backed by a narrow
fringe of Undergraduates. The object of the Convocation was stated as
being the appointment of Select Preachers, and the names were then
submitted to the Doctors and Masters for approval. "_Placetne igitur
vobis huic nomini assentire?_" being the form in which the question was
proposed.