_Note_.--All our readers may not be aware that the remains
of Two Literary Colleges still exist in London: _Gresham
College_ and _Sion College_--or we should say of one of them.
The first was founded and endowed by that excellent citizen
Sir Thomas Gresham. He was much opposed by the university of
Cambridge, which endeavoured to prevent the establishment of
a rival institution. (This was two centuries and a half ago.)
He devised by will, his house in Bishopsgate street, to be
converted into habitations and lecture-rooms for seven
professors or lecturers on seven liberal sciences, who were
to receive a salary out of the revenues of the Royal
Exchange. Gresham College was subsequently converted into the
modern general excise-office; but _the places_ are still
continued, with a double salary for the loss of apartments,
and the lectures are delivered gratuitously twice a day in a
small room in the Royal Exchange, during term-time. The will
of the founder has not, however, been actually carried into
execution. As we hate "solemn farce" and "ignorance in
stilts," we hope "scrutiny will not be stone blind" in this
matter. A more useful man than Sir Thomas Gresham is not to
be found in British biography, and it is painful to see his
good intentions frustrated.
_Sion College_ is situated near London Wall, to the south of
Fore-street. It was founded in 1623 by the rector of St.
Dunstan's in the west, for the London clergy. The whole body
of rectors and vicars within the city are fellows of this
college, and all the clergy in and near the metropolis may
have free access to its extensive and valuable library.
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