Chapter 202 When Did the University of London Become the Best in the UK?

Two British gentlemen in formal suits and walking sticks stood outside the conference hall.

The thin, capable, gray-bearded man was about forty years old, and Arthur recognized the teacher who had attended many courses before. He was the Dean of the Law School of the University of London, Professor of Jurisprudence, and the founder of the analytical school of law, one of the three major modern legal schools - Professor John Austin.

The man standing next to him looked a little older than Arthur, but he should be only about thirty years old. However, he was standing next to Professor Austin. Maybe he was a new young professor at the University of London?

Arthur held the white gloves in his hand. He turned his head to look at the livid Director Rowan, then turned his head to apologize to Professor Austin: "Mr. Austin, as you can see, although law is closely related to my work, there have been too many things that have involved my energy since I left school. So, I have been neglecting my legal studies for a long time." Austin didn't seem to notice the tension in the air. He laughed and joked with Arthur: "In that case, do you need me to help you make up for the lessons? It's still the old rules. You help me solve the lunch problem and don't get angry when I criticize Kant. That's it. To be honest, I really miss you since you left the campus. Because without you, there is one less student willing to listen to my lectures." Arthur heard this and just pursed his lips and said "If you are willing to lower the difficulty of your course a little, more students should attend your class. Your academic requirements are too perfectionist. I am always glad that your course is an elective in the history department. If it is a compulsory course, I am afraid I can't graduate now."

Rowan heard Arthur and Austin talking to each other, not taking him seriously at all. He felt ashamed and suppressed his anger and asked: "May I ask what brings you to the Metropolitan Police today? We are holding a senior police meeting here. If you are not related to police work, please leave here immediately."

Hearing this, the young man standing next to Austin said: "Excuse me, are you Mr. Charles Rowan, the Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police?"

Rowan nodded slightly, his face was cloudy Uncertain: "Excuse me, who are you?"

The young man walked up to him and stretched out his hand: "Edwin Chadwick, a practicing lawyer who graduated from the Inns of Court, the private secretary of Mr. Jeremy Bentham, and at the same time, the permanent private secretary of the Court of Chancery, who has just been appointed by Lord Brougham, the Chief Justice of Great Britain.

I am the Chief Justice of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, a member of the Royal Council, a legal adviser to the Privy Council of the Kingdom, the Speaker of the House of Lords loyal to His Majesty the King, the Chairman of the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council and the House of Lords, the Supreme Chief Justice of the Kingdom and the Chief Executive of the Court of Chancery, the Holder of the Great Seals of England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland, the highest legal authority in Great Britain established on the principles of equality, fairness and justice - the President of the Court of Chancery, the President of the Law Society of England, appointed by His Majesty the King The inspector of all church universities in England, including Oxford and Cambridge, the beneficiary of clergy in 442 English parishes and 12 cathedrals, the highest supervisor of public health in Great Britain, the inspector of dozens of hospitals in England, including St. Mary's Hospital, Queen Charlotte's Hospital, and Manchester Royal Hospital, appointed by Lord Henry Peter Brougham, the founder of the Whig Party's official newspaper Edinburgh Review and the founder and chairman of the board of directors of the University of London, and the Queen's Counsel,

In the name of the Home Office and the Court of Chancery of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the best police officer in Great Britain, the expert on police crime in the Kingdom, the Superintendent of the Metropolitan Police, and the outstanding alumnus of the University of London, Mr. Arthur Hastings, is invited to attend the multi-departmental joint seminar on the establishment of the London District Prosecution Office, which is scheduled to be held next month. "

Outside the window, dark clouds covered the sun, and a thunderbolt flashed, illuminating the faces of every superintendent present.

Superintendent Mosley, who was sitting next to Arthur, couldn't help but whistled. He raised his eyebrows and smiled, "It seems that someone is going to be in big trouble. "

Director Rowan felt his calves ache and go limp. He fell backwards with a rumble and sat on the windowsill. His broad and strong back knocked the window open. A gust of wind blew, lifting the curtains and covering him behind the white gauze.

Arthur glanced at Rowan, whose face was half covered by the curtains, and said calmly: "Director, I really can't find you now. You're hiding well."

Deputy Director Sir Mayne saw this and hurried up to smooth things over.

He stood up with his hands on the table and smiled: "For this kind of thing, just ask someone to send a document over. Mr. Chadwick, why do you, Lord Brougham's permanent private secretary, have to come here in person?"

Chadwick glanced coldly at Rowan, whose face was covered by the gauze and whose expression could not be seen at all, and turned to look at Sir Mayne and said: "Before I came, I thought it was unnecessary to make a special trip for such a small matter. But now it seems that my trip is necessary. Lord Brougham was indeed foresighted, he was worried about such a problem. "

Sir Mayne saw Chadwick's tone so hard, and immediately felt that the matter was serious.

Although Scotland Yard's direct superior is the Ministry of Internal Affairs, they often have to deal with magistrates due to their work.

If they offend the Lord Chancellery, which is responsible for managing magistrates, they will definitely be in trouble from now on.

Moreover, even if they gritted their teeth and went against the Chancellery, their boss, Viscount Melbourne, would not allow it.

Because although all cabinet members are equal on the surface, there is actually a priority order.

In the traditional ranking of ministers of state inherited from the Middle Ages, the Chancellor is the second minister of state after the King's Chief Minister.

But the Chief Minister is not a permanent position and is often vacant nowadays, which means that the Chancellor is the de facto first minister of state.

And the third person after the Chancellor is the First Chancellor of the Exchequer, that is, the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.

According to the political tradition of Britain, if there is an emergency in the country, such as the temporary vacancy of the king's position or the king and the crown prince are unable to exercise power due to health reasons, the Chancellor will be the first-line acting regent.

According to the provisions of the Treason Act of 1351, the nature of assassinating the Chancellor and assassinating the king is basically the same, and both are serious treason.

It is precisely because of the unique position of the Lord Chancellor in the British political and legal system that although the Lord Chancellor is weaker than the Prime Minister in terms of power, his social status is still higher than that of the Prime Minister.

In the whole of Great Britain, there are only two people who can be higher than the Lord Chancellor in social status. One is King William IV of England, and the other is the religious leader Archbishop of Canterbury.

It can be said that the person behind Arthur has changed from his immediate superior, Home Secretary Sir Robert Peel, to Lord Chancellor Henry Brougham. Instead of softening, his back has become even stronger.

When Rowan thought of this, he almost wanted to slap himself in the face.

It was not until this time that he finally remembered the good of the Duke of Wellington and Sir Peel. If the Tories were still in power, at most Arthur, the only seedling of the University of London, would be jumping around.

But now that the Whigs have come up, there are more than just Arthur Hastings in the University of London.

If Lord Brougham takes over the position of Lord Chancellor, the Royal Charter of the University of London will almost certainly be issued.

The Lord Chancellor has become a member of the University of London, so how can Oxford University, Cambridge University and a group of clergy sing a different tune?

Of course, if they are really willing to sacrifice part of their own economic interests to stop the University of London, that is not impossible.

The Lord Chancellor only has the power to inspect universities and issue parish benefices, what's the big deal?

The clergy and professors of Oxford and Cambridge can be tougher, anyway, at most the education funds will be withheld and the benefices will not be issued, and everyone will work at their own expense.

However, these are not what Rowan is most worried about, because Oxford, Cambridge and the clergy are definitely more anxious than him about the Royal Charter of the University of London.

What Rowan is most worried about at present is that if this trend continues, it may not be long before a large number of graduates from the University of London begin to pour into the judicial system.

If Lord Brougham insists on cultivating Arthur, the means can be more extreme.

From now on, as long as Arthur is responsible for prosecuting a case, the magistrate's court will speed up the acceptance of the case, so within a few months, this kid's performance will definitely rise rapidly.

When the year-end report is submitted to the Ministry of Internal Affairs, everyone's performance list will be pulled out and Arthur will be highlighted.

Rowan leaned on the windowsill and looked at Arthur, who was chatting and laughing with Austin and Chadwick in front of him, and felt that his heart was half cold.

He originally thought that this was just an ordinary guy from York Country with no background, no connections, how could he have such an unfathomable background in a blink of an eye?

Rowan took a deep breath, turned his head and looked at the storm outside the window, the cold raindrops slapped on his face, and finally made his dizzy brain clear.

Rowan looked up at the thunderbolt in the sky, and felt that there were thousands of words on his lips that he wanted to pour out.

However, at this moment, what he wanted to do most was to point to the sky and question the old thing that had been out of touch since the 19th century - is there God in charge or not? Damn it! University of London! ! University of London! ! ! Why does that atheist college on Gower Street have such a great power? !