Mr. Johnston's Notes on the University of Ckrisiiania. 245 



was established^ is dated at Gottenburg 28th July 1824. Previous 

 to 1812, students from Norway were all educated at the University 

 of Copenhagen. The professors are eighteen in number, of whom 

 two belong to the faculty of theology, one to that of law, four to 

 the faculty of medicine, and eleven to that of philosophy. This 

 last number includes the professors of chemistry, natural history, 

 and mineralogy. There are besides one lecturer on medicine, and 

 on philology four lecturers and two assignati. 

 . The University is yet in its infancy, and the funds for its sup- 

 port still in some measure unconsoliaated. These funds are de- 

 rived from tithes, from bequests, from lands, and other similar 

 sources. The funds settled upon it being at present burdened with 

 annuities, renders it necessary to obtain a yearly grant from the 

 Storthing, the native parliament, which has hitherto been very li- 

 beral. The regulations of the Uiuversity are nearly the same as 

 those of the University of Copenhagen. Each professor delivers a 

 public course of lectures gratis ; for private lectures he may take a 

 fee, but few of them find it worth their while. The only fixed sum 

 payable by the student is five specie dollars, about 17s. Sterling, to 

 the library, when he is first admitted to the University. There 

 are two sessions annually, commencing in February and August, 

 and the holidays are limited by statute to two months and a half in 

 the year. The number of students enrolled in the session com- 

 mencing in August last was about 550. The preliminary exami- 

 nation, examcn ariium as it is called, similar to the Blackstone ex- 

 aminations at Glasgow, is rather strictly gone about. Of 120 who 

 presented themselves for matriculation at the above session, ten 

 were rejected. Where no fee is obtained from the student, there 

 is no inducement to pass any who are unqualified. These exami- 

 nations are public, and were going on during my stay in Chris- 

 tiania, but I had already seen something of them in Copenhagen, 

 and felt therefore little curiosity to witness a second exhibition. 

 The alumni in Scandinavia are no whit more ready at their an- 

 swers than we find them at home. 



The University buildings in Christiania have nothing imposing 

 in their exterior. ' They are shabby rather, though not much infe- 

 rior to the University buildings in Copenhagen. They were not 

 built indeed for the University, but must have been erected long 

 before. The intention of King Frederick in 1812, was to have 

 established the University not in the city, but in the suburbs of 

 Christiania. For this purpose a beautiful spot called Toien was 

 purchased, so situated as to command a view of the old town (Op- 

 slo) to the east, and of the new town (Christiania) to the west. 

 But in 1813 a change took place in the currency, and the money 

 which had been collected was too small to permit the plan to be 

 carried into execution. The botanic garden and the museum only 

 Were erected on this spot, and other buildings in the city were 

 sought out for class-rooms. The present, therefore, may be consi- 



