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CAMBRIDGE, UNIVERSITY OF. 



CAMBRIDGE, UNIVERSITY OF. 



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bridge as a university is that of the 15th Henry III., which grants 

 the privilege of appointing certain persons called Taxors to regulate 

 the rent of lodgings for the students, which had been raised to an 

 exoibitant height by the townsmen. This was almost 50 years before 

 the foundation of Peter House, the first endowed college. In 1333 

 King Edward III. granted the University some important privileges. 

 These favours made the townsmen still more jealous of the Univer- 

 sity; and their discontents broke forth into open violence in the 

 succeeding reign, when emboldened by the temporary success of Wat 

 Tyler and his associates they seized and destroyed the university 

 charters. In 1430 Pope Martin V. determined from the testimony 

 of ancient evidences that the University was exclusively possessed of 

 all ecclesiastical and spiritual jurisdiction over its own scholars. 

 Queen Elizabeth in the third year of her reign granted an extensive 

 charter to this University; and by an Act of Parliament, 13 Eliz. 

 c. 29 (for the incorporation of both the English universities), this and 

 all preceding grants were confirmed, and the University of Cambridge 

 was declared to be incorporated by the name of the Chancellor, 

 Masters, and Scholars. The office of Chancellor, as chief magistrate 

 of the University, had existed from a very early date : it was only 

 annual till 1504, when Bishop Fisher was chosen chancellor for life. 

 At present the office i biennial, or tenable for such a length of time 

 beyond two years as the tacit consent of the University may allow. 

 The other principal officers are the High Steward ; the Vice- 

 Chancellor ; a Commissary, who holds a court of record for all 

 privileged persons under the degree of M.A. ; a Public Orator ; an 

 Assessor to assist the Vice-Chancellor in his court; two Proctors, 

 whose business it is to regulate the discipline and preserve the peace 

 of the University ; a Librarian ; a Registrar ; two Taxors, who 

 regulate the market, examine the assize of bread, and inspect the 

 weight* and measures ; two Moderators, who superintend the exer- 

 cises in the schools and the examinations for degrees of arts ; two 

 Scrutators, who regulate the business of the congregations ; two Pro- 

 Proctors ; three Esquire Bedels ; and some inferior persons. 



The University may be regarded as a commonwealth resting upon 

 the union of the several colleges ; though it is an error to regard it, 

 si is often done, as a mere aggregate of colleges. It is in fact a sort 

 of federal union of which the colleges are members. There are 

 1 7 colleges and halls in Cambridge, all of which possess equal privi- 

 leges. Each college is a lay corporate body bound by its own statutes ; 

 but the members of each college are also subject to the general laws 

 of the University. The present university statutes were given by 

 Queen Elizabeth in the 12th year of her reign, and are the founda- 

 tion upon which all new laws are framed. Each of the 17 colleges 

 furnishes members both for the executive and legislative branch of 

 university government. The place of assembly is the senate-house. 

 All persons who are masters of arts or doctors in one of the three 

 faculties, namely, divinity, the civil law, or physic, having their names 

 upon the college boards, holding any university office, or being resident 

 in the town of Cambridge, have votes in this assembly. The Senate is 

 divided into two houses, denominated the Regent and the Non-Regent 

 house : the Regent, or Upper house (or, as it is frequently called, the 

 White Hood house, from the members wearing their hoods lined with 

 white silk), consisting of the doctors of less than two and the M.A.'s 

 under five years' standing ; the Non-Regent, or Lower house, or Black 

 Hood house, consisting of the M.A.'s above five years. The doctors 

 of more than two years' standing vote hi either house at pleasure. 

 There is also a council called the Caput, chosen annually on the 12th 

 of October, by which every university grace or proposition must be 

 approved before it can be introduced to the Senate. The Caput con- 

 sists of the vice-chancellor, a doctor in each of the faculties, and two 

 masters of arts, who are the representatives of the Regent and Non- 

 Regent houses. Any single member of the Caput has the power of 

 putting a veto upon any grace that is proposed. 



The annual income of the University arises from various sources, 

 including the rectory of Burwell and a farm at Barton, which produce 

 about 10002. per annum, fees at matriculations, for degrees, &c., and 

 the trading profits of the university press. The whole income from 

 every source is believed scarcely to exceed 55002. per annum. The 

 funds are managed by the Vice-Chancellor, or by specific trustees ; 

 and the accounts are examined annually by three auditors appointed 

 by the Senate. 



Some of the public professors of the University are paid from the 

 university chest, others by her Majesty's government, or from estates 

 left for that purpose. They are the Lady Margaret's Professor of 

 Divinity ; the Regius Professors of Divinity, Civil Law, Physic, 

 Hebrew, and Greek ; two Professors of Arabic, one of whom is called 

 the Lord Almoner's Reader ; the Lucasian Professor of Mathematics ; 

 Professors of Moral Theology, or Casuistry ; Chemistry ; Astronomy 

 and Experimental Philosophy ; Anatomy ; Modern History ; Botany ; 

 Geology; Astronomy and Geometry; the Norrisian Professor of 

 Divinity; Natural and Experimental Philosophy; the Downing 

 Professors of the Laws of England, and of Medicine ; the Professors 

 of Mineralogy, Political Economy, and Music ; besides which there 

 are various endowed lectureships. By a grace of the Senate, October 

 81, 1848, a Board of Mathematical Studies was appointed, to consist 

 of the Lucasian Professor of Mathematics, the Plumean Professor of 

 Astronomy, the Lowndean Professor of Geometry and Astronomy^ 



and the Jacksonian Professor of Natural and Experimental Philo- 

 sophy, as well as the Examiners for Mathematical Honors, " whose 

 duty it is to consult together from time to time on all matters relating 

 to the actual state of mathematical studies and examinations in the 

 University, and to prepare annually and lay before the Vice-Chancellor 

 a report, to ba by him published to the University in the Lent or 

 Easter term of each year." The Cambridge Philosophical Society 

 was established in 1819, and incorporated by royal charter dated 

 3rd of August 1832. It includes most of the resident graduates of 

 the University. 



The privilege of sending two representatives to Parliament was 

 conferred upon the University by charter, in the 1st of James I. 

 The right of election is vested in the members of the senate, in 

 number about 3900. The Vice-Chancellor is the returning officer. 



The number of members on the boards of the University in 1748 

 was 1500; in 1840 it was 5696 ; in 1853 it was 7336. The number 

 of resident members averages about 2000. The number of under- 

 graduates (students) ia usually about 1700. 



It does not belong to the present work to describe the course of 

 study through which the students at Cambridge have to pass. As is 

 generally understood it comprises Theology, Natural and Moral 

 Philosophy, and the literature nnd languages of Greece and Rome. 



There are three University terms which are fixed by invariable 

 rules. They are the Michaelmas or October term, which begins oil 

 the 10th of October and ends on the 16th of December ; the Lent or 

 January term which begins on the 13th of January and ends oil the 

 Friday before Palm Sunday; and the Easter or Midsummer term, 

 which begins on the llth day after Easter Sunday, and ends on the 

 Friday after Commencement day, which is always the first Tuesday 

 in July. 



Before a candidate can proceed to the examination for Bachelor of 

 Arts, he must, after having been duly matriculated into the University 

 and entered on the boards of one of the colleges, have resided ten 

 terms or the major parts of them, have undergone the " previous 

 examination," or " little-go," and made a declaration that he is bona 

 fide a member of the Church of England. The candidates are divided 

 into two classes: " questionists for honors," and " questionists, not 

 candidates for honors," who are familiarly known as the iroAAoi. 

 The examination extends over a period of 20 days. The candidates 

 of both classes are examined in the higher branches of arithmetic 

 and mathematics, and in the Greek and Latin languages and literature : 

 the examination for honors being of course much the most compre- 

 hensive and searching. The names of those who obtain honors are 

 arranged in lists in the order in which they distinguish themselves. 

 The lists are called Triposes. The names of the three classes of 

 merit in the Mathematical Tripos are Wranglers, Senior Optimes, and 

 Junior Optimes : the first man being termed Senior Wrangler. In 

 the Classical Tripos the names are placed under first, second, and 

 third classes; the first man being known as First Classic. These 

 Triposes are published regularly ill the University Calendar. In 

 accordance with the terms of a grace adopted by the Senate, October 

 31, 1848, a similar examination in the moral sciences was commenced 

 in 1851, the names of the successful candidates being arranged in 

 lists called the Moral Sciences Tripos. The subjects of examination 

 are Moral Philosophy, Political Economy, Modern History, General 

 Jurisprudence, and the Laws of England. By a grace which passed 

 the Senate on the same day, an examination for honors in the Natural 

 Sciences was likewise commenced in 1851. The subjects iu the 

 Natural Sciences Tripos include Anatomy, Comparative Anatomy, 

 Physiology, Chemistry, Botany, Geology, and Mineralogy, excluding 

 the Mathematical part of Crystallography. 



The public buildings belonging to the University are the senate- 

 house, tile university library and schools, the university or Pitt p>--s8, 

 the Fitz william museum, the anatomical museum, and the observa- 

 tory. The Senate-house, an edifice of the Corinthian order, erected 

 in 1722, from a design by Sir James Burrell, is a large building, 

 forming the north side of the spacious square, of which the west side 

 is formed by the university library and schools ; the east by St. 

 Mary's church ; and the south by King's College. In the grand-room 

 of the senate-house all the more important public ceremonies take 

 place. The original building known as the Schools was erected about 

 the middle of tlie 15th century; the part which fronts the square 

 was rebuilt in 1775, at the expense of the University, assisted by 

 liberal benefactions. The noble library of the University, a collection 

 comprising about 170,000 volumes of printed books, and 2000 valuable 

 manuscripts, is contained partly in the upper story of the public 

 schools ; the remainder is in the new University Library, a handsome 

 edifice, erected from a design by C. R. Cockerell, Esq., R.A. The 

 Botanic Garden occupies three or four acres; the ground with a 

 large and ancient edifice, formerly belonged to the Augustine Friars : 

 it was purchased by the late Dr. Richard Walker, vice-master of Trinity 

 College for 16002. This site having become insufficient, an Act of 

 Parliament was obtained which empowered the University to procure 

 a fresh one and dispose of the former. A piece of ground of about 

 80 acres, within a mile of the town, was accordingly purchased, and 

 has been in part laid out and planted. The old schools still remain 

 aud belong to the Jacksonian professor for the time being ; and a new 

 building has been erected for the use of tho lecturers iu chemistry, 



