132 TEE LIFE OF JAMES D. FORBES. [CHAP. 



of Edinburgh made an attempt to frame some very ru- 

 dimentary rules for graduation, and again in 1824 there 

 was an endeavour still more to shape these rules into a 

 system. Both of these attempts, however, proved abor- 

 tive, and a third made in 1831 had no better result. 



' Up to the date of Forbes' appointment to the chair 

 of Natural Philosophy, things continued in the old 

 loose and unsatisfactory condition. 



* It was reserved for Forbes to institute that complete 

 working system of examining by means of printed 

 papers, and of judging the results by marks, which is in 

 force at the present time. To Forbes belongs the merit 

 of having grouped the subjects of examination under 

 three heads the Classical, the Mathematical, and the 

 Philosophical. The effect of this grouping is, though 

 perhaps this result hardly came into Forbes' calculation, 

 that a moderate amount of knowledge at any rate is 

 exacted of one, at least, of two or three kindred subjects. 

 The system was a well-devised and admirable one. There 

 was, however, one error of detail, arising no doubt from 

 the fact that seven separate interests were involved. The 

 requirements were too high, and the amount of Greek 

 demanded was more than an average student could bring 

 up ; and in other departments, Natural Philosophy among 

 the rest, there was an indefiniteness of programme which 

 must have operated to alarm the conscientious candidate. 



* The first trial of the new scheme .took place in April 

 1836, when six candidates presented themselves for 

 examination, and all passed. Next year, 1837, Forbes was 

 appointed Dean of the Faculty of Arts, as not only 

 well qualified in all respects for discharging the duties of 

 the office, but more particularly as having taken so 

 prominent a part in maturing and establishing the new 

 system. It was thought fitting that he should have the 

 chief care of watching over the success of what might be 

 called his own experiment. 



' Immediately on his appointment he introduced some 

 important modifications into the scheme for estimating a 



