NATURE 



125 



THURSDAY, DECEMBER II, 1S79 



CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY 



THE draft of the proposed Statutes just issued by the 

 Commissioners, will, if we mistake not, mark an 

 era in the history of one, at all events, of our Universities. 

 It indicates a large and wise view on the part of the Com- 

 missioners, and though it will scarcely place Cambridge 

 on a level, so far as teaching power goes, with a second- 

 rate German University, it will go far to remedy the 

 present state of things, and on it a superstructure may in 

 time be laid in true harmony with the wants of the time. 



What the Commissioners have really had to do is to 

 convert an assemblage of " Hauts Lycees" into a living 

 University, and, of course, this had to be done, if it were 

 done at all, at the expense of the Colleges. This has 

 long been foreseen, and the way in which it has been 

 approached leaves nothing to be desired, so far as the 

 manner goes ; if a minimum only had not been fixed many 

 might have said that the proposal hardly went far enough. 

 The Commissioners evidently have faith. It will be best 

 to give in the first instance an analysis in the words of 

 the Statutes as far as possible. 



In order to obtain contributions from Colleges for uni- 

 versity purposes, it is ruled that the Colleges shall pay to 

 the University in every year, out of their revenues, a sum 

 determined according to the following quota, viz. : — 

 For every 1,000/. levied, — 

 Peterhouse ... ... ... ... ... 23 



Clare 47 



Pembroke ... ... ... ... ... 47 



Gonville and Caius 62 



Trinity Hall ... ... ... ... ... 33 



Corpus Christi ... ... 4^5 



King's 126 



Queens' ... ... ... ... ... 19 



St. Catharine's 19 



Jesus 57 



Christ's ... ... ... 57 



St. John's 169 



Magdalene ... ... ... 7 



Trinity ... ... ... ... ... 229 



Emmanuel ... ... 33 



Sidney Sussex ... ... ... ... 25 



Downing ... ... 4 



This quota, which must have cost somebody a vast 

 amount of trouble, enables any one to judge of the effect of 

 the scheme on any College. Thus, assuming that Peter- 

 house pays its non-Resident Fellows 230/. a year, the 

 sacrifice of two of these will alone be required to enable 

 that College to do its share towards providing 20,000/. 

 annually for University purposes. 



We mention this because we are sure to hear of the 

 Colleges being crippled, and it Js clear that only wooden 

 legs are threatened. 



The quota is subject to revision at any time not less 

 than five years after the approval of the Statute by the 

 Queen in Council, and again after intervals of not less 

 than ten years from that or any subsequent revision, the 

 revision at such times being made, on the requisition of 

 any one or more College?, by the Chancellor of the 

 University with assistants. 



The sum to be contributed by the Colleges in any year 

 from January 1 next after the approval of the Statute by 

 Vol. xxr.— No. 52S 



the Queen in Council to the end of the year 1882 is not to 

 be less than 8,000/. nor more than 10,000/. ; in each of the 

 years 1883, 1S84, 1S85, and 1S86 not less than 12,000/. 

 nor more than 15,000/. ; in each of the years 1SS7, 1888, 

 1889, and 1S90, not less than 16,000/. nor more than 

 20,000/. ; in each of the years 1891, 1892, 1893, and 1894, 

 not less than 20,000/. nor more than 25,000/ ; and in 

 every subsequent year not less than 25,000/. 



The Colleges will not be required to contribute in any 

 year a greater sum than 25,000/. without the consent of a 

 majority of votes at a meeting of Representatives of the Col- 

 leges called for the purpose of considering the question. 



This money contribution, however, is not the only one. 

 Taking advantage of a system which has*, it may be said, 

 been suggested by the best of the Colleges themselves, it 

 is ruled that there shall be in every College one or more 

 Fellowships assigned to Professorships, such Fellowships 

 to be called Professorial Fellowships. 



The Professor admitted into any Professorship to which 

 a Fellowship is thus assigned shall thereby ipso facto 

 vacate any Fellowship he may hold at any College ; and 

 he shall have the same privileges, dividend, and emolu- 

 ments as any other Fellow of the College to which the 

 Professorship is attached. A Professor admitted into any 

 Professorship to which a Fellowship is assigned by this 

 Statute shall ipso facto vacate any Mastership he may 

 hold at a College other than that to which the Professorial 

 Fellowship attached to the Professorship is assigned ; and 

 if the Professor be admitted to the Mastership of any 

 College other than that to which the Professorship is 

 attached, he shall vacate his Professorship. 



If upon the vacancy of any Professorial Fellowship the 

 College declines to elect as Fellow the Professor to whose 

 office the Fellowship! is assigned, the Fellowship will re- 

 main vacant, its dividend being paid to the University. 



A Professor retiring from office after holding it for not 

 less than twenty years, shall be deemed thereafter an 

 Honorary Fellow of the College, enjoying such privileges 

 and advantages as the College may from time to time 

 determine. 



The first vacancy in the Fellowships of a College after 

 the election of a Professorto whose office a Fellowship at 

 that College is assigned, is to be appropriated to the 

 Professorship. 



The next section of the new Statutes deals with the 

 Financial Board of the rehabilitated University. We 

 need not refer to this here, except to say that the scheme 

 seems wisely drawn and that the Colleges are to be well 

 represented on it. 



We next come to the Boards of Studies. 

 Eleven such Boards are to be constituted for all im- 

 portant departments of study recognised in the University, 

 and are to consist of the Professors hereinafter assigned 

 to such boards severally, together with such Readers, 

 University Lecturers, Examiners, and other persons as 

 may be chosen from time to time by the Senate. 

 The Boards to be first appointed are for — 



Divinity. 



Law. 



Language. 



Mathematics. 



Physics and Chemistry. 



Natural Science. 



Medicine. 

 Classics. • 

 History. 

 Moral Science. 

 Music. 



