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NEW REGULATIONS OF THE SCHOOL.

Botany, must begin on the first Monday in November, and continue until the end of April, and shall be given four days in the week at least. The lectures on Botany commence on the second Monday in May, and continue until the end of July in each year, four times

a week.

All these lectures are to be given in the college, and in the English language, unless otherwise specially ordered by the provost and board of college. And the professors are allowed to charge reasonable fees to be paid on admission, by all persons who attend their lectures.

The students in the School of Physic have also the privilege granted them of being matriculated in the University; and for the registering of their names they shall pay five shillings; but these students are not obliged to have a tutor, or to answer at the examinations, or attend to any of the usual academical duties of the University; and the lecturers in each medical session are to return to the senior lecturer in college, the names of those pupils who have diligently attended during the first half of their respective

courses.

The advantages of these enactments, all of which were proposed by the heads of the University, and approved by the College of Physicians, soon became apparent; the improvements which had been introduced were very soon recognised by society; and pupils crowded into the lectures, not only from all parts of Ireland, but also many from England, Scotland, and North America. Now, although this is the first of the University faculties which came under the notice of the Imperial Parliament of Great Britain and Ireland, yet the author believes it will be more satisfactory to his readers, if he should go on consecutively with the whole account of the sections in the college course, the duties required, the pecuniary expenses incident to each, and the advantages conferred on graduates of this college by their diligent performance of the various duties connected indispensably with their under-graduate course. As a proper termination to this section of the work,

THE DIVINITY LECTURES.

119

some account of the Divinity system of education at present pursued here is subjoined, this faculty being, as it ever has been, the great basis upon which the university was originally founded.

SECTION IV.

Regius Professor of Divinity-Having already shewn that a lectureship in this faculty existed in this institution from its commencement, and that in A.D. 1761, it was made a Regius Professorship, we shall now notice the alterations and improvements which have been introduced at later periods.

The next change, of great consequence, which took place after that just noticed in the School of Medicine, was one introduced into the Divinity classes, by Dr. Graves. Previously to that period the professor was allowed only one assistant; and thus it stood until A.D. 1813, in which year Dr. Graves was appointed to this office. That learned and acute theologian soon perceived the vast importance of making this professorship one of extensive practical utility; he lost not a moment in pointing out his views to persons in higher authority, who fortunately saw the merit of Dr. Graves's plan, which in fact was well calculated to work a thorough reform in the existing system. A statute was therefore passed and confirmed in the following year, authorizing him to make the proposed changes, which he speedily accomplished, and soon introduced extensive theological knowledge into his prelections, and adopted a very strict method in his examination of students intended for the church, and instead of only one assistant being allowed, there are now five assistants, all fellows. This reformed system has since been maintained, and further improvements added by Dr. Graves's successors in the professorship, so that in fact it would be difficult to conceive a more sound, extensive and orthodox selection of theological science, suited to prepare candidates for the sacred office of the ministry, in a more effective manner than that which is now practised in this University.

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THE DIVINITY LECTURES.

In consequence of the efforts and intelligent suggestions of Dr. Graves, (then elected Dean of Ardagh,) a statute was passed in the year stated, by which the endowment of the professorships was further augmented, and additional regulations added, by which it is laid down, that the professor, in addition to the duties already prescribed to him by the college statutes, "shall read annually four public prelections in Divinity, at such times and places as the Provost and Board shall appoint," and of these prelections public notice must be given.

The professor is also to hold an annual examination of the students in Divinity for two days in the month of November, during four hours each day, in the morning of the first day, in the Old Testament, and in the afternoon in the New Testament; in the morning of the second day, in ecclesiastical history, and in the afternoon in the Articles and Liturgy of the Church of England.

By the former statute, the provost and board were limited to elect a Professor of Divinity from among the senior fellows; the new statute takes off that restriction, and they are now at liberty to elect either a senior or a junior fellow of the college into this situation, provided the party so elected be a Doctor in Divinity, and also the best qualified amongst the candidates for the above office; in equal cases, the senior in rank to be preferred to the junior.

It was also directed, that within three months after the professorship becoming vacant by the death, resignation, removal, or promotion of the professor to a bishoprick, (on the latter contingency this office is immediately declared vacant,) the provost and senior fellows are directed to elect a thoroughly qualified person into the professorship from among the fellows who are Doctors in Divinity. And previous to the election, each elector must solemnly declare, that he will vote for that person among the candidates whom in his conscience he thinks best qualified to perform the -duties of that office. This declaration, with names of the candidates, and the votes given by the electors,

DIVINITY LECTURES-REGULATIONS, ETC. 121

must then be entered in the college registry; and the new appointment must be signified under the college seal to the chancellor, or in his absence the vicechancellor of the University, praying this dignitary that he will admit to the office the person so elected after he shall have taken the prescribed oath before the chancellor, vice-chancellor, or his deputy.

And in case that the professor should become incapacitated through old age, sickness, or other inevitable necessity from performing the duties of his office, then it shall be lawful for the provost and fellows to appoint a deputy, who must be a Fellow and Doctor of Divinity, duly qualified, to whom a reasonable remuneration is to be paid out of the stipend of the professor. And should the professor be unable for a whole year to perform the duties of his office, then the provost and board may elect a permanent deputy under the same rules as those prescribed in the election of a professor, notice being given to all the fellows eligible to that office. The deputy is to take the same oath (mutatis mutandis) as that taken by the professor; the oath is to be administered by the provost, or viceprovost, in the college chapel; and the deputy is bound to the performance of the same duties, and subject to the same government and fines, &c., as the professor. He may retain his fellowship, but cannot hold any college office with his place of deputy.

The professor is entitled to hold this appointment during his natural life, unless removed for neglect of duty, &c., or in case he should be promoted to a bishoprick.

The deputy may, however, unless he chooses to resign, hold this office during the incapacity of the professor, and until the 20th of November after that incapacity has ceased, of which due notice is to be given; provided said deputy shall continue a fellow, and shall perform all the duties to which he is bound by that situation.

In a very few years the good effects of this system began to manifest themselves in the superior qualifi

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RECENT IMPROVEMENTS.

cations with which the candidates for deacons' and for priests' orders entered upon their sacred functions; further improvements have since been made in this system, as time and experience pointed out the propriety of such alterations; all these changes will be fully noticed when we come to describe the practical operations of the whole college course, as in full activity at the present time.

It must, however, be understood, that it is not merely with regard to the original and long established course of education, that improvements have been made, for the facts, when stated, will prove that the improving, but not the revolutionary, spirit of the age has been kindly received into this University; and although its governors have firmly resisted all attempts to introduce bold experiments into the system of edu cation, so long and so advantageously pursued here, yet they have gradually and wisely introduced some highly useful branches of learning, that formerly were not recognised in this college, nor indeed were some of them, until within the last twenty or thirty years, considered of sufficient practical importance to society to be introduced into our University system of education. The progress of events, however, have proved their usefulness; they have been embodied into the college course, the basis of which has thus been extended and rendered more solid, and at the same time more ornamental. These alterations and additions, for the above reasons, raise this institution to a higher stand in public estimation, because its modes of extending knowledge now harmonize better with the feelings of society, which in this enlightened nation always looks forward to the practical application of educational systems to the great business of life; people in general, not feeling any particular interest in merely abstract speculations, although they may be very wise and learned.

The first of these additions to the previous course of education, that took place during the present century, was the establishing a lecture in Natural History, a.d.