The present university statutes were confirmed by queen Victoria, by order in coun cil, July 31, 1858. The governing body is the senate, and the building where they meet is called the senate-house. All university laws are approved by an elected body called the council, before they are submitted to the senate. The executiVe powers are intrusted to a chancellor, high-steward, vice-chancellor, commissary, and assessor. The public orator is the voice of the senate upon public occasions. The proctors superintend the discipline and morals of all persons in statu pupillari; they are present at all congrega tions of the senate, read the " graces," and take the votes. The registrary is responsible for the graces being offered in due form, and has charge of the university records. There are three terms in this university—the :Michaelmas or October term, the Lent term, and the Easter term. To take an ordinary B.A. degree. a student must reside nine terms. The M.A. degree follows three years after. Dissenters are not excluded by the terms of the new statutes from taking degrees, except in divinity.
With respect to the admission of students, their university course, expenses, and proceedings in degrees, the following information may be useful: There are four classes of students—viz., fellow commoners and noblemen, pensioners, sizars, and the more dis tinguished students who are elected scholars on the foundation of their college. The first class are so called from their dining at the fellows' table; they wear silk or em broidered gowns, and pay heavier fees. The pensioners are the great body of students who are not on the foundation, and who pay for their own commons, viz., dinners in hall, etc., and for their chambers. The sizars are the poorer students, who are admitted at lower charges than the pensioners, but wear the same dress, and are no longer subject to the performance of menial offices as they once were. Some of the colleges, especially St. John's and Trinity, have very liberal endowments for the sizars, and very consider able pecuniary assistance is given to the more deserving of them, so that no youth of real ability, industry, and good character, need be deprived by poverty of the advan tages of a university education. Non-collegiate students have lately been admitted to the university under special rules. The scholars are elected, by examination, from the pensioners and sizars; they are on the foundation of the college, have rooms and com mons free, and other emoluments. The fellows are subsequently elected from the scholars and the students who have distinguished themselves in the tripos examinations. Vacancies are, as a rule, filled up from members of the college, but many fellowships are open to the competition of the whole university. The usual age of admission is from 17 to 20. Before a student can be admitted, he must obtain a certificate from some master of arts of the university of being sufficiently instructed in Latin, Greek, and mathematics; this certificate must be sent to the tutor of the college, along with the caution-money, which, in the case of a pensioner, amounts to R,15. At sonic colleges there is an examination previous to matriculation in addition to the above.
Residence is commenced in the October term. It is usual, particularly at the larger colleges, to have the name entered on the college boards for a term or two previous; but this is not necessary now, as it used to be, in order to keep such terms with a view to the degree. When the undergraduate comes into residence, he is called a "freshman;"
in his second year, a "junior sopli;" in his third year, a "senior sopli." The ordinary B.A., or bachelor of arts degree, may be taken in the ninth term of residence—viz., in the third June after coming up. The subjects of examination are partly fixed, partly variable. They are the Acts of the .Apostles in Greek, one Greek and one Latin classic, The history of the English. Reformation; Euclid, books i., iv., and propositions 1-6 of book vi.; together with certain parts of algebra, mechanics, and hydrostatics. The candidates for examination for degree are called questionists.
Candidates for mathematical "honors" do not go up till the end of their tenth term —i.e., the Christmas three years after coming up. The examination embraces the whole range of pure mathematics, and mathematics as applied to natural philosophy. The successful candidates are arranged in a tripos--i.e., in three classes, called respect ively wranglers, senior optimes, and junior optimes; the first mathematician of the year is called the senior wrangler. The Smith's prize examination for the best mathe matician sometimes reverses the decision of the tripos.
The examination for classical "honors" is one term later still. and the candidates are arranged in a tripos, and distinguished as first, second, and third class. Very seen rate scholarship is required to obtain a good place in this tripos. The examinations for degree are called "great go." The previous examination, which comes in the second year of residence, is called "little go." Students who intend to graduate in classical honors, are required to take mathematical honors in little go. The previous examina tion is one Greek and one Latin author, one of the gospels in Greek, Paley's Ecidences of Christianity, and elementary mathematics. After passing the "little go," the exam inations for the ordinary B.A. degree consist of a "general" and a "special " examina tion, the subjects in the former being similar to those in the little go. The special examination is. at the option of the student, in theology, moral or natural or applied science, or law. The following, are the professors: Regius professors of laws, physic, Greek, Ilebrew, and divinity, professor of moral philosophy, professor of chemistry, professor of anatomy, professor of modern history, professor of botany, professor of geology, Jacksonian professor of natural philosophy, Downing professors of law and medicine, professor of mineralogy, professor of political economy, professor of arclueol ogy, professor of music, a lady Margaret, a Hulsean, and a Norrisian professor of divin ity, two Arabic professors, a Sadlerian and a Lucasian professor of mathematics, a Lowndean and a Plumian professor of astronomy, Slade profeSsor of fine art, professors of Latin, Sanscrit, international law, zoology, experimental physics, and mechanism. Degrees in honors are given in law and in natural and moral science, without requiring further proficiency in the normal studies of the place, classics and mathematics, than is ascertained by passing the little go. The fees for the different degrees will all be found in the Cambridge Calendar. There arc different fees at the different colleges in addition to the university fees. It will be sufficient to state, that for the B.A. and :%t.a, degrees, the fees amount to about £12 and £23 respectively.