ETON COLLEGE is one among the most famous educational establishments in Eng land. It was founded in 1440 by Henry VI. under the title of " The College of the Blessed Mary of Eton beside Windsor." The original foundation consisted of a pro vost, 10 priests, 4 clerks, 6 choristers, 25 poor grammar-scholars, a master, and 25 poor infirm men. The king provided for the establishment out of his own demesne lands and the estates of certain alien priories. A supplementary charter was granted in 1441, in which year also the college buildings were commenced. Henry was very solicitous that the work should be of a durable kind. Some of the buildings were finished in 1443, and were handed over by the royal commissioners to the provost, clerk, and scholars. Political troubles of various kinds retarded the completion of the buildings till 1523. Bishop Waynfleete was the first head-master, and afterwards a munificent supporter of the college. The institution passed through much peril in the reign of Edward IV., and again in the time of the commonwealth; but it surmounted the dangers, and the increasing value of its estates brought in a large income.
The original foundation has been greatly modified under the public schools act, 1868. It now consists of a provost and 10 fellows, who constitute the " governingbody," 2 chaplains or conducts, and 70 scholars. The members of the governing body are nom inated by the universities of Oxford and Cambridge. and other learned and responsible electors. Several valuable scholarships at King's college, Cambridge, arefilled up every year from among the scholars by competitive examination. There are also other scholarships and prizes open to all the members of the school, such as the Newcastle and Towline scholarships, and prizes for modern languages, founded by the late prince consort. The scholars are lodged within the college walls.
The main portion of the establishment, however, numbering nearly 900, consists of the oppidana , students who live out of the college, and whose friends pay liberally for their education. The tuition is the same for them as for or 'scholars.
There are an upper and a lower school,, managed by the head master and lower master, with a large stall of assistants. Considerable discussion has taken place within the last few years concerning the kind of education received at Eton, the cost at which it is obtained, and the enormous income's derived by some of the officials. The course of education is still somewhat of the medimval character, which regards Greek and Latin as the basis of all good education; but mathematics and natural science, under recent regulations of the governing body, receive a large share of attention. There is great prestige connected with the college, The chief buildings of the college consist of the chapel, the hall, the library, the schools, the provost's and master's apartments, and the lodgings of the fellows, sur rounding two quadrangles; together with the boys' library and sleeping apartments, in a cluster called the new buildings, attached to the northern side of the older group. The chapel is mostly of stone, the other buildings of brick; and the effect of the whole is very picturesque, as seen from the terrace of Windsor castle, on the other side of the Thames. The chapel is an especially beautiful object. The houses of the masters are generally fitted up for the reception of oppidans as boarders.