Fellows fellows are all chosen, in the first instance, by examination; but the seniors are promoted from the juniors, in order of seniority. They have no stated duties, except those connected with the general management of the college affairs. The average income of a senior fellow, from all sources, is about £1380 per annum.
Fellows junior fellows are elected by examination. They form the great teaching staff of the college, and do all the duties of lecturing and examining the undergraduates. Most of them are tutors, and their income, which may average £600 a year, is derived partly from a salary given by the college, and partly from their duties as tutors, lecturers, and examiners. Fellowships were formerly tenable only by members of the Episcopal church, but by the recent act all such religious restrictions were abolished. The number of the junior fellows has been altered from time to time, but by a queen's letter, issued some years ago, it was fixed at 23—the then number of 27 being gradually reducible. The law of celibacy, imposed in the reign of Charles I., was repealed in 1840.
is a very complete staff of professors, who represent almost all subjects of human knowledge. Besides a full complement of lecturers in divinity, natural philosophy, mathematics, law, and medicine, there are professors of ancient, oriental, and modern languages (Irish, Arabic, and Sanscrit being among the number), moral philosophy, oratory and English literature, modern history, political economy, natural history, botany, geology, mineralogy, civil engineering, etc.
scholars, 70 in number, are elected from among the undergraduates. They are members of the corporation, and have the university franchise. Scholarships (which are tenable for five years) are gained by public competition—some being assigned for classics, and others for science; the provost and senior fellows, assisted by some of the junior fellows or professors, if desired, are the examiners. The various emolu ments of a scholar, arising from salary, remission of fees, rooms, commons, etc., amount to about ...£50 per annum. There are also minor scholarships for the encouragement of the study of divinity and of the Irish language; while others are connected with the royal and endowed schools. Forty exhibitions of £25 per annum each, tenable for two years, have been recently founded, 12 of which are given in each year to students im mediately after entrance, and 8 to those who have concluded their second year.
are four grades of students. 1. Noblemen, sons of noblemen, and baronets, who have certain special privileges; the first two being allowed the degree of B.A. per specialem gratiam. 2. Fellow-commoners, who dine at the fellows' table. 3. Pensioners, who form the great body of the students. 4. Sizars, who have rooms and commons free. The sizars are limited to 30; they are elected by competitive examina tion, and hold their sizarships (worth about £37 per annum) for four years. Each rank has a dress peculiar to itself.
are admitted to the college after an examination in a prescribed course of classics, arithmetic and algebra, English history and composition, and modern geography. The honor of first place at entrance examination is keenly contested; and there are, besides, prizes awarded for excellence in special branches of the entrance course, and also for Hebrew.
student must at entrance place himself under one of the 18 junior fellows who are tutors. These stand to their pupils in loco parentis, and have charge of their tuition, though each tutor does not necessarily teach his own pupils.
System proceed to the degree of A.B., a student must keep terms for four years, two terms at least being necessary in each year. Terms may be kept either by residence, and attendance on lectures, or by simply appearing on a stated day in the public hall, and passing a creditable examination in a prescribed course. Lectures are delivered on the different subjects of each term examination by the tutors, the honor examiners, and the university professors; and prizes of the value of £4 and £2 are awarded at the Michaelmas examination to the first and the second honor men respec tively. In the other terms (Hilary and Trinity), parchment certificates reward the dili gent. At the end of the fourth year, gold and silver medals are awarded to the senior and junior moderators. Students of the first year are called junior freshmen; those of the second, senior freshmen; of the third, junior sophisters; and of the fourth, senior sophisters. All students must pursue the following course: first year Latin, Greek, mathematics; second year. Latin, Greek. mathematics, logic, and metaphysics; third year, Latin, Greek, physics, bogie. and metaphysics; fourth year, Latin, Greek, physics (both mathematical and experimental), astronomy, and ethics. For those who aspire to honors, the course is much more extensive than that for mere pass.