The schools surround three sides of a small court, and were erected, in 1443, at the expence of the uni versity, assisted by liberal benefactions. On the north side is the divinity school ; on the west the philosophy school ; and on the south the school for law and physic. The whole quadrangle over the schools is occupied by the library, which consists of four apartments, and was erected, in 1480, at the joint charge of Rotheram, arch bishop of York, and Tunstal, bishop of Durham. The new room fronting the square, which was rebuilt in 1775, has a spacious piazza, and is surmounted with a handsome ballustrade and urns. In the vestibule arc an antique colossal statue of Ceres, from the temple of Eleusis ; the Cippus, from the tomb of Euclid, and a number of antique marbles, inscriptions, Sec. which were brought from Greece by Dr E. D. Clarke, and IN1r Cripps of Jesus' college. This library contains many valuable and curious manuscripts, among which is the Ileza AIS. of the four Gospels and Acts of the Apostles, supposed to have been written in the third or fourth century, and to be one of the oldest manuscripts extant.
The botanical garden lies at the south-cast end of the town, near Bene't College, and contains nearly five acres, richly stored with all kinds of plants, arranged according to the Linn:ran system. An elegant green-house, above 100 feet long, has been lately erected; and also a large and handsome building for the botanical, chemical, and mineralogical lectures.
In the university of Cambridge every college is a cor porate body, governed by its own statutes, but under the controul of the common laws of the university. The government of the whole is vested in the senate, and •ertain magistrates and officers of its appointment. All doctors and masters of arts are members of this body, hiCh is divided into two houses, denominated Regents, and .Von-Regent8.—Masters of arts of less than five years standing, and doctors of less than two, constitute the Regent, or Upper !louse, which is also called the White flood Ilouse, from its members having their hoods lined with white silk; all the icq Lelong •o Ihe Non-Regent, or Lower !louse, othcrv. i e called the Black flood House, from the colour of the linim g of their hoods ; but the public orators, aid• all din tors of more than two years standing, may vote in ( WIC r 11011S•. A committee of the senate, called the Caput, wl ich chosen annually, and consists of the iee-drancellor, a doctor of each faculty, and a regent and non-regent mna ter of arts, consider and determine what graces or hill. are to be laid before the senate; and every grace have their unanimous approbation before it can be ad nutted. The public officers of the university are, the
chancellor, who is, in general, one of the principal no bility, and possesses the sole executive authority within the limits' of the university, except in matters of felony ; the high steward, whose duty is to assist the chance:Rol and other officers when requisite, and to hear and de termine capital causes ; the vice-chancellor, who is al ways a master of some college or hall, and upon vvlioni the management of the university devolves in the ab sence of the chancellor; two proctors, who must be re gent masters of arts, attend to the discipline of the bachelors and under graduates, and read the graces and register the votes in the White Hood House ; two tax ors, who regulate the markets, and take cognisance of weights and measures; two moderator s who superintend the exercises and disputations on philosophical questions, and also the examinations previous to conferring dr degree of bachelor of arts ; two scrutators, who are nor, regents, and who read the graces and collect the votes in the Lower House; the public orator, who is the mouth of the senate on all public occasions, reads and writes all its letters, and presents to all honorary degrees, with an appropriate speech ; and the commissary, who is assistant, or assessor, to the vice-chancellor. Here arc also a registrar, three esquire bedells, and two libra rians ; besides a number of inferior officers, who are ap pointed by the vice-chancellor, and hold their offices for life.
Besides the fellows and scholars, who are maintained upon the foundations, there arc two other classes of students, called Pensioners and Sizars.—The greater pensioners, who arc generally time younger sons of the nobility, or young men of fortune, have the privilege of dimming at the fellows' table, and are also called Fellow Commoners ; while the others dine with the scholars, but both live at their own expellee. The sizars are commonly men of inferior fortune, who are assisted in prosecuting an expensive education by exhibitha:s and other benefactions. These, however, frequently suc ceed by merit to the highest honours and emolument of the university; and it is from this class that most of the dignitaries of the church of England hay e been taken.
Several prizes, to the value of 6.;91. 5s. arc annually distributed for the encouragement of science and classi cal literature. Those which are open to the whole uni versity, amount to 3531. 5s.; the rest are confined to in dividual colleges.