DUBLIN, University of. The first Uni versity of Dublin was founded in 1320 in con nection with Saint Patrick's Cathedral. Hav ing no endowment, and owing to changes in government and religion throughout the coun try, the university gradually declined, until it ceased to exist in the reign of Elizabeth. The present university was founded in 1591, when a charter, or letters patent, was granted by Queen Elizabeth for the incorporation of the °College of the Holy and Undivided Trinity." This col lege is stated in the charter to be incorporated as the °mother of an university," whence it ap pears that it was intended to be only the first of a number of colleges to be afterward estab lished in connection with the same university, the senate of which is incorporated by a char ter distinct from that of Trinity College. Up to this time, however, no other such colleges have been established, so that Trinity College alone still enjoys the rights of the university. Al though Elizabeth promised much, little was done by the Crown for the support of the institution. The suppressed monastery of All Hallows was given to the new university and a fund was raised among the Irish nobles. Under James I more aid in money and lands was given to the school. In 1637 changes were made in the con stitution of the university.
The members of the corporation consist of a provost, 7 senior fellows, 27 junior fellows and 70 foundation scholars. The management of the college is entrusted to the provost and senior fellows in conjunction with the visitors and the council, the last named body consisting of the provost, four senior fellows, four junior fellows, four professors who are not fellows and four other members of the senate. The senate of the university, as incorporated by royal charter, consists of °the chancellor of the university, or, in his absence, of the vice-chan cellor, and such doctors or masters of the uni versity as shall have and keep their names on the books of Trinity College?' The senate pos sesses, under prescribed conditions, the right of electing the chancellor of the university. It is also the body which grants degrees, subject to the sanction of the college board and of the caput of the senate. This latter body consists of the chancellor or vice-chancellor, provost (or vice-provost), and the senior master non-regent, and every member of the caput has the right of refusing a degree by a veto. The fellows are appointed for life. The senior fellows are pro moted from the number of the junior fellows in order of seniority, and every vacancy among the junior fellows is filled up by the provost and senior fellows after a strict examination for 12 days in mathematics, pure and applied, ex perimental sciences, classics, with Hebrew and cognate languages, and mental and moral sci ence. The scholars are chosen from among the undergraduates, after an examination in pure and applied mathematics and logic or experi mental science, or in Greek, Latin and English composition. Non-foundation scholars are not members of the corporation of the college. Scholars receive an annual salary of £20, have their commons free of expense, and their rooms for half the charge paid by other students. They hold their scholarships until the end of the June quarter of the fifth year following their election, or following the time at which they become or might have become masters of arts, whichever period terminates first. Stu dents, before being admitted, must submit to an examination in Greek, Latin, arithmetic, English composition, history and geography. Students may enter as belonging to one of four classes. The first consists of noblemen, noblemen's sons and baronets. The second consists of the fel low-commoners (who dine at the fellows' table).
The third and most important is the class of pen sioners, forming the great body of the students; and the fourth is the sizars, who are partially maintained out of the college funds and are now admitted by competitive examination. These last are limited to 30 in number. The academical year is divided into three terms — Hilary, Trinity and Michaelmas term. To ob tain the B.A. degree the student must keep eight terms in all, covering normally four aca demic years. Terms are kept during the under graduate course, either by lectures or by exami nations, but terms in divinity, law, medicine and engineering must be kept by attendance on the lectures of the professors. The system of in struction is superintended by the fellows, to gether with a large staff of professors. Several of the junior fellows act as tutors, and every student must place himself under one of these on entering the college. The tutors during term deliver lectures on the subjects necessary to a degree. These are: In the first year, mathe matics, Greek, Latin, English composition ; in the second year, mathematics, mathematical physics, logic, Greek, Latin, English composi tion; in the third year logic, mathematical physics, English composition, Greek, Latin, ex perimental and natural science, astronomy, his tory, French. German: and in the fourth, as tronomy, ethics; English composition, logic, mathematical physics, languages, experimental and natural science, history and political science. During the first academic year a student is called a junior freshman; during the second, a senior freshman; during the third, a junior sophister ; and during the fourth, a senior soph ister. Students who have successfully passed all the necessary examinations in the course given above have the degree of B.A. conferred on them by grace of the senate in full congre gation. Those who wish to obtain honors must pass through a more extended course of study. Honors are attainable in seven departments: I, mathematics and mathematical physics; 2, classics; 3, logic and ethics; 4, experimental sci ence; 5, natural science; 6, history and political science; 7, modern literature. Those who suc cessfully pass the examinations in any of these departments are classed according to merit as senior or junior moderators and respondents. Noblemen and noblemen's sons are entitled to have the degree of B.A. conferred on them per specialem gratiam; and fellow-commoners are entitled to receive it with one term-examination less than pensioners. The degrees are con ferred on commencement days, of which there are four in each year. There are divinity, law, medical and engineering schools in connection with the university, and degrees or licenses in each of these branches are granted by the uni versity senate on the completion of the pre scribed courses. The degrees of D.Sc. and Litt.D. are conferred on B.A.'s who have at tained scientific or literary distinction. The de grees of bachelor and doctor in music are also conferred.
The college possesses a fine library of about 350,000 printed volumes and 1,700 manuscripts. It has also a well-stocked botanic garden and museum. The observatory, five miles distant at Dunsink, is the official residence in Ireland of the royal astronomer. In 1613 James I granted to the university the right of returning two members of Parliament. One was taken away at the Union, but was restored by the reform bill of 1832. The parliamentary constituency consists of the provost, fellows and foundation scholars, ex-fellows and ex-foundation scholars, masters of arts, surgery and engineering, and graduates holding all higher degrees.