EDINBURGH, UNIVERSITY OF. A Scotch uni versity which owes its origin to a bequest of Reid, first Bishop of Orkney in 1538, and to the later encouragement of the municipality of Edinburgh. In 1563 the latter purchased ground on the site of 'Kirk o' Field,' and by grants of confiscated church property from Queen Mary, and a charter from James VI. (James 1. of England f in 1532, the university was finally established. It was formally opened, and teach ing begun, in 1583, though it was at first, strictly speaking, only a college of arts. In 1642 a chair of theology was established. and in 1635 one of medicine. After HISS, the institution, with other Scotch universities, was subjected to Parliamen tary visitation. At the beginning of the eigh teenth century the present arrangem•nt of the faculty of arts came into existence, and this, with the reorganization of the institution, in cluding the establishment of a law faculty, gave it the rank and title of the University of Edin burgh, which it has since held. Until 185S the university had been almost entirely under the control of the municipality, but in that -oar, by the act of Parliament regulating Scottish universities, the administration was vested in a s,•If-governing corporation of members, the se/tutus acadenlicus, and the university court, together with a body of curators selected partly by the university and partly by the city, and in whose hannds lay the patronage of the professional chairs. By the Universities of Scotland Act of 1399, the University Court was constituted as a body corporate, holding. all property, and hav ing all powers of administration. It consists of the rector. principal, Lord Provost of Edin burgh, one assessor nominated by the chan•el lor, one by the rector, one by the Lord Provost, magistrates, and town council of Edinburgh, four by the general co11111•11, representatives of the affiliated colleges. The university senate, con sisting of the principal and professors, regulates teaelung and discipline. The general council, consisting of the chancellor, members of the court, professors, and graduates, reviews the measures presented to it, makes recommenda tions, elects the chancellor, and, with the general council of the University of Saint Andrews, re turns one member to Parliament. The chancel lor confers degrees, sanctions changes in o•ili nances, and presides over the general council. The principal, elected by the curators for life, presides over the senate. The rector, an inter esting mediaeval survival found in Scotch uni versities, is elected by the students for three years, and presides over the court. The office is almost invariably filled by some 1111111, not neces sarily connected with the university, who is distinguished in polities or letters, as Gladstone, Carlyle, Lord Roseberv. and Gosehen. There are
faculties of arts, science, divinity, law, medicine, and music. A students' representative council has certain rights of petition in matters affecting teaching and discipline.
Candidates for a B.A. degree must attend full courses in at least seven subjects: four—Latin or Greek, English or a modern language, or history, logic and metaphysics, or moral philosophy, and mathematics. or natural philosophy—being re quired, and three elective. Each course must consist of not fewer than one hundred hours, or meetings of the class. For a degree with honors, special classes and courses are provided. Special regulations are in force for the higher degrees of M.A., D.Sc., D.Phil., and D.Litt., to all which women are admitted. The university grants also degrees in medicine, law, divinity, and music, of which those in medicine are open to women. There are a large number of bursaries (76), and many prizes, apportioned among the different faculties. The increase in the number of students and teaching force of the university led to a movement in 1369 for the enlargement of the buildings, and in 1378, sufficient sums having been raised, the `new buildings' were be gun. These, completed in 1SSS, together with M'Ewan Ilall, finished in 1897, and the School of Music (135S), constitute the modern addi tions to the original buildings. The university I which contains 210,000 volumes and 7500 51 S., was founded by ('lenient Little in 1530. There are, besides, it number of special libraries in theology, classics, philosophy, his tory, physiology, and music. The museums in clude that of natural history (1812), and a con siderable number in variims departments of learning, partly or wholl• belonging to the pro fessors in the several subjects. The Royal Bo Darden has also some connection with the university. The budget for 1900-01 was over fg6,000, the number of students 2S00, Long is the list. of worthies: Blair, Akenside, Thomson, Ilume, Goldsmith, the geologist Button. Brough am. Scott, Palmerston. Carlyle. Earl Russell, Balfour Stewart. Darwin. Robertson of Brigh ton, Robert Louis Stevenson, Crockett, Barrie, and Sir Conan Doyle. Its professors have been equally distinguished: IMgald Stewart, Sir MI liam I la in il ton. Playfair, Cha Inters, John W Avtonn, Masson, and his successor, Saintsbury.
Consult: Grant, Story of the University of Edin burgh (Edinburgh, 1:1, best account) ; Dalzel, History of the I nhee.sfly of Edinburgh (Edin burgh. 1562) ; cab mlar of the University of Edinbin-gh for current year.