No. 3.

Plan of Examination for Questionists who are Candidates for Honours.

1 THAT the Questionists who are Candidates for Honours be required to attend, with the other Questionists, the Examination in Paley's Moral Philosophy, the New Testament and Ecclesiastical History, appointed to take place on the 1st Monday in the Lent Term and on the following day.

2 That the Names of all such Questionists, Candidates for Honours, as shall, in the judgment of the Examiners, have passed their Examination in these subjects with credit, be published, in alphabetical order, by the Proctors, in the Senate House, upon the day of the Bachelor of Arts' Commencement.

3 That the first Examination, under the Regulations now proposed, shall take place in the Lent Term of 1846.

On proceeding to direct their attention to a plan of Examination for persons who, having been admitted ad respondendum quæstioni, are intended for Holy Orders, the Syndicate found the subject involved in difficulties; but, after mature consideration, they beg leave to recommend, in the second place, the following plan to the Senate.

No. 4.

Plan of Theological Examination for Students who shall have been admitted ad respondendum quæstioni in conformity with the preceding Regulations.

1 In the first or second week of the Michaelmas Term of each year, there shall be an Examination in the Greek Testament, assigned portions of the Early Fathers, Ecclesiastical History, the Articles of Religion and the Liturgy of the Church of England; which Examination shall be open to all students who, having at any time been admitted ad respondendum quæstioni in conformity with the preceding regulations, shall present themselves to be examined.

2 The Examinations shall be conducted by the Regius and

Lady Margaret Professors of Divinity; or, in case of the illness or unavoidable absence of either or both of them, by some Member or Members of the Senate, nominated by either or both of the Professors, and confirmed by Grace of the Senate.

3 The names of those students, who shall have passed their Examination to the satisfaction of the Examiners, shall be published in alphabetical order, and registered in the usual

manner.

4 Immediately after each such Examination, a portion of the Hebrew Scriptures shall form the subject of a new Examination, for such students as, having their names published as above mentioned, shall offer themselves to be examined.

5 The Examination in the Hebrew Scriptures shall be conducted by the Regius Professor of Hebrew; or, in case of his illness or absence, by some Member of the Senate, nominated by him, and confirmed by Grace of the Senate.

6 The names of the students, who shall have passed their Examination in the Hebrew Scriptures to the satisfaction of the Examiner, shall be published and registered in the manner already described.

7 Public notice of the days of Examination and also of the portions of the Early Fathers and of the Hebrew Scriptures, assigned for the aforesaid Examinations in the Michaelmas Term of any year, shall be given in the first week of the Lent Term immediately preceding.

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The first Examination, under the Regulations now proposed, shall take place in the Michaelmas Term of 1846.

The Syndicate recommend that the Examination marked No. 4 should be open to students in the Civil Law, on producing certificates, from the Regius Professor of the Civil Law, or his Deputy, of their having performed the Exercises required for the Degree of Bachelor in that Faculty.

G. ARCHDALL, Vice-Chancellor.

The Syndicate are authorized to announce to the Senate that, should the Regulations contained in the foregoing Report be adopted, the Regius and Lady Margaret Professors of Divinity and the Regius Professor of Hebrew, in consideration of the length of time which must elapse before the plan marked No. 4 can come into operation, will commence in the Michaelmas Term of 1843, and continue in the corresponding Term of each of the two following years, Examinations somewhat similar to those proposed in that plan.

A Grace to confirm the above Report passed the Senate May 11, 1842.

THE VICE-CHANCELLOR begs leave to publish to the University the following REPORT, in accordance with the Regulation D. adopted by the SENATE Oct. 31, 1848.

THE BOARD OF MATHEMATICAL STUDIES beg leave to lay before the VICE-CHANCELLOR the following REPORT:

WITH the view of carrying out the intention of the University in appointing a Board of Mathematical Studies, the present Members commenced their duties by making regulations for holding meetings and conducting the discussion of the questions that might require their consideration, and for keeping minutes of their proceedings to serve as an authentic record for future reference. The existing state of the Mathematical Studies of the University has been the subject of mutual communications and discussions, which have resulted in their agreeing upon certain recommendations which will be found in the latter part of this Report.

I. The Board conceive that the objects intended to be secured by an annual Report on the state of our Mathematical

Studies may be promoted, and a basis formed for future suggestions, by bringing under review in this first Report, (1) the changes that have been made from time to time by Graces of the Senate in the regulations for conducting the Mathematical Examinations; (2) the progressive steps by which new modes of treating the subjects of examination, and new subjects, have been introduced into the course of Mathematical Study.

(1) In 1808, the Examination of the candidates for Honours commenced on the first Monday in the Lent Term; three days were devoted to Mathematics; and the candidates having been arranged in Brackets according to the result of the examinations on those days, the order of their merit was finally determined by examinations of the Brackets on the following Friday. Each candidate was examined 18 hours in the course of the three days, of which 11 hours were employed in answering questions from books, and the remaining 7 in the solution of Problems. The number of candidates that obtained Honours in that year was 38. In 1828, when the number had increased to 90, the examination commenced on the Friday preceding the first Monday in the Lent Term, and extended over four days, exclusive of the day of examining the Brackets; the total number of hours of examination was 23, and the time assigned to Problems remained the same as in 1808. By regulations which took effect in January 1833, the commencement of the examination was placed a day earlier, the duration was five days, and the hours of examination on each day were 53. Thus 4 hours were added to the whole time of examination, 4 of which were appropriated to the answering of questions from books, and the remaining half-hour to the solution of Problems. The successful candidates in that year amounted to 105. In 1835 the number was 117, and the examination, for the convenience of the examiners, began on the Wednesday of the same week, without alteration in other respects. In January 1839 there were six days of examination, beginning on the Monday preceding the first Monday in the Lent Term, and the total number of hours of examination was 33, of which 8 were given to

Problems.

The first day of examination was altered in 1841 to the Wednesday week preceding the first Monday in the Lent Term. The number on the list of Honours in 1840 was 146. Of the alterations relating to the classification of the candidates and the mode of proposing the questions, the following are those of chief importance. Previous to January 1828, the candidates were divided into six classes, determined by the Exercises in the Schools; different printed Problems and vivâ voce questions were proposed to different classes, generally taken two together, and the only questions proposed to all in common were the Evening Problems. In the year above named, important regulations, confirmed by Grace of the Senate, Nov. 13, 1827, came into operation. The classes were reduced to four, determined as before by the Exercises in the Schools. On the first two days all the candidates had the same questions proposed to them, inclusive of the Evening Problems; and the examination from books on those days excluded the higher and more difficult parts of mathematics, with the view of securing an object which, in the opinion of the Syndicate on whose recommendation these regulations were adopted, was highly desirable, viz.: “That the Candidates for Honours may not be induced to pursue the more abstruse and profound mathematics to the neglect of more elementary knowledge." Accordingly, on the first day (Friday), the questions from books extended to such parts of pure Mathematics and Natural Philosophy as do not require the Differential Calculus, and on the Saturday were added parts of Natural Philosophy somewhat more advanced, and the simpler applications of the Calculus. On Monday, the first and second classes were examined together, and the third and fourth together, in questions from books and in Problems; and on Tuesday, the second and third were examined together, and the first and fourth separately, in questions from books. The questions which had previously been given out vivâ voce, were printed, in order to make generally known the questions proposed in each year, and, by thus directing the reading of the students, to produce more fixity and definiteness in the mathematical studies of the University. The printed papers also

[PT. II.]

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