The Sun.
London, England, 1851-09-08 00:00:00

GODLESS COLLEGES

The fallowing are reports of the Presidents of the
Queen's Colleges, Belfast, Cork, and Galway, for the
essien ISSO-1 :
QUEEN'S COLLEGE, BELFAST.
THE QREEN'S MOST EXCELLENT MAJESTY.
May it please your Majesty,—l have the honour of
submitting to your Majesty this second report of the
operations of Queen's College, Belfast, embracing the
last session from its opening in the middle of October.
1850, till its close on the 15th of June, 1851. The
orgenisatien of the different faculties, which another
year has enabled the authorities at the college to carry
forward towards completion ; the amount of scien-
tific and literary labour that has been undertaken and
accomplished both by the professors and students ;
the consolidation and harmony of the varied collegiate
interests; the consequent unity of action and of pur-
pose. characterising the whole proceedings of the col-
lege ; the number of students on the roll ; and, above
all, the establishment of the Queen's University now
in full opeeation, securing to the different departments
degrees sequel in privilege and value to those of any
other ieniversity—all these enable me to submit this
repo' t to your Majesty with a feeling of satisfaction
which will he shared by the supporters of united edu-
cs.tion and the friends of national enlightenment.
Io various respects the Queen's Colleges differ from
most existing institntions both in their courses and
operations. The present state of society demanded
the ietreeuction of the applied practical and natural
sc'eue's to as great an extent as is compatible with
the essentials of strictly professional education ; but
this teivencereent on old established systems, now
brough for two years to the test of experiment, has
confirmed all the general impressions which the pre-
sid-uts send vice-presidents of the colleges from the
outset entertained of the importance of adapting in-
struction, even as regards the professions themselves,
to tl'.e wants of the community, and those economic
Pur ,Joses of which science is the real foundation. The
details of this report will more fully illustrate these
tiews. Nor will it, I trust, be less apparent whilst
the objects of science and literature have been zea-
lously prosecuted that the paramount interests of re
ligion have in any sense been dissociated from that
true education which deals with the youth nut only
as an intellectual but as a moral and accountable being.
The collegiate scheme established by your Majesty
has solved the problem of combining the various de-
nominations for mental culture, without interference
wir.h religious convictions, and of providing at the
same time for the young man, if under age, that
!piritual instruction of which his parents approve, orif above that age, that spiritual instruction which his
own choice and position may dictate. The reports of
the two deans of residences, published herewith, wil,
satisfectorily establish this important fact.
The only change which took place in the profes•
sional ranks during the past year were the transfer-
ence of Mr. M'Douall from the Latin to the Greek
chair, in consequence of the acceptance by the Rev.
Frederick Ringwood of the head-mastership of Dun-
gannon Royal School, and the appointment of the Rv.
Charles Reichel to the professorship of Latin. By
this means the efficiency of the classical department
has been fully sustained.
The e.zotracted illness of Professor Blakey pre-
vented e. course of lectures on logic from being de-
livered. during the past session ; but his Excellency has
!ssueei such instructions as will secure proper courses
in fnis branch and in metaphysics during the next
evititer.
Referring to the different faculties, I give the offi-
tie' returns of numbers and classes as have been made
out from the roll-book, and authenticated by the re
gistrar :
Number of matriculated students attending second
seoion ••• ••• ••• ••• ••• •••
Nuriv.er of students who matriculated in October
and November, 1850
Admictetl a student of second year, ad eundem
from T.C.D.

Total matriculated students attending this
sossion "'
Total non-matriculated students ...

Total number number of students ... 184
In the first session of the college the number of
non-taatriculated students was 107, and matriculated
85. Tnis large number, at the opening of the col-
lege, is to be accounted for partly by the circum-
stance that many young men, who had previously
prosecuted their education at the Royal Institution at
Belliest and other places, entered the Queen's College
for year to coin plete it, partly because a number fell
beck to compete for the scholarships ; and, to a con-
siderable extent, by the fact that the college not
having commenced its operations for a year after the
expected period, there existed an accumulation of stu-
dents at the time of opening. Taking these circum-
stances into account, and considering the past session
by its<-If, as a fair test of the second year's operations,
I speak the sentiments of the council and professors
in expressing gratification that since the opening of
the college, in the session 1849-50, 287 students have
been enrolled, and that 184 regularly attended during
the past year. The students who matriculated last
session are young men from the different preparatory
schools ; and it is illustrative of the impulse which
has been given to education by the establishment of
the college, that these are held by their respective
professors to be fully equal to their standing even
with teeee who fell back from different colleges, and
carried some of the first year's scholarships.
The investigations of comparative merit at the sup-
plemental, entrance, and scholarship examinations in
October last, occupied the professors several days, and
were conducted with great strictness and impartiality.
The competition for honours and prizes, both at the
opening and close of the session, was remarkably
close, and made it difficult in many instances for the
examiners to decide on the relative merits of the
candidates.
The general conduct of the students has been satis-
factory, and a very marked improvement has taken
place in their attention to academic usages and rules.
Means were adopted by the council, in the early part
of the session, for securing regularity of attendance at
all the lectures arid examinations; and an inspection
of each professor's roll-book is sufficient to show how
effective those measures have been. The subjoined
reports of the deans of residences will be regarded as
highly important, not only because they bear testi-
mony to religious advantages which the students have
enjoyed, but on account also of the practical and un-
uestionable proof they afford of the provision that is
made in the collegiate statutes for the perfect reli-
gious instruction os the students. The references to
the good conduct of the medical students, and their
attendance on the religious exercises prescribed by
the deans, is as gratifying as it is illustrative of
the fact, that few colleges in the empire possess
the same means of religious instruction, pro-
vided the different religious bodies avail themselves
of the privileges which are secured to them by
statutory enactment. In reference to the subject of
religious instruction, I have further to state that the
Rev. William Lupton and the Rev. John Porter, of
Belfast, have since the close of the session been ap-
pointed by your Majesty to be deans of residences ;
the former over students of the Wesleyan body, and
the latter over those of the non-subscribing Presbyte-
rian bodies. Both appointments were made in ac-
cordance with the wishes of the respective churches
of these gentlemen.
In collecting materials for this report, I felt it my
duty to put myself into communication with the deans
of tee diff-rent faculties, in order to ascertain any
particular points to which it might be desirable to
dra ,v your Mejesty's attention.
During the pest year such additions as the funds
placed at the disposal of the college enabled us to
procure have been made both to the, library and mu-
feum ; but i,: became more apparent every day that
the amount granted by Perliement for both depart-
ments was quite insufficient to provide such a collec-
t!. ,n of hooke, of apparatus and objects, as any col-
!, ge ouOit: to possess, in which so many subjects are
tali lit and illustrated.
foe governors of the Observatory at Armagh have
in' generously off-red to the college, provi led your
Majesty should approve of the transfer, some dupli.
ewe instruinents which once formed part of the ap-
paratus in the Kew Observatory, and were of erwards
presented to them by your Majesty's royal uncle, his
Excellency the Lord-Lieutenant put himself into
communication with your Majesty and the Primate
on the subject, and the permission being graciously
granted, that prelate was pleased to convey to me the
rfi'i.s2lntion of the governors, assigning the instruments
Lb,. use of the college, so long as they should be
pied to their appropriate purposes. I have now
t}'eo
Professorsg ra! iecation of stating that, owing to the exertions
, Wilson and Stevelly to whose depart-
menLs this present especially belongs, aided by the
influence and zeal of the vice-president, an observa-
tory is being erected
Wleyh_perivatte contributions the college groundQ, in
h hese instruments and
others of 3 similar kind that may be obtained, will in
a short time be deposited, for the benefit of science
and the advantage of the college. On account of this
rna. k of favour, as well as the
coolers, the college authorities are deeply grateful to
your Maesty fbr permission of the transference, and
to the Primate and governors of the Armagh Obser-
aratory, for having proposed and effected it on proper
and encouraging conditions.
During the first collegiate session, the President ofa
theßoyal Irish Academy, Dr. Llyod, expressed
desire, on the part of that body, for the co-operation
of the college, ;n carrying out some comparative
meteorological observations. At the time we were
met in a position to respond practically to this invita-
tion. A few months ago, however, measures were
adopted for effectuating this desirable object, and I
have now to report that observations, through the aid
of excellent instruments, are being takenl regularly at
the college, whose results shall be conveyed from time
to time to the president and directors of the Royal
Irish Academy.