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DR. DOWNES'S THREE DIVINITY PREMIUMS. 107

in divinity and oratory, with remarkable diligence, and are desirous to compete, are to deliver discourses on the subjects so proposed without hesitation, within the space of fifteen minutes for each discourse. To the best composer, £20 premium, (the maximum,) and to the second, £10 premium is adjudged, or a smaller sum in each case may be given, as the examiners may think proper for the manner of pronouncing these discourses is much regarded, as well as the matter and style of them.

The premium for "an extempore discourse," is decided on the last lecture day of Trinity Term, when the Lecturer in Divinity proposes a subject, either moral or controversial, to such candidates as have taken the degree of Bachelor of Arts, and attended him, or one of his assistants, and also the Lecturer in Oratory, for four terms with remarkable diligence. For the best discourses of those delivered extempore, the examiners may bestow a premium of £12, and for the next in merit £8. The candidates for these premiums and the two preceding ones, may compete for and carry off the premiums three successive years, but not oftener.

The third class of these prizes is "for reading the Liturgy," and the trial of the candidates is always held on the first lecture day of Trinity Term, when the Professor of Oratory, and the Divinity Lecturer, adjudge the sum of £8 to the best, and £4 to the next in merit of the candidates in the class of Bachelors of Arts, who shall read in the best manner the parts of the Liturgy as now established, which shall be proposed to them, and who shall have attended with remarkable diligence the lectures in Divinity and Oratory for at least three terms. Candidates for these two premiums cannot receive them more than once; and in the event of meritorious candidates not coming forward to compete, the savings of each year shall go to the augmentation of the fund, and being laid out in government securities, will go to the future increase of the premiums.

On the 18th of March, 1797, the Right Hon. the

108 NUMBER OF SENIOR AND JUNIOR FELLOWS.

Chancellor of the Exchequer brought in a bill for granting to his Majesty certain duties on various manufactures, and for granting certain sums out of the surplus consolidated fund for salaries to the professors of Italian, French, German, and Spanish languages, in the College of Dublin, as follows, viz.-To the professor of the French and German languages in said college, £100 per annum; to the professors of the Spanish and Italian languages in said college, £100 per annum: Resolution to this effect passed the House unanimously on the 26th of the same month.

Early in the memorable year 1798, Ireland being then in a state of high political ferment, verging to a rebellion, the House of Commons, for some unexplained reasons, ordered, on the 26th of February, "that the proper officer of the college should lay before the House an account of the number of the senior and junior fellows, scholars of the house, and sizers of the foundation, in Trinity College, Dublin; specifying the number of each; and also an account of their yearly salaries as fellows, scholars, or sizers, and the sum allowed for the commons of each respectively, and their accommodation as to lodging in chambers in the said college, and whether their respective chambers, or lodgings, are provided at the expense of the college, or at their own respectively;" of the return to which order, we have the following notice on the 21st of February :

"The House being informed that an officer attended at the door, he was called in, and at the bar, presented to the House, pursuant to their order,

"A return of the number of senior fellows on the foundation in Trinity College, near Dublin, their salaries, and sum allowed for commons of each; the title whereof was read, and the return ordered to lie on the table for the perusal of the members."

The following is a copy of a return taken from the Appendix to the 17th volume of the Commons' Journal, page 515.

"Return of number of senior and junior fellows and scholars on the foundation of Trinity College,

MADDEN'S FELLOWSHIP PRIZES.

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near Dublin, their salaries, and the sums allowed for the commons of each.

"Seven senior fellows, salary "Fifteen junior fellows, ditto "Thirty native scholars, ditto Forty scholars, ditto

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£100 each.

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Thirty sizers, no salary, maintained by the commons left at the table at which the fellows dine.

"Fellows allowed for commons, 10s. 6d. per week, for one half year, and 9s. 11d. for the other; scholars allowed for commons, from 6s. 8d. to 7s. 7d. per week, according to the variation of the price of provision.

"Fellows allowed for bread and beer 2s. Od. per week.

"Scholars allowed for ditto ditto 1s. 2d. per week. The fellows and scholars pay a sum on obtaining a grant of rooms, which is repaid when they vacate them; the prices are various, according to the goodness of the accommodations, being from £5 to £100.

"Trinity College, Feb. 22, 1798."

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Signed by

"THOMAS EBRINGTON,
"Bursar."

"FRIDAY, 1ST JUNE, 1798.

"The proper officer having attended at the door, was called in, and presented to the House, according to act of parliament, several accounts, among others, one from the Provost, Fellows, and Scholars of Trinity College, Dublin, for building a new chapel between the 13th day of December, 1787, and the 20th day of November, 1797."

SECTION II.

Madden's Fellowship Prizes.-It had long been the practice, as already mentioned, for the Provost, and Board of senior Fellows, being the examiners at Fellowship examinations, to bestow premiums upon such candidates, and in such proportions, as in their judgment deserved those marks of approbation. But

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MADDEN'S BEQUEST.

it was not until the year 1798 that the premiums known as Madden's Prizes were first bestowed according to the terms specified in a codicil annexed to the last will of Samuel Molyneux Madden, Esq., which he executed in 1782.

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By this document Mr. Madden requested the then Lord Chancellor of Ireland, (Lord Lifford,) the Primate, (Dr. Robinson,) and Dr. Woodward, Bishop of Cloyne, and the Vice-Chancellor of the College to be the trustees and governors of the fund for carrying into effect the purposes of the testator, which were, as he has expressed it, that the property so bequeathed "should be employed in promoting learning and virtue in Trinity College, in the county of Dublin; subject to such regulations as I shall exposite and declare in codicil to my said will." The testator then goes on to say, My will, intent, and request, therefore is, that at every examination for fellowships, in Trinity College, the whole produce of the said fund, (all his estate situated in the corporation of Belturbet, county Cavan,) during the preceding year, be given in one undivided sum, into the hand of that disappointed candidate for the fellowship, as the majority of his examiners shall, by certificate in writing under their hands, declare to have best deserved to succeed if another fellowship had been vacant; provided always, that no premium thus provided shall be given to any disappointed candidate in any year wherein there shall not be at least two disappointed candidates at the examination, and also provided always, that the provost and fellows of college do not diminish the premiums which, through their zeal to encourage learning, they generously bestow upon the disappointed candidates for fellowships at each examination. And whereas, there are some years wherein there are not any examinations for fellowships held, no vacancy having happened in the college, I do hereby desire that the revenue of my estate and fund, in every such year, be laid out in government securities by my said trustees, and the interest of such government securities to be added to the succeeding produce of the united fund

SAMUEL MADDEN'S CHARACTER.

111

aforesaid; and thus the premium to be increased which shall be given to disappointed candidates in the succeeding years. And I do desire that this premium or bounty be continued to one only disappointed candidate for fellowships, until the annual revenue of the said fund shall arise to four hundred pounds, after which period, the trustees aforesaid may appropriate the further increase of the fund towards the constituting a bounty for a second disappointed candidate, or rather for a premium for the best oration or essay in Latin, on such subject as the college shall annually choose, as such encouragement is greatly wanted. And further, in aid to the said intended fund, as the present revenue in the corporation of Belturbet is but £86 rent, I do hereby bequeath to the three trustees as aforesaid, all my personal estate of what nature soever, after the death of my dearly beloved wife, to be by them converted into money, and to be laid out in government debentures, and applied to the great end of encouraging virtue and learning in the college, where the youth of the nation are educated, and where most essential service may be expected from their care and patronage, and therefore I appoint the said trustees my residuary legatees."

Here we have a very gratifying and remarkable instance of the high moral influence which a judicious system of education exercises over the human mind, not only in giving practical effect to the intentions of men naturally humane and well disposed, but also of repressing the equally natural tendencies of our nature to indulge in expensive, and not always the innocent gratification of the social state of man. Mr. Madden was a gentleman possessed of a moderately independent fortune, which at an early period came under his control, and gave him the means of indulging himself according to his fancy; he was a fellow commoner in this college, and at first did not neglect the gaieties so congenial to the spring time of life, and which certainly in that day were rather over than undervalued in Ireland; Madden's natural good sense, however, soon led to reflection, and on taking his

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