University of Virginia Library

COURSE OF INSTRUCTION.

In each school, there are three regular lectures a week; besides which, there
are in most of them extra lectures suited to the several classes into which the
school is divided. The mode of instruction is by text-books and lectures, accompanied
by rigid examinations. The course pursued in each school, is as
follows:

I. ANCIENT LANGUAGES.

Professor Harrison.—In this School are taught the Latin and Greek
languages; the Greek and Roman History, Geography, and Literature; and
the Hebrew language. The instruction is given partly by lectures and examinations,
and partly by comments on portions of the text-books appointed to be
read by the student. It embraces the following subjects, distributed according
to the classes.

I. Junior Latin.—1. General principles and doctrines of the Etymology.

2. The application of these general principles in the explanation of the formation
and composition of the words of the language, considered individually,
and without regard to their relations to other words in a sentence.

The doctrine of the primary and secondary significations of words is considered
in connection with this branch of the subject, and is illustrated in the lectures
from day to day as occasion may offer.

3. The accidence, or inflectional forms of words, expressing the relations in
which they stand to other words in a sentence. These modifications of the
forms of words are in like manner explained by the application of the general
principles of the etymology.

4. The Syntax, or laws which govern the relations existing between the
several parts of a sentence or a discourse, whether indicated by the inflections
of words, or by particles. This subject is treated of partly in lectures specially
devoted to it, partly by way of prelections and comment on the portions of authors
read in the lecture room, and partly in connection with the written exercises.

For the above subjects the text books are the professor's printed notes, and
Zumpt's Latin Grammar.

5. The doctrine of the quantity of syllables, and the metres. The students
are advised to use Carey's Latin Prosody, or Anthon's Prosody, which contains
what is most useful in Carey's.

6. The Latin authors used as text books are Horace, Virgil, Cicero's Orations,
and his Epistles ad Diversos, Terence, and Cæsar's Commentaries.
The last chiefly with a view to the written exercises.

II. Senior Latin.—1. Prelections and commentaries on portions of the classic
authors, embracing, besides the other matters necessary for the better understanding
of these, a further development of the doctrines of philology taught
in the Junior Class.

The text books are Horace, Juvenal, Livy, and Tacitus.

2. Geography of Ancient Italy.—The professor's printed notes form the text
book. The maps of ancient and modern Italy, published by the "Society for
the diffusion of useful knowledge," are recommended.

3. Roman History. This subject is taught by prelections, and by examinations
on the text books. These are the History of Rome published by the
"Society for the diffusion of useful knowledge," Niebuhr's History of Rome,
Ferguson's Roman Republic, and Heeren's Manual.

III. Junior Greek.—1. The Etymology, considered in its general principles
and in its applications, the Syntax, and the Prosody and metres, are taught to
this class in the same way as to the Junior Latin.

For these subjects Buttmann's larger Greek Grammar is the text book.
Thiersch's Tables of the Greek verb, by Patton, are referred to and recommended.

The Greek authors read and explained in the lecture room, are Xenophon's
Anabasis, Herodotus, and a play of Æschylus or Euripides. The Greek and
English Lexicon of Donnegan is that preferred.

IV. Senior Greek.—1. Prelections and commentaries on portions of the
Greek classic authors, in the same way as in the Senior Latin class, and embracing
the like subjects.

The Greek authors used as text books in this class are Euripides, Sophocles,
Thucydides, and Homer. The student should have Matthiae's Greek Grammar,
5th edition of the translation.

2. Ancient Geography of Greece. The printed notes of the professor form
the text.

3. Ancient History of Greece. It is taught by prelections, and by examinations
on the text books. These are Thirlwall's History of Greece, Gillies'
History of Greece, and Heeren's Manual.

It is expected of the students of Latin and Greek, that they shall read in
their rooms such authors and parts of authors, prescribed by the Professor, as
cannot be read in the lecture room: e. g.: Cicero's Epistles to Atticus, his Orations
(selected,) and Treatise "de Republica;" Sallust, Virgil, Terence, Plautus:
Æschylus, Sophocles, Euripides, Aristophanes, Demosthenes, Æschines,
Thucydides, &c.

As an essential part of the plan of instruction, the students of each class are
required to furnish written exercises; which consist in the conversion of Latin
or Greek into English, and of English into Latin or Greek. The exercises
are examined by the Professor, and the errors marked: they are then returned
to the students, and the corrections stated and explained in the presence of the
class. For these exercises the classic authors are used as the text.

V. Hebrew.—The text books are Biblia Hebraica, Stuart's Hebrew Grammar,
3rd edition, and Gesenii Lexicon Manuale Hebr. et Chald., or Sauerwein's
edition of Rehkopf's Lex. Hebr. Chald.

II. MODERN LANGUAGES.

Professor Blættermann.—The languages taught in this school, are the
French, Spanish, Italian, German and Anglo Saxon; and if desired, will also
be taught the Danish, Swedish, Hollandish and Portuguese languages. In
each of them, there are two classes, the senior and junior, together with a third
class for those who wish to qualify themselves for degrees in this school, as it
is required that two degrees be obtained in modern languages before that of
A. M. will be conferred. Besides the oral translations in the lecture room, the
students are required to write, as regular exercises out of the lecture rooms,
translations from the foreign language into English, and vice versa. Lectures
on the Literature of each of the nations whose languages are taught, are delivered
twice a week, by the Professor; as also lectures on Modern History, and
the political relations of the different civilized nations of the present day. The
text books used are the principal classics in each language.

III. MATHEMATICS.

Professor Bonnycastle.—In this school there are commonly five classes.
Of these the first junior begins with Arithmetic; but as the student is required
to have some knowledge of this subject when he enters the University, the lectures
of the Professor are limited to the theory, shewing the method of naming
numbers, the different scales of notation, and the derivation of the several rules
of Arithmetic from the primary notion of addition; the addition namely, of
sensible objects one by one. The ideas thus acquired are appealed to at every
subsequent step, and much pains are taken to exhibit the gradual developement
from these elementary truths of the extensive science of mathematical analysis.
Lacroix's Arithmetic is the text book.

In Algebra, the first problems are analized, with and without the use of letters,
to make the student sensible of the advantages of these signs. In teaching
the rules for adding, subtracting, &c., they are compared with the corresponding
rules in Arithmetic, and the agreement or diversity is noticed and explained.
The text book is Lacroix's Algebra.

In Geometry, the first elements are taught, and illustrated by the use of
models.

The second junior class continue to read Lacroix's Algebra, and Bonnycastle's
Inductive Geometry. In the latter, they successively acquire—the theorems
of Synthetic Geometry—the theory and practice of Plane and Spherical
Trigonometry, with the application of the latter to Nautical Astronomy—the
theory of Projection—and the theory of curved lines and Surfaces. Their
subsequent studies usually embrace a portion of the Differential Calculus.

The senior classes continue the Differential Calculus in lessons taken from
Young and from Bonnycastle's Geometry, concluding the course of Pure Mathematics
with the Integral Calculus, the theory of which is taken from Young,
and the examples from Peacock.

There is, moreover, a class of Mixed Mathematics, for such of the more advanced
students as choose to pursue it; which consists of parts of Poisson's
Mechanics, the first book of Laplace's Mechanique Celeste, and of the applications
of the principles there given to various problems.

IV. NATURAL PHILOSOPHY.

Professor Rogers.—There are two classes in this school, viz:—The general
or Junior, and the Senior class. In the former, the illustrations are experimental
and graphical, with occasional references to the elementary truths
of Geometry and Algebra. In the latter mathematical demonstration is almost
exclusively employed, sometimes involving the use of the calculus.

The various subjects embraced in this school are treated of in the following
order, viz:

Mechanics, including Statics, Dynamics, Laws of Impulse and Pressure,
and Corpuscular Forces, Strength of Materials, Friction and Machinery; Hydrodynamics,
including Hydrostatics, Hydraulics, Capillary Attraction, &c.—
Pneumatics; Acoustics; Heat, including Meteorology and the Steam Engine;
Electricity and Galvanism; Magnetism; Electro-Magnetism; Optics; Astronomy.

The text books referred to in the Junior Class, are Lardner's Mechanics,
Hydrostatics and Pneumatics; Brewster's Optics, by Bache; Herschell's Astronomy;
Lardner on the Steam Engine, and the Treatises in the Library of
Useful Knowledge on Mechanics, Hydrostatics and Hydraulics, Pneumatics,
Heat, Electricity, Galvanism, Magnetism, and Electro-Magnetism. The text
books in the senior class are the Cambridge Mechanics, Young's Analytical
Mechanics, Gummere's Astronomy, Bache's Appendix to Brewster's Optics.

In the senior class the students are examined upon the subjects of lecture
in the general class, as well as the Mathematical demonstrations referred to in
their text books.

The Apparatus provided for the school of Natural Philosophy is extensive
and complete, and enables the Professor to illustrate every part of his course
by experiments in the presence of his class. An Observatory, with its appropriate
astronomical instruments, is attached to this school.

V. CIVIL ENGINEERING.

This school comprises the following branches of instruction, viz:

I.—Graphical Mathematics, embracing Descriptive Geometry, Perspective
Mensuration, &c.

II.—Theory of Levelling and Surveying, both ordinary and topographical.

III.—Theory of Roads, Rail-roads, Canals, Bridges, &c.

IV.—Theoretical Mechanics, Hydrostatics and Hydrodynamics, as connected
with Engineering.

V.—Laws of Heat and Steam—Theory and construction of the Steam
Engine.

VI.—Geology and Mineralogy.

VII.—Levelling, Surveying, &c., taught practically in the field.

VIII.—Plan drawing, Plotting, Topographical drawing and sketching.

The subjects named under the six first heads are divided between the Professors
of Mathematics and Natural Philosophy. Those included under the
7th and 8th heads, are taught by the Teacher of Drawing, under the superintendence
of the Professors above mentioned.

VI. CHEMISTRY.

Professor Emmet.—In the Chemical class of this School, all the important
applications of the science to the mechanic arts, agriculture and domestic
economy are noticed, and when practicable, illustrated by experiment. In the
lectures on earths and metals, the appropriate minerals are exhibited and noticed
with reference to sciences of Mineralogy and Geology. At the close of the
history of inorganic matter, the atomatic theory, and the laws of definite proportions
are fully explained and exemplified. The latter part of the course is
occupied with the chemistry of organic substances; and it comprises the history,
analysis and properties of each substance; to which are added general
views of the connexion between Chemistry and the physiology of animals and
vegetables.

There is attached to this school, a very extensive apparatus and laboratory.

VII. MORAL PHILOSOPHY.

Professor Tucker.—There are two classes in this school. The Junior
Class studies Rhetoric, Belles-Lettres and Logic, the first half of the session,
and Belles-Lettres and Ethics, the last half.

The Senior studies Mental Philosophy, the first part of the session, and Political
Economy the last. The examinations are on the Professor's lectures,
Brown's Philosophy, Say's Political Economy, and Adam Smith.

In the Junior Class, the examinations are on the Professor's Lectures, Blair's
Lectures, Campbell's Rhetoric, Stewart's Active and Moral Powers, and
Whately's Logic.

The students in this school are also exercised in composition.

VIII. LAW.

Professor Davis.—This school is arranged into two classes. The subjects
studied by the Junior class are the Law of Nature and Nations, the Science
of Government, Constitutional Law, and the elementary principles of
Municipal Law. The text books used by this class, are Vattel's Law of Nations,
the Federalist, the Virginia Report of '99, Blackstone's Commentaries,
and a Treatise on Criminal Law by the Professor; in addition to which, lectures
are delivered on Government, and various topics of National and Constitutional
Law, not discussed in the text-books.

The subjects studied by the Senior class, are the Common and Statute Law,
Equity and Maritime and Commercial Law. And the text-books used by this
class, are Coke upon Littleton, (Thomas's edition,) Stephen on Pleading, Starkie
on Evidence, (the first vol.) Matthews on Executors, Chitty on Contracts,
Smith's Mercantile Law, Story's Equity, and Mitford's Pleadings.

The design of this arrangement is to embrace in the junior course, those
studies which not only form an essential part of a liberal professional education,
but which from their universal interest and importance, constitute a highly
useful branch of general education: whilst the senior course is exclusively occupied
with the study of the theory and practice of Law, as a profession.

Students can attend either or both the classes; and those not wishing to
study Municipal Law at all, can enter for that portion of the junior course
which includes National Law, Government and Constitutional Law, which
portion, those wishing to study Municipal Law only, can, if they choose, omit.

On the text books of both classes, prelections are delivered by the Professor,
in which it is his object to supply what is deficient, and explain what is obscure
in the text, and to offer such comments as he deems necessary to the
thorough understanding of the subject under consideration. In the prelections
on Municipal Law, he refers to the leading cases and authorities, American
and English, illustrative of the topic treated by the author, and particularly
explains, in its appropriate connection, the Statute Law of Virginia and the
United States, and its effects on the pre-existing law. Each prelection is preceded
by an examination on the last, together with its text. On the lectures
delivered, the class are also examined.

To assist them in their regular studies, and to accustom them to legal investigations
and forensic discussions, the students of this school have instituted a
Law Society, at the meetings of which the Professor presides. In it, questions
connected with the studies of the school are discussed, fictitious cases litigated
in the form of regular pleadings, and the issue produced decided in the
appropriate mode, and the members exercised in conveyancing, &c.

The students of Law, in common with the students of the other schools,
have the use of the extensive Library of the institution; the Law department
of which is large and valuable.