town of England, and capital of the county of that name. It takes the name of Cambridge from the bridge over the Cam, which divides the town into two parts. Either it or a place in the neighbourhood was styled Camborium in the time of the Romans. It suffered much during the wars with the Danes. Here was a castle built by William the Conqueror, of which the gatehouse yet remains, and is now the county goal. By Doomsday-book it appears, that it then had ten wards, containing 387 houses. In William Rufus's reign it was quite destroyed by Roger de Montgomery; but Henry I. be- Cambridge flowed many privileges upon it to encourage its restoration, particularly an exemption from the power of the sheriff, on condition of its paying yearly into the exchequer 100 merks (equivalent to 1000 pounds now), and from tolls, lassage, pontage, paillage, and hallage, in all fairs of his dominions. It was afterwards often plundered in the barons wars by the outlaws from the Isle of Ely, till Henry III. secured it by a deep ditch. In 1388, Richard II. held a parliament here. In the rebellion of Wat Tyler and Jack Straw against that prince, the university records were taken and burnt in the market-place.

The modern town is about one mile long from S. to N. and about half a mile broad in the middle, diminishing at the extremities. It has 14 parish-churches, of which two are without any towers. It contains above 1200 houses; but the private buildings are neither elegant or large, owing chiefly to their being held on college or corporation leases. It is governed by a mayor, high-steward, recorder, 13 aldermen, and 24 common-council-men, a town-clerk, &c. Its chief trade is water carriage from hence to Downham, Lynn, Ely, &c. The Jews being encouraged to settle in England by William I. and II. were very populous here for several generations, and inhabited that street now called the Jewry. They had a synagogue, since converted to a parish church, called from the shape of its tower Round Church; though others are of opinion, that it was built by the Knights Templars, it bearing a resemblance to the temple church in London. The market-place is situated in the middle of the town, and consists of two spacious oblong squares united together; at the top of the angle stands the shire-hall, lately erected at the expense of the county. At the back of the shire-hall is the town-hall and gaol. In the market place, fronting the shire-hall, is a remarkable handsome stone conduit, to which water is conveyed by an aqueduct, which was the benefaction of the celebrated Hobson, a carrier in the reign of James I. who was a native of this town. A fine road for the benefit of the inhabitants and students was made a few years since for 4 miles, from this town to Gogmagog-hills, pursuant to the will of Mr Wortes. The late Dr Adenbrooke also left it 4000l. towards building and furnishing an hospital for the cure of poor diseased people gratis: of which charity the master of Catharine-hall is a trustee; which hospital has been erected at the south-east end of the town. At a little distance from Benet-college is the botanic garden of 5 acres, and a large house for the use of the governors and the residence of the curator, given to the university by the late Dr Walker, who settled an estate on it towards its support; to which the late Mr Edward Betham added a very considerable benefaction. The town has fairs on June 24, and Aug. 14.

The glory of Cambridge is its university; but when it had its beginning is uncertain. At first there was no public provision for the accommodation or maintenance of the scholars; but afterwards inns began to be erected by pious persons for their reception, and in the time of Edward I. colleges began to be built and endowed. This university, not inferior to any in Christendom, consists of 12 colleges and 4 halls, which have the same privileges as the colleges. The whole body, which is commonly about 1500, enjoys very great privileges granted by several of our sovereigns; Cambridge, but it was James I. who empowered it to send two members to parliament, as the town had done from the first. The university is governed, 1. By a chancellor, who is always some nobleman, and may be changed every three years, or continued longer by the tacit consent of the university. 2. By a high-steward, chosen by the senate, and holding his place by patent from the university. 3. By a vice-chancellor, who is the head of some college or hall, and chosen yearly by the body of the university, the heads of the colleges naming two. 4. By two proctors chosen every year, according to the cycle of colleges and halls; as are two taxors, who with the proctors regulate the weights and measures, as clerks of markets. The proctors also inspect the behaviour of the scholars, who must not be out of their colleges after nine at night. Here are also 2 moderators, 2 scrutators, a commissary, public orator, 2 librarians, a register, a school-keeper, 3 esquire beadles and a yeoman beadle, 18 professors, and the caput, consisting of the vice-chancellor, a doctor of divinity, a doctor of laws, a doctor of physic, a regent, and a non regent master of arts. Henry VI. granted it the power to print all books of any kind within itself, a privilege which Oxford had not. The senate-house of the university is an elegant building of the Corinthian order, cost near 16,000l. building; in which on the north side is a fine statue of George I. erected in 1739 at the expense of the late Lord Townshend; opposite to this on the south side is another of George II. erected in 1765 at the expense of the late Duke of Newcastle: at the east end, on each side of the entrance, are two others; one, the late duke of Somerset, after the Vandyke taste; the other, an Italian emblematical figure of Gloria. This is allowed to be the most superb room in England, being 101 feet long, 42 broad, and 32 high; and it has a gallery which can contain 1000 persons. This building forms the north side of a quadrangle, as the schools and public library do the west, the schools being the ground floor, and the library over them surrounding a small court. North of the philosophy school is the repository of Dr Woodward's fossils, ores, shells, &c. The doctor, together with that collection and a part of his library, left a sum of money to this university for erecting a professorship for natural philosophy, with a provision of 150l. a-year for ever. At the south-east corner of this building is an elegant geometrical stone staircase which leads to the old library, and consists of 18 classes; at the end of which is an elegant square room, in which are deposited the MSS. and a valuable cabinet of oriental books and curiosities, &c. This room opens to two other rooms, containing 26 large classes consisting of 30,000 volumes presented the university by George I., being the entire collection of Dr Moor bishop of Ely, and purchased of the doctor's executors by his majesty for 6000 guineas; before which his majesty gave the university 2000l. to defray the expense of fitting up the apartments and erecting classes for their reception; they consist of the first editions of the Greek and Latin classics and historians, and the greatest part of the works of the first printers; large collections of prints of the greatest masters; and a valuable MS. of the Gospels and Acts of the Apostles on vellum, in Greek and Latin capitals, given the university by Theodore Beza, Cambridge. Beza, and supposed to be as old as any MS. extant.

The other part of the library has been rebuilt in an elegant manner, and forms the west side of the intended quadrangle. The books which are contained in the last room are part of the old library augmented with a considerable number of the best modern books, several of which are presents from foreign sovereigns and eminent men. The fourth side of this quadrangle is designed for a building to contain the printing-office, &c. of the university, for which preparations began lately to be made by pulling down the old buildings on the spot. St Mary's church forms the east side of this quadrangle; here the university have their public sermons; and the pulpit, which stands in the centre of the church and faces the chancel, has no sounding-board. In a grand gallery over part of the chancel is a seat for the chancellor, vice-chancellor, &c. George I., when he gave the books, also established a professor of modern history and modern languages in this university, with a salary of £400. for himself and two persons under him qualified to instruct in that branch 20 scholars, to be nominated by the king, each of which is obliged to learn two at least of the languages. A fellowship is founded at Magdalen college, appropriated to the gentlemen of Norfolk, and called the travelling Norfolk fellowship. All the libraries in Cambridge, except that of the king's college, are lending libraries; and those at Oxford are studying libraries. The different colleges are as follows.

1. St Peter's, the most ancient, and the first entering the town from London, consisting of two courts, separated by a cloister and gallery. The largest is 144 feet long, 84 broad. The buildings in this court have been lately repaired in an elegant manner. The lesser court is divided by the chapel, which is a fine old building 54 feet long, 27 broad, and 27 high. This college was founded 1257. There are three colleges in Oxford which dispute the antiquity with this. Cambridge and Oxford were universities long before they were possessed of any colleges in their own right, the students then lodging and boarding with the townsmen, and they then hired hotels for their exercises and disputations. A hotel or hall, now denominated Pythagoras's school, situated on the west side of the river, is one of the ancient hotels that remains undemolished, and in which Erasmus read his first Greek lectures in England. 2. Clare-hall, on the bank of the river, over which it has an elegant stone-bridge, was founded 1326, consisting of one grand court 150 feet long and 111 broad. The front of this building that faces the fields has the appearance of a palace. To this college a new chapel has been added. 3. Pembroke-hall is near St Peter's college, and was founded in 1343, consisting of two courts. It has an elegant chapel built by Sir Christ. Wren. 4 Corpus Christi or Benet college, founded in 1350, has but a mean appearance, but is possessed of a remarkably large collection of valuable and curious ancient manuscripts. 5. Trinity-hall, on the north of Clare-hall, near the river, was founded in 1351; it is a small but remarkably neat building. 6. Gonvil and Caius college is near the middle of the town, north of the senate-house, and has three courts. It was founded 1348, and augmented 1557. 7. King's college, the most noble foundation in Europe, was first endowed by Henry VI. The old court resembles a decayed castle more than a Cambridge college. The new building is very magnificent, near 300 feet long. The chapel is one of the finest pieces of Gothic architecture now remaining in the world. It is 304 feet long, 73 broad on the outside and 40 within, and 91 high; and yet not a single pillar to sustain its ponderous roofs, of which it has two: the first is of stone, most curiously carved; the other of wood, covered with lead, between which is a vacancy of 10 feet. There is such a profusion of carvings both within and without as is nowhere to be equalled. Henry VII. enlarged it 188 feet in length, and Henry VIII. gave the elegant stalls and organ gallery, with its inimitable carvings, where are the coats of arms of that king and those of Anne Boleyn quartered. He gave also the elegant painted glass windows, which are in fine preservation, and were permitted by Cromwell to be preserved when almost every other in England was destroyed, as he had a particular regard for this university where he had his education, and for the town which he had represented in parliament. A new altar has been lately erected, which corresponds with the architecture of the building, embellished with an antique painting of Christ taking down from the cross, purchased in Italy, and presented the college by the earl of Carlisle. In this chapel are put up the Spanish colours taken at the reduction of Manila by Colonel Draper, a member of this college. This college has an ancient stone-bridge over the Cam. 8. Queen's college, near the river, south of King's, was founded 1448, and consists of two courts, with a fine grove and gardens on both sides of the river, connected with each other and the college by two wooden bridges, one of which is of a curious structure. 9. Catharine-hall is east of Queen's, and its principal front on the west, the most extensive and regular in the university. It contains only one court 180 feet long and 120 broad, and was founded in 1475. 10. Jesus college is at the east end of the town, surrounded by groves and gardens. The principal front faces the south 180 feet long, regularly built and finished; it was originally a Benedictine convent, and converted to the present use 1576. 11. Christ's college is opposite to St Andrew's church, on the east side of the town; and was founded by Henry VII.'s mother in 1505. It has lately had a thorough repair, and is now a neat and beautiful structure. 12. St John's college was founded by the same lady in 1509, on the site of a dissolved priory. It consists of three courts, and has a large library filled with scarce and valuable books. To this college belongs a fine stone-bridge over the river, which leads to their grand walks. 13. Magdalen college, the only one that stands on the north side of the river, near the great bridge, consists of two courts, and was founded in 1519. 14. Trinity college is east of the river, having St John's college on the north and Caius's college and Trinity-hall on the south. It contains two large quadrangles, the first of which is 344 feet long and 280 broad. It has two noble entrances; and on the north side of it is the chapel 204 feet long, 34 broad, and 44 high. It has every grand ornament, and the much admired statue of Sir Isaac Newton, who was a student in this college. The hall is above 100 feet long, 40 broad, and 50 high. The inner court is esteemed the finest in the university, and sur- Cambridge passes any in Oxford. It is very spacious, and has an elegant cloister of stone pillars, supporting grand apartments; on the west is the library, the most elegant structure of the kind in the kingdom, 190 feet long, 40 broad, and 38 high within. Its entrance is by a stair-case, the steps black marble, and the walls incrustated with ancient Roman monuments. The entrance into the library is by folding doors at the north end. Its inside appearance is inexpressibly grand, having at the south end (lately erected) a beautiful painted glass window of his present majesty in his robes; and the classes are large, beautiful, and noble, well stocked with books, manuscripts, &c. Its outside has every suitable embellishment, and was erected by Sir Christopher Wren at the expense of near 20,000 l. Under this building is a spacious piazza of equal dimensions; out of which opens three gates to a lawn that leads to the river, over which is a new elegant cycloidal bridge of three arches, leading to extensive walks. In the middle is a remarkable vista. This college was founded on the site of two other colleges and a hall in 1546 by Henry VIII. 15. Emmanuel college is at the south-east end of the town; consists of two courts, the principal of which is very neat; and was built on the site of a Dominican convent. It has been lately in a great part rebuilt and elegantly embellished. 16. Sidney-Suffolk college is in Bridge-street. Its hall is elegant, but chapel remarkable only for standing north and south, as others do east and west.