The New Student's Reference Work/Edinburgh University

Edinburgh University took its origin from the zeal of the Reformers for education. In 1583 the college was opened. In the 18th century it began to grow. The beginning of a medical college was made in 1724, and in the latter part of the century the fame of the university was greatly increased by the reputation of several of its professors, and since then it has become one of the greatest universities in Great Britain. A students’ representative council was founded in 1884, as a means of expressing the opinion of the students on university matters. Goldsmith, Scott, Carlyle and Darwin are among the eminent students of the university, and many learned men have been professors there. There are four departments, that of arts, of divinity, of law and of medicine. The university-library contains 150,000 volumes, and there are several smaller libraries besides. It has 133 professors and 3,200 students. The university also has a natural-history museum, an anatomical museum and a botanical museum. There are a large number of scholarships and fellowships.