The examination in the Senate House begins to-morrow, and is rather close work while it lasts. We are employed from seven in the morning till five in the evening in giving out questions and receiving written answers to them; and when that is over, we have to read over all the papers which we have received in the course of the day, to determine who have done best, which is a business that in numerous years has often kept the examiners up the half of every night; but this year is not particularly numerous. In addition to all this, the examination is conducted in a building which happens to be a very beautiful one, with a marble floor and a highly ornamented ceiling; and as it is on the model of a Grecian temple, and as temples had no chimneys, and as a stove or a fire of any kind might disfigure the building, we are obliged to take the weather as it happens to be, and when it is cold we have the full benefit of it--which is likely to be the case this year. However, it is only a few days, and we have done with it. A sketch of the examination in the previous year from the point of view of an examinee was given by J.M.F. Wright[66], but there is nothing of special interest in it. Sir George B. Airy[67] gave the following sketch of his recollections of the reading and studies of undergraduates of his time and of the tripos of 1823, in which he had been senior wrangler: At length arrived the Monday morning on which the examination for the B.A. degree was to begin.... We were all marched in a body to the Senate-House and placed in the hands of the Moderators. How the "candidates for honours" were separated from the οἱ πολλοί I do not know, I presume that the Acts and the Opponencies had something to do with it. The honour candidates were divided into six groups: and of these Nos. 1 and 2 (united), Nos. 3 and 4 (united), and Nos. 5 and 6 (united), received the questions of one Moderator. No. 1, Nos. 2 and 3 (united), Nos. 4 and 5 (united), and No. 6, received those of the other Moderator. The Moderators were reversed on alternate days. There were no printed question-papers: each examiner had his bound manuscript of questions, and he read out his first question; each of the examinees who thought himself able proceeded to write out his answer, and then orally called out "Done." The Moderator, as soon as he thought proper, proceeded with another question. I think there was only one course of questions on each day (terminating before 3 o'clock, for the Hall dinner). The examination continued to Friday mid-day. On Saturday morning, about 8 o'clock, the list of honours (manuscript) was nailed on the door of the Senate House.