Latin books were studied); while those in the fifth form also
learnt ancient Geography, or Algebra. ‘Those who stayed at Eton
long enough’ also ‘went through part of Euclid.’^19 However it was
‘not till 1851 that Mathematics became a part of the regular
school work and even at that date those who taught the subject
were not regarded as persons of full standing on the staff of
masters.’^20
School education, especially elementary education at the
people’s level, remained an uncommon commodity till around
- Nonetheless, the universities of Oxford, Cambridge, and
Edinburgh were perhaps as important for Britain as Taxila and
Nalanda were in ancient India; or places like Navadweep were as
late as the later part of the 18th century.^21 Since many of those
who began to come to India from Britain especially after 1773 as
travellers, scholars, or judges had had their education in one of
these three universities,^22 it may be relevant to provide here a
brief account of the courses studied together with the number of
students, in one of these universities around 1800. The
university chosen here is that of Oxford, and it is assumed that
this information is also fairly representative of studies at
Cambridge and Edinburgh at this period.
The growth of the University of Oxford (following England’s
rupture with Rome) may be indicated with the following
chronological list of professorships created there from 1546
onwards:^23
1546 5 Professorships founded by Henry VIII:- Divinity, 2. Civil Law, 3. Medicine, 4. Hebrew,
- Greek
1619 Geometry, and Astronomy