. In the course of this journey they visited
Zermatt. There had been much rain, the rivers were greatly flooded,
and much mischief was done to the roads. During the journey from Visp
to Zermatt, near St Nicholas, in a steep part of the gorge, a large
stone rolled from the cliffs and knocked their baggage horse over the
lower precipice, a fall of several hundred feet. The packages were all
burst, and many things were lost, but a good deal was recovered by men
suspended by ropes.

In this year also Airy was busy with the subject of University
Examination, which in previous years had occupied so much of his
attention, as will be seen from the following letters:

ROYAL OBSERVATORY, GREENWICH,
LONDON, S.E.
_1868, March 12_.

MY DEAR MASTER,

I have had the pleasure of corresponding with you on matters of
University Examination so frequently that I at once turn to you as the
proper person to whom I may address any remarks on that important
subject.

Circumstances have enabled me lately to obtain private information of
a most accurate kind on the late Mathematical Tripos: and among other
things, I have received a statement of every individual question
answered or partly answered by five honour-men. I have collected the
numbers of these in a small table which I enclose.

I am struck with the _almost_ nugatory character of the five days'
honour examination as applied to Senior Optimes, and I do not doubt
that it is _totally_ nugatory as applied to Junior Optimes. It appears
to me that, for all that depends on these days, the rank of the
Optimes is mere matter of chance.

In the examinations of the Civil Service, the whole number of marks is
published, and also the number of marks gained by each candidate. I
have none of their papers at hand, but my impression is that the
lowest candidates make about 1 in 3; and the fair candidates about 2
in 3, instead of 1 in 10 or 1 in 13 as our good Senior Optimes.

I am, my dear Master,
Very truly yours,
G.B. AIRY.

_The Rev. Dr Cookson,
Master of St Peters College,
&c. &c._

The Table referred to in the above letter is as follows:

Number of Questions, and numbers of Answers to Questions as given by
several Wranglers and Senior Optimes, in the Examination of
Mathematical Tripos for Honours, 1868,