COLLEGIATE UNION.

Press, Volume XXI, Issue 2341, 3 February 1873, Page 2

COLLEGIATE UNION.

The following reports have been handed to us for publication by tho Registrar, Mr F, de o Malet :— Collegiate Union, Christchurch, Jan. 25, 1873. Gentlemen, —In laying before the Gotctnors of the Collegiate Uniou the reports of | the Lecturers who have taught duriDg this Trinity and Michaelmas terms of the year 1872, I must congratulate you upon the success of the experiment made last year bj the Onion of Christ's College and the Museum and School of Science, for the purpose of affiliation to the New Zealand University. The lectures given were for the most part elementary, and it is satisfactory to find that they were appreciated by so many atudeuta. Upwards of seventy persons have availed themselves of a means of instruction that could not have been offered, but for the assistance given by the New Zealand University, and the Provincial grant, voted to supplement the University Funds. Thus, already in this province has been felt the benefit of a Colonial University, bo conducted as to evoke the teaching power in the scattered centres of population in New Zealand. Not only will manj who could not leave their homes to attend dißtantschoolsorcolleges find the advnntaga of education brought to their very doors, bat those who avail themselves energetically of those advantages will in time have their attainments recognised by degrees whicb will command respect, as conferred by a central University representing the whole colodj.

It is to be hoped that this province ma; soon see its way to avail itself more fully cf the advantages of Univereity Education. Is the meantime we are happily in a poaition to continue the work which has been so suspiciously begun, by providing for valimWa courses of lectures during the ensuing University year. It is obvious that such a result could Dot have been achieved with the means at oardisposal, but for the energy and public spirit o! the gentlemen who have given their service to promote the cause of education. I think the short report sent in by the several lecturers will give useful information to those who wish to attend the lectures, but whomaj be afraid that they are not sufficiently advanced in the several subjects taught. It will be seen how far the lecturers have endeavored to meet the case of such student? as now necessarily compose the largest number of those presenting themselves. There is every prospect of a large increase to the number of students now on the booka of the Collegiate Union, as soon as public notice is given of tho courses of lectures for the ensuing year. I have the honor to be, gentlemen, Your obedient servant, Chas. C. Bowen, President. To the Board of Governors, Canterbury Collegiate Union.

Christ's College, Jan. 20, 1873. Dear Sir, —In reply to your request that I would give you information with regard to the work done by the students attending the classical lectures of the Collegiate Union, I beg to forward the following statement :- None of the students who attended my evening lectures were far advanced ; several of them began Latin with mc. The whole eta has been reading the Fourth Book of. tha JSniad ; and three of the students who hd begun Greek have translated and .passed several chapters of the Gospel according to St Luke, in the Greek Testament. A\\toe been learning Latin grammar, and threehavc advanced in Greek grammar as far as the verbs. I have found that the plan of taking pupils into a construing book as soon as they have learnt the model substantives and one verb, has been productive of good results. Beginners are interested in their work frora the first while those who are more advanced

do not lose ground ; and thus a large ctaaaof pupils at various stages may be satisfactorily worked. The average attendance hastes good. I have taken the University and some other students who were all to ws* with them, in a separate class. These te fo been reading the Prometheus Vinctos w and the Sixth Book of ThucjdidcJ in the manner in which such authors usually read by classmen at the Epglisa Universities. During the first term of 18<« my morning class consisted of ela»Gi students, including three University scbolM and my evening class consisted of tc ß students, three of whom were ladies. Vnnui the second term of 1872, the morning les* tures were attended by three Univesw scholars and six other students, and* 8 * evening lectures by ten students, whom were ladies. I have given two hoc£3 in the week to the evening classes, andtbrtf hours in the week for the morning classesI am, your obwlient servant, E. A. WOBTJIS'. F. de 0. Malet, Esq., Registrar. Christchurch, Jan. 9,1873Sir,—ln reply to your letter of yestcrdftj* date, in which you" enclose a resolution £ the Board of Governors of tho College* Union in reference to a report to he p£ pared by that body of the work done ifl *'* classes of the Collegiato Union, I lia*« state with regard to my department *" modern history as follows :— , My lectures were appointed to on the 17th of October, when I accoroWdelivered my first lecture. * Those who entered attended with gj£ regularity. I did not take a note of t '•- absent, but I think, with the exception or or two absences, there would be none record. ~ . nC | The subject treated of was the mvassou the barbari ins into the Roman Empire I the entrance of the Goths to the baiw* • Chalons. 1 No text books were used. The progress made was not tested. The number of hours occupied, v. I have the honor to be, sir, Your obedient servant, Hbhby Jobs- Ta&w* F. de C Malet, Esq., Collegiate, Union,

rMemc for the Registrar.] The undersigned delivered sixteen lectawa, • terra,-on-freotegy «r»d 4h_ *££SS, lasting generally one bdur **> ns«ter The attendance (seventeen * n ~> * "t «*i was very regular. 6 rtnth.l lsth of December I accompanied ° indents to Banks' Peninsula in order 107 v* them in the fields how a complicated to £«*» had been bnilt UP - . ' aT °rf St 1 started from the mdi♦.nf geological science, using no text SU and Wed of theoretical and strati-fcfr-1" eeolo-y, at the same time mtror£?the*students to the study of minera- , fnd litholoev. and making them aclogy -„r«? with rudiments of palaeontology, quaint wua Julias Haast. Canterbury Museum, Jan. 16, 1873.

Christchurch, Jan. 24, 1873. c- __I h3ve the honor to report that I ;-_ii™r_d two courses of lectures in b *n_ection with the Canterbury Collegiate U t^'first course consisted of eight lee- „ the elements of clemistry, and the tn Tllv was made to limit the instruction en !w nnrtion of the science which bears 40 directly on physiology. m m__in?bvsiologywa9the subject of the a nnnrs'e aud this course was made ■"vi ittulete. Iv both courses the subtokraoltco f xq treated in as e * emen _ jects lecrur ! fIS possible, consistently with tarj a »»Jf e -- eW 0 f the sciences ,* and the aa l illustrated by diagrams, experileCt te/and demonstrations, microscopic and ot _te_£-ber of students attending the two conrs« * eK X.~~ 97 Trinity Term « Michaelmas Term *» . j the average attendance was extremely S * the students were very attentive, and Sand-to take a real interest in the subjects. X was impossible to test the. progress 0 * the students on account of their tine unprovided with text books, -witt,_5; which, aids they would only gather -very general idea of the subjects of rtudv from the lectures alone, and I felt Sst it would be unfair to the students to gnbiect them to examination under circumrfa_.es where they would be so liable to miscOTception, and unable to supply inevitable omissions. I have the honor to be, sir, Your obedient servant, Llewellyn Powell. To the President of the Canterbury Collegiate Union. v Upper Riccarton, Jan. 22, 1873. it si- _In at-cord-nce with your request, I herewith send you a report of the work done, &c in my classes. Of the number of leches of the average attendance I have tspt do record, but there were 42 students who en tered their names for the first term, and 32 for the second. " The lectures take place on Wednesdays snd Saturdays, on Wednesdays the subject is French, on Saturdays, German. From the very outset my great difficulty has been the want of suitable books ; these could neither be obtained here nor in Melbourne, consequently we have been forced to make shift with such as could be procured. These are —Ollendorff German Method, Schiller, De Fiva's Grammar, and Racine. In the German class, such students as had the time and inclination to do it, wrote the exercises in Ollendorf seriatim ; others only wrote portions of these exercises, and all learnt the vocabularies, which were carefully read over and repeated, with such variations as I introduced •- in this way they got as far as the 45th lesson. In addition to this, they have begun the translation of Schiller's " Lied yon der Gloche." At first there was no need for any subdivision of th c above class, but as some are now more advanced than others, and in anticipation of fresh students joining the class, I intend next term to divide it into two portions (a plan which I have already adopted with French"), viz., one for beginners and another one for the rest; in any case it is at the option of the students to be present at both divisions of tha lectures.. .

Ia French, the elementary class learn Fira'.Grammar, aud write the exercises in it. Tliey. have gone as far as page 90 ; the more Advanced class has been translating the Athalie and Esther of Racine. Both with French and German, I pay particular attention to the pronounciation, explain idioms and grammatical, difficulties, and towards the close of, the lecturea introduce conversation on general topics in the language taught. In future the French, and German lectures will last an hour and a-half each ; hitherto the Frenchlecture lasted an hour and a-half, and the German lecture one hour. I would beg.to suggest that an annual examination should be held, and that a certain -timber of prizes should be given ; also, that some provision should be made for marking the attendance, and that without delay a sufficient supply of books should be procured from Europe. In conclusion, I have only to remark that the students have throughout shown the desire $o learn, and that I am very well satisfied with the progress they have made. : Believe mc, Sir, Your obedient servant, CHABLEL TUBRELL, M.A. Professor of Modern Languages to the Coll. Union. To f.de'C. Malet, Esq. The College, Christchurch, r 2lßt January, 1873. Shy-la reply to your letter of the Bth iMtfffltjlhave the honor to forward you the with regard to the Mathemalabai Classes of the Collegiate , Scion." '•'■'.'.'...'. Of University scholars, three were in the highest ~ division in mathematics at .Christ's College Grammar School, and re--ceiied eight hours a week instruction in mathematics. Daring the Trinity and Michaelmas terms they were reading— Algebra—Text, book, Todhunter's Algebra, rermutations and combinations, combined fractions, probabilities. Trigonometry — Text books, Todhnnter's R. Trig., and Wrigley's Examples : Solution of triangles, heights and distances, properties of triangles, inverse trigonometrical functions. Analytical Conic Sections—Text books, Todhunter's Conic Sections and Salmon's j Conic Sections: The Bt. line, circle, and parabola referred to rectangular co-ordi-nates. Mechanics and Hydrostatics — General principles, mechanical powers, equilibrium of fluids and gases, machine problems. Daring the Trinity term mathematical classes were held on Wednesdays and Saturdays from 8 to 10 p.m. Tfcwe were nine stndents, including one scholar. - With but one or two exception., none had algebra. . i aetethook used was Todhnnter's algebra ™ MginaeH-, of which chapters i—ix, «*, ~* a XXI were read, and in addition numerous examples were worked. wm_s*the Michaelmas term mathematical were held on Tuesdays and Saturdays ™« 8 to 10 p.m. 'rr • Were n^ne students including one • scholar. •the first term students gave the two hours ? the second term students gave &<Jw holDtr to al S ebra » and the second to . The first term students read chapter i—ix, i »x, and xxi. * __The second term student- read chanter x— x*», and Euclid—book i. Test book—Euclid's Elements ; Potts, ine attendance of students has been regu«*»but the progress made small in conseqaenceof little or no work being done out- -«« B the class-room. I have the houor to be, sir, Your obedient servant, v a r, ,- , C.C. CORFE. *. deC. Malet, Esq. -~- J -JS^*^ M "*^""*******"*»**'****^^ att 2 kindred aud seventy-seven ladie* a«ended_the ladies' classes at University ; London,during its last session. Agassiz calculates that Lake Erie p*w git ap & 18,500 years. Let it silt,