E.—No. 9

Writing.—1 fair; 2 bad. Geography.—In this subject their knowledge seemed to extend merely to the fact that the world ■was round. 2nd Class. (5 in number.) Reading and Spelling. —All made a very poor attempt in English monosyllables. Writing. — 1 fair ; 4 inferior. 3rd Class. (8 in number.) The pupils in this class are learning their letters ; 2 of them write in copy-books, the rest make initiatory attempts on the slate. On the whole the writing is of an inferior style, and slovenly executed. The copy-books are badly kept. There is a very great scarcity of books and other school apparatus. Industrial Occupation. The children are taught to make, wash, and iron their own clothes. They prepare their own meals, which at present are partaken in the open air. General Remarks. The pupils seem healthy, happy, and very submissive to order. The teaching is either defective in kind or deficient in quantity. Henry Taylor, Inspector of Native Schools.

INSPECTOR'S REPORT ON THE THREE KINGS NATIVE INSTITUTION. Inspected Uth February, 1863. This Establishment is under the management of the Rev. Henry Lawry. There are 39 scholars on the Register, viz., — Males .... 23.—4 adults, 19 from five to fourteen years of age. Females . . . 16.—2 „ 14 from five to sixteen „ „ 39 Of the 39 scholars 13 are halfeastes, 7 males, C females. On entering the School-room, I had the Roll called over. Only 19 responded to their names ; 20 were absent from School duties, viz., — 4 absent on a visit to their relatives. 1 sick. 2 superintending discharge of domestic duties. 2 in Auckland delivering dairy produce. 2 looking after sheep. 3 fetching water. 4 cooking. 1 In Manager's house. 1 in laundry. Some of the absentees presented themselves before inspection was concluded. Two women apparently indispensable to the establishment receive no secular instruction. The course of " Industrial Training " received in this School sadly interferes with the more important portion of their education, as will appear from the above return of absentees, which must not be regarded as exceptional, but as a daily recurring state of things, Neither does the " Industrial Training " itself appear to be systematic, but hap-hazard, according to exigencies. Indeed a want of proper system and order is manifest throughout the establishment. The discipline appears lax, and is admitted by the Manager to be so, on the ground " that were he to attempt to enforce authority, the School would be deserte 1." I gather from the Manager that a spirit of insubordination has manifested itself for some time past in the School, and he rather dreads to call it into existence by any free exercise of his legitimate authority. He hopes by gentle management and timely concessions eventually to establish himself supreme. He reports a decided improvement in their general behaviour and submission to order since he has been in charge. In the month of July last the School numbered nearly GO pupils, but in consequence of the dismissal of three for an offence which the unrestrained intercourse between the sexes in the establishment was sure to bring about, 20 left en masse, the plausible excuse for leaving being " sickness and mortality among their parents in their native villages." The present Manager has taken every precaution since he has been in charge to separate the sexes, they now come in contact only in the

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NATIVE SCHOOLS.