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E.—7

Lectures on Jurisprudence. —The Board having ascertained that a number of students wished to qualify themselves to enter the legal profession, and the funds at the disposal of the Board being insufficient for the remuneration of a lecturer on jurisprudence, a conference was held with the Canterbury Law Society, the result of which was that the society agreed to contribute one-half of the amount of the salary to a duly qualified lecturer. In consequence of this liberality on the part of the society, this Board was enabled to secure the services of Mr. William Izard, 8.A., who gave two lectures each week during last term to a class of eleven students. Lecturer on Chemistry. —The Board, at the request of the Committee of the School of Agriculture and with the approval of the College Committee, appointed Mr. Gray, who satisfactorily performed his duties for nine years as assistant to Professor Bickerton, to the office of Lecturer on Chemistry at the school. An advanced student has been appointed as assistant to Professor Bickerton. The College Hall. —The College Hall, which was in course of erection at the time of the last annual meeting, was first used on the 29th August, 1882, on which occasion the Chancellor of the New Zealand University conferred degrees on the students of Canterbury College who had successfully passed their final examination. The College examinations were held in the hall in November, and those for the University in December. The annual meeting for reading the reports of the examiners of the Girls' High School, and for distributing the prizes to the deserving pupils, was also held in the hall. The use of the hall has been temporarily granted to the students in which to study when not attending lectures. Three sections, each one-quarter of an acre, adjoining the School of Art in Hereford Street, were purchased in July last for the sum of £2,500. The purchase of this land was of importance, in order to secure the right-of-way to the College and for extension of buildings which will, no doubt, be erected at some future date. Museum. During the past year satisfactory progress has been made in all the departments of the Museum. Owing to the International Exhibition held last year in Christchurch, a good opportunity was presented for securing many valuable additions to the collections. Numerous donations from foreign and New Zealand exhibitors were received. Subscriptions to the amount of £513 17s. 6d. were contributed by the public for the purchase of pictures and technological objects of interest and instruction. The Gallery of Art may now be considered to have been fairly started, and it is gratifying to be able to add that further presentations have been made by many, who have thus shown a praiseworthy interest in this institution. Numerous and valuable specimens from New Zealand and other parts of the world have been added to the natural history collections. The number of persons who visited the Museum during the past twelve months, as shown by the automatic instrument, was 84,231, of whom 53,385 persons attended on week-days and 30,846 on Sundays, which clearly proves that this institution is greatly appreciated by the public, both for educational purposes and for intellectual pleasure. The report of the Director, Dr. Julius yon Haast, C.M.G., F.E.S., contains full particulars of the progress and present state of the collections in the Museum, to which report I beg to draw the attention of the Board. It is a matter of regret that the revenue derived from the endowment for the support of the institutions indicated in the Canterbury Museum and Library Ordinance is not sufficient to allow of a larger annual appropriation for the Museum. In order to maintain it in a state of thorough efficiency, and to increase the collections so that the future of this most valuable institution might be commensurate with the successful efforts of the past, an addition of at least £500 per annum would be required. I shall recur to this subject again when speaking of the Library and School of Art, both of which institutions receive aid from the endowment. School of Abt. During the past year considerable additions, rendered necessary by the increase in the number of students, have been made to the fittings in this school. The cost was considerable, but could not be avoided. The average number of students who attended morning classes last year was 44, and at evening classes 57 ; the number of morning students this term is at present 50. In the evening there are 60 already on the roll. The maximum number is not reached till the middle of the term. Of the students attending the evening class, 15 are being taught building construction, 12 machine construction, 5 lithography, 1 drawing in wood, 3 elementary drawing, and the remainder general art work. In addition to the number mentioned who attended morning and evening classes, 63 boys from the Boys' High School and 67 pupils from the Girls' High School received instruction in the School of Art. An arrangement was made with the Board of Education by which, for the consideration of £300 per annum, instruction has been given to the students of the Normal School and teachers in the schools under that Board. The number of students who received instruction under this arrangement was, last year, 196. The highest number of students and pupils on the roll last year was 441. Boys' High School. This school has shown a steady increase of numbers each term, and may now be considered well established in the favourable estimation of parents and guardians. The number of boys at present is 140. The attendance at the school during the three terms of the past year has been as follows : Third term, 1882, 125 ; first term, 1883, 139 ; second term, 1883, 140. In November last the Inspector-General visited the school and reported that " the organization and the tone of the school are excellent, and good* progress is being made. The staff is in every respect adequate to the requirements of the. school." The annual examinations were conducted by Professor Bickerton, Professor Brown,"Professor Cook, and Professor Haslam, of this College. Their reports were laid belore the Board and afterwards read at the annual gathering, when prizes were distributed to pupils who had distinguished themselves. These reports of the professors spoke very highly of the zeal of the masters and the good work done at the school, pointing out also the weak