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and Twopenny, assisted me to the best of their ability in my endeavours to obtain suitable exhibits. That these donations to the Technological Museum were both of great value and of a varied character the following list, in which I have separated the foreign donors from those of New Zealand, will best demonstrate.* It is evident that the contents of the Technological Museum begin to assume large proportions and to be of considerable interest to the public. There is scarcely a day when the collections are not resorted to by engineers, mechanics, miners, agriculturists, or visitors wishing to obtain information on one or the other branch of technological science ; but this very fact proves every day more clearly that a great deal is still wanting to make this collection what it ought to be—to fill up a great want in our educational system. Owing to the want of funds it is impossible to purchase further models, or specimens illustrating the use of raw materials, or suggesting new industries for the colony; and I might, therefore, be allowed to suggest that steps might be taken to obtain, if possible, a grant of money from the Parliament of the colony for the purpose of extending this valuable and important portion of the Canterbury Museum, and which is more a colonial than a local concern. School of Mines. —Although no regular lectures on mining have been delivered, both Professor Bickortou and myself in our lectures at Canterbury College have continued to give to those of our students taking interest in mining matters all that information required by them for the purpose. Besides this I have very often been requested to assist miners and mining speculators by giving them advice as to the working of particular mines or opening up new ventures, or reporting on minerals or ores submitted to me. To the fine series of metallurgical specimens, exhibited in the Technological Hall, some valuable diamonds from South Africa, both washed from the alluvium, and still enclosed in the rock forming the matrix, have been obtained by purchase, whilst a very full series of all the rocks occurring in the remarkable diamond mines of South Africa have also been received and are now on exhibition in the same room. A number of the so-called diamonds from Auckland and the Ashburton District were also received at the Museum, but I am very sorry to say that careful examination invariably proved them to belong to other mineral species. Besides the diamonds purchased some other rare and valuable ores were obtained. Professor Yon Hochstetter contributed some further series of ores, &c, to complete our fine collection from the celebrated Austrian State mines. A collection of ores and mineral was made by the director in the West Coast Sounds and on Stewart Island, and by Mr. Heinrich yon Haast in the neighbourhood of Lake Brunner, Westland. We are also indebted to Professor G. Ulrich, F.G.S., the director of the School of Mines in Dunedin, for some rare ores and minerals, both of New Zealand and foreign origin. Art Gallery. —lt is a matter of sincere congratulation, that the formation of the much-desired Art Gallery has at last become an accomplished fact. In a former portion of this report I stated already that the fine picture of A. Jourdan, " Leda and the Swan," had been purchased by subscription. Three other oil paintings were purchased at the same time with moneys subscribed for the purpose —"Evening," by Bruck Lagos; "Winter in Holland," by Vester; and a Swiss landscape, by Eunnasseg. Mr. George Gould, with his usual liberality, placed the necessary funds at my disposal to buy some suitable works of art at our last local Art Exhibition, when I selected two oil paintings, "On the Look-out," by Cousins; "Still Life," by Elliott; and a terra-cotta statuette, " Maori Warrior," by A. Beere ; and lately the same patron of the Museum has bought and presented a high relief in terra cotta by the same artist, representing England protecting New Zealand. A life-size bust of Ferdinand yon Hochstetter was also obtained and placed in the Technological Hall. The Philosophical Institute of Canterbury, which had deposited a very fine series of the Arundel Society publications at the Museum, consisting of eighty-two chromolithographs framed, four unframed, and twelve lithographs unframed, has during the last year generously presented the same to the Museum. Mr. E. E. N. Twopenny has presented a water-colour painting of considerable merit, representing the old church St. Maria in Toscanella, by M. E. Wrateslaw in Borne. Conclusio?i. —The staff of the Museum, owing to want of funds, is quite inadequate to the work which ought to be done, and further assistance is urgently needed to keep the public collections to that standard which the rapid progress of science in all its branches demands. A public institution aiming to offer information in almost every branch of human knowledge and art, ought certainly to be supported efficiently in order to make it as useful and interesting to the public as possible. I have, &c, Julius yon Haast, The Chairman of the Board of Governors, Canterbury College. Director.

APPENDIX I. Statement of the Number of Visitors during the Year 1882-83. Monthly attendance, 1882—July, 7,885 ; August, 4,630 ; September, 7,629; October, 8,404 j November, 7,878; December, 7,799. 1883—January, 8,992 ; February, 6,144; March, 6,105 ; April, 4,016 , May, 8,862 ; June, 5,887 : Total, 84,231. Attendance on week days, 53,385; attendance on Sundays, 30,846; mean of months, 7,019; mean of weeks, 1,719; mean of Sundays, 643; mean of week days, 182; lowest week day, 4th November, 1882,35 (pouring wet day); highest Sunday, 29th October, 1882,1,180; lowest Sunday, 29th April, 1883, 110; highest .weekly attendance, first week in November, 1882, 3,077 (show week); lowest weekly attendance, third week in April, 1883, 901; highest month, January, 1883, 8,992 ; lowest month,- April, 1883, 4,016. * The list is not printed.

By Authority: Gkobgb Didsbuby, Government Printer, Wellington.—lBB3.