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Notwithstanding the paucity of funds, considerable additions have been made to the number of books. There have been added to the reference library eighty-four volumes, and to the circulating library 377 volumes. The reference library now contains 6,711 volumes, and is, I believe, the best in the colony, with the exception of the library of the General Assembly at Wellington. The circulating library contains 8,889 volum.es. A number of these will shortly require replacing, in consequence of having been so long in use. It is of great importance to have a constant supply of new books, but unfortunately the state of the funds will not warrant the Board to order the number of books desired. Nevertheless, a moderate supply has been ordered every month, and considerable additions have been made to this department during the past year. The number of subscribers is only four hundred, and, as the Board has a decided opinion that the circulating library should be supported by those who take out the books, the supply of new books will, in a great measure, depend on the amount received from subscribers. The number of colonial newspapers in the. reading-room is 49, of English papers 6, American 1, periodicals 20. The reading-room and reference library are open to the public free of charge. School of Ageicultube. Fifty-one students have attended during the past year, and thirty-six students were present last term. Of these, seven came from Auckland, eleven from Canterbury, five from Hawke's Bay, four from Nelson, six from Otago, one from Tasmania, one from Victoria, and one from Wellington: total, thirty-six. At the examination in December last, students Bing, Ellis, G. W. Tiffen, Wlutcombe, and White passed the final examination and received diplomas. Certificates of honour were given to students Ellis, Gray, Orbell, G. W. Tiffen, and Whitcombe, who obtained the first place in each subject at the annual examination. The Board, on the recommendation of the Director, decided that instead of three terms, as formerly, there should be only two, the first term to conimence January 10 and end June 23, the second term to commence July 23 and end December 7. Several changes in the staff have taken place during the year: Mr. E. M. Clarke resigned owing to his leaving for England, and Mr. T. Bingham was appointed as lecturer on mathematics; Dr. yon Lendenfeld left New Zealand, and arrangements were made with Mr. Kirk, F.L.S., to give lectures on botany and zoology. The Director, finding that several of the students were backward in English, recommended that an English lecturer should be added to the staff, and the Board therefore appointed Mr. E. C. Buckley, who also teaches physical geography, and is book-keeper for the institution. The farm was visited at different seasons of the year by the special examiners, Messrs. J. W. Overton and J. Eennie. The following are extracts from their reports: " Our attention was first of all directed to ploughing, drilling, and harrowing. We found the students thoroughly up to their work, and were much surprised ai the practical knowledge they possessed. At shearing the students handled the sheep remarkably well. We consider the work in this branch beyond all praise." Speaking of harvesting—" The first branch that came under our notice was reaping. Some of the students managed the reaper-and-binder well. We next turned our attention to carting and stacking, and were well satisfied. Lastly, threshing came under our notice, which, with the exception of engine-driving, was done entirely by students. We highly approve of the entire management of the dairy. We also visited the workshops, and the students seemed to handle the tools in a workmanlike manner. We feel we cannot close our report without congratulating the Board on having a man of Mr. Ivey's attainments at the head of the establishment." Eeports are furnished by the Director at the end of each term, and are published in the Town and Country Journal. The yield of grain last harvest was 7,500 bushels, at an average of 35|- bushels per acre. The total area of the farm for cropping and grazing is about 614 acres. There are therefore in grass, hay, and turnips about 400 acres. The stock on the farm averages 1,200 sheep, 85 head of cattle, 15 horses, 75 pigs. About six tons of cheese have been made during the year, the greater part of which is still on hand. The cheese made last year was sold at prices averaging 7 x 'g-d. per lb. ' I think the results of the past year must be considered satisfactory.

Annual Bepokt of the Abt Mastee. School of Art, Canterbury College, 14th June, 1884. I have the honour to submit the following statement of work done during the past year:—■ Number of students this term: Morning, 39 ; evening, 51 (maximum number not reached till the middle of the term). The students who have already joined the evening classes this term are classified as follows: Architecture and building construction, 11; machine construction and drawing, 9; lithographic drawing, 1; drawing from living model, 9; the remainder general art work. Number of boys from the High School, last term, 48; students from Normal School, last term, 37; teachers of district schools (Saturday), last term, 90. Specimens of the students' work were sent to the annual exhibition of the Auckland Society of Arts : they did not arrive, however, till after the awards had been made. The following extract "'from the Secretary's letter may be quoted : "The shaded studies from the round and the watercolour studies were the subjects of great praise; and the judges in the latter section, considering the excellence of the exhibits, awarded the first class prize and certificate to Miss M. Stoddart." Of the Canterbury School of Art exhibits the Auckland Herald says: " There is not a drawing in the whole collection that descends to the level of mediocrity. Our School of Art is literally as well as metaphorically thrown into the shade by this fine collection of drawings, which we commend to the earnest attention of teachers and students. The collection from "Wellington, like Auckland, must yield the palm to Canterbury, in respect of the work of the local School of Art." A similar collection'was sent to the Fine Arts Association, Wellington, where three awards were made to our works. At the end of 1883, instead of our usual exhibition taking place in the School of Art, a selection of drawings (325 in number, the work of ninety-seven students during the past year) was sent to the New Zealand Industrial Exhibition held in Christchurch.