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Buapuke. —l was unable to visit the island without too great loss of time. There are seven children now attending the school. The master receives a small subsidy for teaching them. There was formerly a large population on this island, which was then, so to speak, the head-quarters of the Maoris of the far south. Now there are very few permanent residents, nearly all the ablebodied Natives finding it more to their interest to live on the mainland or at Stewart Island. It is very unlikely that there will ever be any considerable population, Maori or European, on the island again. Oraka, Colac Bay. —The Maoris attending this school are nearly all of pure race. They appear to be very intelligent. The school was in a very flourishing condition at the time of my visit, the only fault noticed being that the schoolroom was very much overcrowded. A contract for the enlargement of the school and an addition to the master's residence was recently entered into. The Neck, Stewart Island. —This continues to be one of the most useful Native schools. Here the Natives take proper care of themselves and their children, and they work continuously, just as Europeans do ; the consequence is that the population of the Neck is increasing steadily, if slowly. This seems to show that there is not one physical law for the one race and a different one for the other, but that like causes produce similar effects on both, and that the circumstances that are causing the decay of the Maori race are so far manageable that the Maori and the halfcaste may, by taking proper precautions, live and thrive in close contact with European civilisation. Boabding-schools, Scholaeships, and Appeenticeships. St. Mary's, Ponsonby (Boman Catholic). —There are only two Native scholars here. These are-well-behaved and fairly intelligent. They have not made much progress. Neither of them passed a standard. St. Mary's, Meanee (Boman Catholic). —Four Native scholars were examined. One passed Standard 111. and another Standard 11. I understood that the authorities of this school were taking steps to reorganize it. The late master has been appointed to one of our village schools. He is likely to become a valuable teacher. St. Joseph's Providence, Napier (Boman Catholic). —This is a very good school. The results this year, however, were lower than those obtained, on previous occasions. The seniors are relatively much better than the juniors. The latter require some extra attention. At the time of my visit the ordinary arrangements of the school had been interfered with to a considerable extent through the illness and death of the Bev. Father Forrest. It will probably be some time before the institution will quite get over the effects of the loss thus sustained. The number of Government scholars here is slowly increasing. There appears to be less difficulty in obtaining thoroughly suitable pupils than there was a year or two ago. Protestant Native Girls' School, Hukarere, Napier. —Pupils passed as follows : Standard 1V.,. 2 ; Standard 111., 4; Standard 11., 6; Standard 1., 6. Of the advanced Government scholars, five answered very well, and four well; the two others had only lately come to the school. On the whole, the work this year was particularly good. The school, too, seems to be now doing the kind as well as the amount of work that it is especially fitted to do. Special inquiries were made about the arrangements for giving the girls a knowledge of housework, laundry-work, and cookery. It was found that each Government scholar, in turn, takes one month in the laundry, losing thereby one day's schooling in the week. Each girl also is cook for one month; during this period, of course,, much of the school time is lost. The other house duties are taken by the girls as their turns come round. All things considered, these arrangements appear to be satisfactory, and to be likely to conduce to the end desired—namely, that when the girls leave the institution they shall know how to do most kinds of house-work in the European fashion. It may be advisable to give here an account of what the girls sent to Native boarding-schools are expected to be able to do at the end of their two years' term : —They must be able to pass a strict examination in all the old work of the Native-school standards (as for boys); to show that they have made satisfactory progress in writing and in speaking English, and to be able to translate a Maori letter, a paragraph from a Maori newspaper, or a verse of a Maori hymn into good, idiomatic English ; they have also to show acquaintance with the rudiments of the laws of health, and to be able to answer easy questions on the history of their own country. Besides this, they must have made considerable progress in singing (notation and practice) and in the rudiments of drawing ; they must have gone through a course of gymnastic or calisthenic exercises; and, especially, they must show that they possess a good knowledge of the more useful kinds of needlework —such as cutting out, making, and mending garments—and that they are able to do housemaids' work, laundry-work, and cooking. When a girl has passed the examination, and has shown that she possesses the ability to do the kinds of work specified, she is entitled to a certificate to the effect that she has satisfactorily completed her Native-school education. St. Stephen's, Parnell, Auckland. —This is an excellent school. It is doing really first-class work. The percentage of passes obtained is very high (87*31). Of the fourteen village-school scholars, five answered very well, and five well; the remaining four were new scholars. Of the juniors, four passed Standard IV., seven Standard 111., three Standard 11., and seven Standard I. Only three boys out of forty broke down at the examination. I have no new suggestions to make this year : all my previous recommendations have been given effect to by the Committee, except that with regard to the expediency of supplying sheets for the boys' beds. The difficulty appears to be, not the cost of the sheeting, but the laundry-work connected with it. It seems to me, however, that the advantages to be derived from making Maori boys acquainted with all ordinary European comforts and conveniences, so that they may in time come to look upon them as absolute necessities, are so great that an attempt to overcome the difficulty in some way should be made.* At the inspection great attention was paid to the dietary arrangements of this institution. Having first carefully inspected the stores, and found all the articles in use to be of good quality, I dined with the boys. My visit was quite unexpected, and there was nothing but the ordinary fare. I took a boy's share ; this consisted of a bowl of excellent pea-soup, eight ounces of well-cooked beef, and five large potatoes. At tea-

* A later report from the Inspector states that sheets are now in use —Seobetaey fob Education.