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to such important countries as Canada, United States, &c. In Standard V. and Standard VI. the work was strangely weak in everything but knowledge of the position of places. I found questions dealing with mountain systems and river systems generally ignored, because, I presume, the terms were not understood. In treating any country the teacher might first introduce his pupils to its people, their habits, &c, and then proceed to its physical features. The object lessons in the lower standards on animal and vegetable productions ought to be a valuable help to physical geography in the higher. History.—ln some schools I found history had been almost wholly neglected; in a few the work was good. In Standard 111. events were seldom well chosen. Of what importance are the Gunpowder Plot and the South Sea Bubble (favourite events) in comparison with the union of the Crowns, the Eevolution, the planting of the English colonies in America, and the foundation of the British Empire in Canada and India? It appears to me that in history, as in everything else, pupils should be gradually led from the known to the unknown. Thus, in Standard 111. they might first be drawn out to name some of the greatest Empires of the present day in Europe; then the ancient Boman Empire would be touched upon, and its boundaries would be pointed out on the map; a general of modern times would be compared with Julius Cassar, New Zealand as a province of the British Empire with Britain as a province of the Boman Empire, the British Governor in New Zealand with the Boman Governor in Britain, the Maoris with the Britons, and so on, until pupils had intelligent ideas of cur great Empire. In most schools the Third Standard was examined somewhat after the preceding style. At Wanganui Boys' School the pupils knew their work in a most intelligent manner; but at some schools pupils were ignorant of the Queen's name, at many of the Governor's name. At one school, upon asking who was the Governor of the colony, I was gravely informed "Yourself," while at many schools some boys pinned their faith to Sir Julius Vogel, and others had a weakness for Major Atkinson. Want of knowledge of this kind appears to me to clearly show that history is not well taught, with proper illustrations. In Standard VI. more attention should be paid to "government." Also, lam inclined to think that in neither history nor geography is sufficient importance attached to the growth, position, &c, of the various portions df the British Empire. Extra Subjects.—An effort has been made to teach physical science in nearly all the schools, but only in a few has much success been achieved. Besults in this important subject would perhaps be better if a more limited and more fully defined programme than the present one were laid down. Naturally enough, many teachers have little knowledge of physical sciences beside that which they have obtained from text-books (Professor Huxley says, '' Mere book learning in physical science is a sham and a delusion "), and an unaided teacher, with five or six standards in his school, finds a difficulty in getting time for science. In treating the subject it should, above all, be remembered that true science teaching consists in getting a pupil to investigate, discover, and invent for himself. " The only basis of science teaching is the method of investigation."—Object lessons have been treated at all the schools. lam afraid, however, that they are not made a means for the culture of the observing powers. There is often no relation between the object of one lesson and that of the next; words are taught, not things; the pupil is told, in place of being led to feel, to smell, to taste, &c, for himself. Again, much time is w 7asted in giving pupils of from seven to eleven years old such information as " A cow has four legs, and gives us milk and butter," or "An elephant has a trunk and two tusks;" while probably not one pupil has been led to observe the radical differences betw 7een the hoof of a cow and the hoof of a horse, the hind leg of an elephant and the hind leg of a horse. Notes of all science and object lessons, made before their delivery, should be kept. I recommend all teachers to procure and read carefully a little book entitled "An Essay on the Culture of the Observing Powers of Children," by Eliza Youmans. The "Typical Lesson in Mechanics" in the supplement by the editor shows clearly how 7 science may be used to exercise the powers of perception, reflection, comparison, and reasoning—in fact, how science may be made an instrument of intellectual culture.—Singing is well taught in many schools. The singing and drill of the infants' classes at Hawera, Wanganui, Terrace End, and Normanby were very pleasing. — Needlework was very satisfactory in most of the schools, but in some all the requirements of the syllabus were not reached. Oeganization.—After my visits of inspection I reported fully to the Board upon the organiza : tion of each school, and duplicate copies of the reports were sent to the teachers through their Committees. The organization in many small schools is weak. Classes are left too much to themselves. Certain tasks are set to be done by some classes on slates or paper, while the master takes another class orally ; and, paying no heed to the pupils in desks, he gives to this one class his exclusive attention, in place of keeping every pupil in the room under his eye. Slate work is either not examined or is examined in a very perfunctory manner, and the child is not made sure of the ground covered by the written lesson. In this district an average daily attendance for the quarter of fifty (recently lowered from sixty-two on my recommendation) is required before any assistance is given to a principal teacher. I think that, in deciding when assistance should be given, something more than the average attendance should be considered. Thus, a school with only three standards may have as high an average as a school with six standards; but the latter has far more need for a pupil-teacher than the former. Again, the average is often temporarily lowered by an epidemic. It will, then, readily be seen that a teacher unaided, with six standards and two preparatory classes to teach, has no easy task to keep all employed and to examine all written work. Such, however, can be done with good management. It is very important that the time-table should be so arranged that the teacher can devote a few minutes to examining written work, and to impressing upon the class the principal features of the lesson by sharp questioning and the use of the blackboard. This, it appears to me, can be best accomplished by taking several classes in the same subject at the same time, slate work and oral work being alternated. Thus, in a grammar lesson to Standard IV., Standard V., and Standard VI., while Standard IV. pupils are