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6. Work of Highest and Lowest Classes, Girls' School. Sixth Form. —English: Chaucer, The Prologue; Bacon, Selected Essays; Shakespeare, The Tempest; Tennyson, The Princess ; English history, the age of Elizabeth; Historical English Grammar, Morris; exercises in composition, &c, weekly. Latin — Senior Division: Livy, Book XXV., nineteen chapters; Horace, Odes, Book 1., selected odes; Virgil, iEneid, Book 1., 600 lines ; composition, Bradley's Arnold. Junior Division: Smith's Principia Latina, Parts 11. and 111., selections; composition, Principia Latina, Part IV. French: Picciola, Books 11. and 111., pp. 1-80; Chardenal's Exercises for Advanced Pupils, French syntax, pp. 1-94; Chardenal's Exercises on French Conversation, pp. 1-104; composition, once a week; dictation, once a week. German : Accidence and exercises, Arnold's Grammar ; Fouque, Undine. Mathematics : Arithmetic, the whole subject; algebra, to quadratic equations; geometry, Division A, Books 1., 11., 111., IV., VI.; Division B, Books 1., 11., 111. (Props. 1-31); trigonometry, Division A, Todhunter's Smaller, Chapters 1-12; Division B, Todhunter's Smaller, Chapters 1-8. Science : Botany— Examination and life-histories of selected types of cryptogams, &c.; vegetable histology and physiology. Chemistry—lnorganic chemistry, Roscoe's Lessons, and Thorpe's Problems. First Form. —English : Globe Reader No. III.; Grammar, Blackie's Parts of Speech, simple parsing. Geography : Outlines of England, Scotland, Europe, and America; part of New Zealand. Object-lessons : Simple lessons on common objects, with a view to subsequent composition on the subject of the lesson. Arithmetic : Revisal of simple rules, compound rules in money.

7. Scholarships held at the School during the Last Quarter of the Year. Boys' School. Otago Education Board. —At £10, 8; at £20, 10. Westland Education Board. —At £20, 2. . Girls' School. Otago Education Board. —At £40, 8; at £20, 8. Free education is given to the holders of Education Board scholarships/and also to candidates at the scholarship examinations who gain 50 per cent, of the attainable marks. The numbers attending the schools under the latter concession at the end of the year were—Boys' school, 9 ; girls' school, 2. Six children of members of the teaching staffs were receiving free education at the boys' school, and six at the girls' school.

8. Reports op the Inspector-General of Schools to the Hon. the Minister op Education. Otago Boys' High School (15th November, 1886). —This time of the year is not the best for inspection. At this school and those that I visited later I found that revision, or even examination, of the year's work had begun, and I had not an opportunity of observing the ordinary course of instruction. I find it is not possible for me to visit all the schools at the most suitable time, seeing that I must be in Wellington during the session of Parliament and for some time after its rising. This is one of our best schools, and it appears to me to be improving in tone and discipline. The present administration is able and vigorous. The instruction given in some branches of natural and physical science is very good, though here as in other places I should like to see a broader foundation laid in a knowledge of the elementary principles of experimental science in general. I think that English reading is receiving rather more attention in the lower school than was at one time paid to it. It is too commonly assumed in high schools that the boys can read English without instruction from the masters. There is good provision here for instruction in gymnastics. Otago Girls' High School (15th and 16th November, 1886). —This also is one of our best schools. The study of the English language occupies a prominent place. Latin and mathematics are very well taught. The instruction in gymnastics is excellent. There are some good earnest students among the elder girls.

SOUTHLAND HIGH SCHOOLS BOABD. 1. Report op the Board. Sir,— Invercargill, 31st March, 1887. I have the honour to forward report of the Southland Boys' and Girls' High Schools for the year 1886, together with documents, in terms of circular of the 30th December. The members of the Board of Governors at the beginning of the year were Messrs. G. Lumsden (Chairman) and H. Wilson, appointed by His Excellency the Governor ; Messrs. T. Watson and D. L. Matheson, appointed by the Southland Education Board; and Mr. J. L. McDonald, the Mayor for the time being. In July Mr. Watson resigned his position as a Governor of the Board, and Mr. J. A. Preshaw was appointed by the Education Board to fill Mr. Watson's place. Messrs. Lumsden and Wilson were reappointed by the Government in September. In the last annual report reference was made to a change in the staff of teachers. Both the boys' and girls' schools have been superintended during the year by Mr. A. H. Highton, M.A. Under his management, on the boys' side the number of scholars has steadily increased; but the Board does not anticipate that the girls' school will bo a success until the two departments are 5—E. 9.