E.—9

22

Girls' School. Highest. —English: Chaucer, The Nonne Prestes Tale ; Shakespeare, King Lear; Johnson, Easselas; Macaulay, Essay on Boswell's Life of Johnson; History, the Eoman Bepublic; Historical English Grammar, Morris; composition, &c. Latin: Virgil, iEneid, Book V.; Cicero, De Senectute and Somnium Scipionis, passages from De Amicitia; Horace, Selected Odes and Satires ; at sight translation—iEneid, Book VII., Sallust's Catiline ; grammar, composition, &c. French : George Sand, L'Enfance; Chardenal's Exercises for Advanced Pupils; grammar, etymology, and composition. German: Fasnacht's Grammar; Meissner's Lesebuch. Mathematics : Arithmetic, the whole subject; algebra, to quadratic equations; geometry, Euclid, Division A, Books 1.-IV., and VI., Division B, Books 1.-III.; trigonometry (Lock's), Division A, the whole, Division B, Chapters 1.-XL Science : Botany, the Morphology and Physiology of the .Botanical Types specified in the Junior Scholarship Schedule; Chemistry, the Non-metallic Elements, Eevision of the Metals. The Senior Division have revised the whole of Organic Chemistry. Lowest. —English : Beader, Globe, No. IV.; History, William I. and Henry VI.; Geography, Australasia, British Isles; Physical Geography, explanation of geographical terms, &c.; Grammar, simple analysis and parsing; Object Lessons, simple lessons on common objects, with a view to subsequent composition on the subject of lesson. French: Chardenal's First French Course. Arithmetic: Division A, compound rules in money, avoirdupois, apothecary, troy, lineal, and square tables, mental arithmetic; Division B, simple and compound rules in money, and mental arithmetic. 4. Scholarships held at the School during the Last Quabteb op the Yeae. Boys' School. Otago Education Board. —At £40, ten ; at £20, sixteen. Grey Education Board. —At £50, two. Girls' School. Otago Education Board.— At £40, seven; at £20, nine. 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, 8; girls' school, 6. SOUTHLAND HIGH SCHOOLS. 1. Eepoet op the Boaed. Sir,— Invercargill, 29th April, 1889. I have the honour to forward the following report of the operations of the Board during the year 1888 :— When the year began the Board comprised Messrs. Lumsden and Carswell, appointed by His Excellency the Governor; Messrs. Matheson and Preshaw, elected by the Southland Education Board ; and Mr. Tapper, the Mayor for the time being. The only change during the year was the election of Mr. T. Fleming as Mayor of Invercargill, who is now, therefore, a member of the Board, the other members having been reappointed by His Excellency the Governor and the Education Board respectively. Mr. Lumsden was re-elected Chairman. The Board has, during the year, been constituted a leasing authority under the provisions of " The Public Bodies Powers Act, 1887," and has exercised its right to reduce the amount of rent in one or two instances in which excessive rents were paid. The Board has for some time contemplated making a change in the curriculum of the schools with the view of giving parents and guardians a choice of either a classical or modern course of education; and also of including chemistry in the subjects taught. In order to effect this it was necessary that a change should be made in the staff of teachers; all the assistant teachers therefore received notice that their services would be dispensed with at the end of 1888, and a new staff was advertised for. A great number of applications was sent to the Board, and a very efficient staff has been secured. Mr. W. E. P. Austin, 8.A., of Oxford, was appointed first assistant on the boys' side, and Mr. W. Macalister, 8.A., of New Zealand, second assistant. Miss E. Pitcaithly, M.A., of New Zealand, was elected to the position of first assistant in the girls' school, and Miss A. E. Waterhouse second assistant. A scientific lecture hall and chemical laboratory has been erected and fully equipped, and the Board has every reason to expect that the change will prove of great advantage to the school. It is hoped also that, with renewed commercial prosperity which is now becoming manifest, parents will avail themselves of the superior education offered at our high schools. I have, &c, The Hon. the Minister of Education, Wellington. Charles Bout, Secretary.