E.—2

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Class 111. only one boy was very decidedly weak ; ten did well, and the answering of four of these ten was decidedly strong. A beginning in Latin had been made by this class ; it was found that the boys had not yet reached examination point in the subject. In Class IV. the three boys at the top of the class (which contains thirteen in all) gave great promise. One of these, the second boy, had made a very good beginning in Latin ; four others did well in the subject. The mathematical work was rather uneven, but two boys were very good indeed. I should imagine that only five or six from this class could advantageously attempt to do the work of Form V. next year. Walker, Hakiwai, and Bangi, the three boys at the top of the class, are very promising. The four classes dealt with so far have been taught by Messrs. Waitai and Delamere. Class V. did excellent work almost throughout. Puketoki (dux), McGruther, Pasley (European), and Mitchell sent in admirable papers, and only one member of the class gained less than 60 per cent. One strikingly weak place was found, however : the parsing and the grammatical analysis seemed far below the level of the rest of the work; quite usual sentences seemed to present great difficulties, even to some of the best boys. Class VI. : The matriculation class was, with the Fifth, taught by Messrs. Thornton and Baker, the Headmaster and the second master of the college. In order to give some idea of the scope of the examinations, a syllabus of subjects of examination for Class IV. is given, e.g. :— I. English : (1.) New Zealand Eeader, pp. i. to iii. (2.) Easy parsing, analysis, and paraphrase. (3.) Easy sentences in original composition. (4.) Memoriter —(a.) " The Fireman " ; (b) " Fight between ' Sounding Sea ' and ' Angry Sea,' " pp. 11l to 114. 11. Latin: (1.) Caesar —Book 1., eh. 1-12. (2.) Grammar. (3.) Very easy sentences from English into Latin and Latin into English. 111. Arithmetic: Elementary rules; vulgar fractions ; decimals; simple interest; reduction; weights and measures; measurement of areas and cubic contents; easy examples in profit and loss ; square root of whole numbers ; time and work ; easy problems. IV. Algebra: First four rules, brackets; simple equations; elementary factors; square root; problems. V. Euclid: Book 1., Propositions 1 to 34. VI. Physiology : Blackie's, Book I. The bottom of Te Aute College is now fairly well adjusted to the top of the best of our Native village schools ; that is to say, that for our best primary Maori schools Te Aute is a true secondary school. It may be added that, since Te Aute prepares boys for matriculation, there is a complete chain from our lowest standard work up to that for university honours. Two old Te Aute Maori pupils passed the medical preliminary examination last year; one of these went straight from the Te Aute classes, the other had been for a time a junior master in the school. Also, three Te Aute boys passed the matriculation examination in December last; two of these were Maoris, the other was a European. The Convent School at Matata, Bay of Plenty (examined 22nd May, 1899). — Good, honest work had been done in both divisions of the school, and the result was very pleasing ; in portions of the work —notably in knowledge of laws of health, in some of the mental arithmetic, and in the composition —rather unusual strength was shown. In the extra subjects, the singing was tuneful and pleasant to listen to, although the enunciation was not always quite distinct; rounds were sung, and notation-work was well up to the mark. Drawing was satisfactory throughout. Drill and other physical exercises receive adequate attention. The parents here are poor, consequently the pupils are not expensively dressed, but a sufficiently good appearance is made. The school tone is decidedly good ; so is the discipline generally—there is no disorder. The Mission School at Oiaki, West Coast, North Island (examined 9th August, 1899). —The school-work has been done in the face of considerable difficulty, the result, mainly, of irregular attendance. This irregularity has an apparently perennial source in the apathy of the people, and of late it has been intensified by sickness. Although the percentage gained was very low, the results can be regarded as satisfactory in view of the apathy and the sickness above referred to. There is good musical drill here, and the singing is pleasingly done. The drawing is somewhat below the mark. There is rather too much talking while work is going on, but there is no ground for serious complaint, in view of the fact that most of the children are small. Fifteen pupils were present; there are thirty-one on the roll. The Mission School, Putiki, near Wanganui (examined 7th November, 1899). —The number of passes secured was not unsatisfactory, but there was an absence of the strong passes that give nearly as much pleasure to the Inspector as to the Teacher. Some improvement in method had taken place since the previous inspection. The work is hard and honest, but a somewhat higher ideal had seemed to be necessary, and this the Teacher had evidently been trying to reach. The pupils seem fond of the school, and work honestly. The order is generally satisfactory. On the whole, there is some reason for being hopeful with regard to the school. The Mission School, Waerenga-a-Hika, near Gisborne (examined 19th July, 1899). —The examination results were very satisfactory. A little weakness appeared in the geography of Standards 11. and 111., but, except at the very bottom of the school, hardly anywhere else. The staff of the school is hardly large enough. It is understood, however, that funds for paying an assistant are not at present available. Strength above the average was shown in English, " health," and spelling; there were many other pleasing features, notably the geography of Standard IV. Extra subjects were well taught, drawing being the weakest of the three. The rule here is very mild. The garden has not been commented upon in previous reports, but the boys have cultivations of their own which they utilise very completely, producing in the season large quantities of European vegetables and fruit. I take it that this involves, in its way, a very useful kind of technical work.