E.—2

12

bath-room were highly polished—not a matter of great importance, except as an indication of the existence of care and very sharp oversight. The urinals and closets were clean, and would have been tidy if all the paper strewed about had been in the proper receptacles. The play-ground had been drained and ploughed, sown and planted. There are two borders, one of English and one of Maori trees. The boys have also put up dividing-fences and garden-seats, The ground has been well and profitably worked. The singing was not as good as it would be towards the close of the year, but it was still fairly creditable ; tonic sol-fa work and some part-singing were done. In drawing, freehand and geometrical work are taught; also, there is much attention paid to scaledrawing, to prepare the boys for technical work. In drill there are calisthenic exercises and musical drill, and. an extensive course of gymnastics is given ; these are all very good. The " home work " is a strong point in this school; it has contributed, perhaps more than it ought, to the school's success : that is to say, the general culture of the school and the intellectual attitude of the boys— their certainty and rapidity of grasp and power of expression—might have been somewhat greater if more of the excellent work done had been done viva voce. In the course of the year Mr. J. E. Davies received a well-deserved holiday from the Trustees, which enabled him to pay a short visit to the Old Country. He returned to his work quite lately with renewed health and spirits. During the absence of Mr. Davies the school was managed by Mr. Edward M. C. Harrison, who performed what might easily have been his difficult duty quite satisfactorily. The examination took place on the 9th August. The results were, as is usual here, very pleasing. Of the nineteen boys qualified by attendance and in other respects four passed the final examination, two of them with credit ; thirteen passed the first year's examination, two of them with credit ; two of the nineteen failed to pass. The places of those that failed, however, were filled by two new scholars, who showed themselves to be strong enough to pass the first examination without further preparation. Thus nineteen boys in all passed the higher examinations, which are about equal in difficulty to those set for the public-school Standards VII. and V. respectively, but involve the very considerable addition that arises from the fact that the instruction is given, and the examination has to be taken, in a language very remote indeed from the mother tongue of the pupils. This fact cannot be too strongly insisted upon, whenever the question of relative difficulty of public school work and Native school work is under consideration. In the lower classes the passes were as follows : Five for Standard 111., six for Standard 11., and four for Standard 1., or fifteen out of the eighteen present. This work, too, was generally good. Here is a proper place, and the return of its oldest teacher from a well-earned holiday indicates that this is a suitable time, to say that this school has done an immense amount of good to the Maori race first and last. A considerable part of the good influence referred to is certainly due to the exertions of the two officers, Messrs. Davies and Smith, who, under the trustees, practically carry on the work of the institution. All over the northern parts of the colony one may meet here and there intelligent, well set up men, who can converse with one in good English, can transact most kinds of business, and are competent to initiate wise plans and undertakings for the benefit of those depending on them. Sober, shrewd, intelligent men are they, who, clinging to their own people and their old way of life to a large extent, have yet modified it beneficially at so many points that it would be hard to suggest a mode in which they could have been of greater service to themselves and their people—a way, in short, in which they could have made better use of their lives. The kind of men here alluded to have the same stamp on all of them ; it is the stamp of St. Stephen's, Parnell. Hukarere Protestant GirW School, Napier. —The inspection of this school took place on the 21st February, 1901. This was rather early; and from one cause and another many of the girls had not yet arrived. The average attendance for the previous year, however, had been 54935, all pupils being boarders. At the time of the inspection visit the extensive additions to the building undertaken by the authorities of the boarding-school were still in hand. These additions—which, it is understood, are due to the munificence of a very well known friend to higher Maori education —should undoubtedly make the institution much more satisfactory, by giving additional room for purely educational work on the one hand, and on the other the increased cubic space per pupil should tend to improve the sanitary conditions. The girls here sing very well, and show good acquaintance with notation work. Later on I heard them sing under Mr. Sharpe's direction, and their performance was really creditable. The drawing is good ; but the drawings are copies. It would be much more advantageous if it were insisted on that the drawings of the pupils should be either considerably smaller or considerably larger than the originals. The grounds were, on account of the alterations going on, not fit for a display of physical exercises. It has been pleasing to learn that one of the old pupils of this school has, after receiving preliminary training as a hospital nurse at Napier, been of great use as a nurse at her home at Waima. With regard to the Hukarere examination, held on the 13th December, 1901, it may be remarked : (1) That the papers sent in by pupils belonging to the upper part of the school were highly creditable; they were neat, well written, and thoroughly systematic. Three of the elder girls did useful and creditable work in preparation for matriculation. It was understood that a fourth, who is a very promising girl, was sick and unable to attend. A fair beginning in Latin had been made by these girls ; in Euclid too much had been attempted. If Maori girls took, say, sixteen propositions with the relevant definitions, axioms, and postulates thoroughly understood, quite enough work would have been done for the first year. The remainder of the work of the senior class was good, only one of the girls showing any weakness, and this was in but one subject. In all, fifteen girls passed the second-year examination; which is more than has ever been done here before. This means, too, that the thirteen girls in the ordinary second-year class all passed. Two of these " barely " passed, while two passed " well"—that is, obtained good marks in every subject. In the first-year class three passed" barely," five " passed," one passed " well," and one "very well." The lastnamed giil, Daisy Ornisby, gained all the marks in every subject. Nine passed Standard IV., four Standard 111., one passed Standard 11., and three Standard I.