216

numbers bear to the whole number of children of an age to be at school.

The census returns only give the ages of children under 6 years, and between 6 and 16 respectively; the ordinary school age may be taken as that between 4 and 14, as both these are periods of 10 years, the numbers which have been ascertained as true in the one case may not unreasonably be assumed as substantially true in the other.

At the last census it appears that there were 3139 children between the ages of 6 and 16; assuming this number to represent approximately the number of children of a school age, and adding the number which have since arrived from England, some idea may be formed of the number requiring instruction.

Thus—

Children between the ages of four and 14 ... ... 3139

Children of the same age, introduced since the census, about ... 600

Total of a school age ... 3739

But of these it appears from the above statement that only about 2100 are at any school, and that therefore there are about 1600 attending no school at all. In estimating, however, the number under instruction, it is necessary to take into account those who are taught at home. It is impossible to estimate with any approach to exactness how far such cases affect the above calculation; but after making allowance for these and checking the result by facts which have come under the notice of the Commission, they consider that there are considerably more than a thousand children of a school age in the province receiving no secular instruction of any kind. [There remain the numbers attending Sunday schools, 1755, of whom only 235 attend no day school.]

There are, in addition to the schools already enumerated, four night-schools, with an attendance of 31 scholars.

With regard to the income and expenditure of existing schools, it appears from the materials supplied to the Commission, with the exceptions noted below, by the heads of denominations, that—

1st. Schools in connection with the Church of England have received the following sums during the year ending 31st December, 1862:—

It should perhaps be mentioned that there appears to be some doubt with regard to the last item of £123 2s 11d, specified as voluntary contributions, inasmuch as there is a difference of opinion as to the objects for which this money was subscribed, some saying that the contributors gave their subscriptions towards the erection of a church, while others maintain that they were intended for the establishment of a school. The real facts of the case appear to be that the object was understood by the contributors to be of a mixed nature. The building having been intended by its originators to serve the double purpose of a place of worship and a school-room. It seems clear that the private subscriptions were given in some cases at least for the building of a church.

It is intended to obtain the consent of such subscribers to an alteration of their original intention, whereby the building should be devoted exclusively to school purposes. These are the grounds, as it would appear, for placing the sum so subscribed among the receipts on account of schools.

The expenditure during the period above mentioned was as follows:—

| Total | ... | £4,291 | 4 | 11 |

During the same period there were 1,437 children at one time or other attending Church of England schools.

The receipts of schools in connection with the Presbyterian Church were:

| Total | ... | £1,509 | 5 | 10 |

And the expenditure—

| Total | ... | £1,523 | 0 | 10 |

The sums here given are not, as in the other cases, compiled from returns made by the acting head of the Presbyterian Church, but from returns furnished by the teachers of the several schools calculated for the year ending March 31, 1863.

The Commission applied for returns to correspond with those furnished by the other denominations but have failed to obtain them, and can therefore only make an estimate based upon information relating to a period not exactly coincident.

The number of children attending these schools was 445.

The receipts of schools in connection with the Wesleyan Church, during the same period were:

| Total | ... | £1,124 | 10 | 8 |