much better than they did, and show a fair
general knowledge of grammar and geography,
while the first class, at my last examination
in June, stood a searching examination in
arithmetic very well. In one important
branch, however, I can record but little pro-
gress. The handwriting is still feeble and
careless throughout the school.

On the whole, though much has undoubt-
edly been done during the last two years,
this school cannot yet claim such an indis-
putable pre-eminence in every respect as it
ought to possess over even the best of our
country schools.

Town Boys\' School, 2nd division: Mr.
SADD, Master.—I have little to add to what
I formerly stated, as to the very efficient
way in which this important school was being
conducted. I see no falling off in any re-
spect. I would suggest, however, that the
employment of an older and better paid as-
sistant than the youth who now does duty as
pupil teacher, would greatly lighten the
master\'s work, and would enable him to give
more time to explanation in such a subject as
arithmetic, for instance, in which I have ob-
served that the method pursued is somewhat
dry and mechanical, from sheer lack of time
on the part of the teacher to enter more fully
into details. More time also seems to be
required for the due supervision of so many
beginners in writing.

Town Girls\' School, 1st division: Mrs.
SAIT, Mistress.—The girls here are at least
as well taught, and as well conducted as they
have been hitherto. I was particularly
pleased with the reading of the first and se-
cond classes, when I last examined them.
The younger children read fluently enough,
but not very distinctly, and did not pay suffi-
cient attention to their stops. The arithmetic,
as I have frequently found it in girls\' schools,
was slow, and not particularly accurate. The
scholars throughout had a fair acquaintance
with geography, grammar, and the outlines
of history, and the handwriting was remark-
ably good.

Town Girls\' School, 2nd division: Miss
DARBY, Mistress.—It appears to me that too
much has been sacrificed in this school, for
the sake of perfect order and almost absolute
silence. I should have preferred seeing more
animation and mental activity amongst the
scholars at the expense of a little noise. The
reading of the first class especially was pain-
fully low and indistinct, and the answers to
such questions as I put were almost inaudible,
making it very difficult for an examiner to as-
certain how much the children really knew.

Preparatory School: Mrs. COOK, Mistress.
—Much good has resulted from the recent
appointment of a very active and intelligent
assistant to this school. The time of the
mistress is no longer almost exclusively taken
up in keeping order among the large masses
of very young children who daily attend; and
the progress of the first class has been pro-
portionately greater, thus enabling me to
promote large drafts of boys and girls to the
higher town schools.

Town Auxiliary School: Mr. J. HODGSON,
Master.—Repeated drafts have been sent
from this school to the first divisions of the
boys\' and girls\' school, which are thus kept
constantly full. The children are very care-
fully and systematically prepared for promo-
tion; the course of instruction being design-
edly, kept within certain prescribed limits.
The reading and writing seemed to me spe-
cially worthy of commendation.

Clifton Terrace: Mr. GILBERT, Master.
—The daily attendance at this school, formerly
very irregular, has largely increased of late,
which is, in itself, not a bad token of the esti-
mation in which a teacher is held.

My own observation also confirms the view
that a considerable advance has taken place
here during the last six months. The younger
children have great pains bestowed upon
them, and the elder scholars read and write
well. But the arithmetic, though rather
better than it was, is still slow and uncer-
tain.

Hillside School: Mr. M\'INTOSH, Master.
—The high reputation that Hillside school
has long held is not likely to suffer in the
hands of the present teacher. Reading,
writing, and more especially arithmetic, are
thoroughly well taught, while the children
are decidedly more orderly than they were. I
have noticed, however, with some regret, that
the study of grammar, geography, and his-
tory, in all of which the higher classes were
unusually well instructed by the late master,
has been almost discontinued. I do not
forget that I have, more than once, expressed
a strong opinion in favor of teaching a few
subjects well, but grammar certainly, and
(with scholars already so grounded) geo-
graphy and something of history might, I
think, be added with advantage to the very
limited range of subjects at present taught.
I hope more that the exclusion of these
branches is only temporary, as there can be
no doubt of the ability of the present master
to do justice to all of them.