THE NEW ZEALAND GAZETTE. 525

£5,000, with a view to the endowment of five Exhi-
bitions to British Universities; but hindrances arose
to the establishment of the Collegiate School with
which they were to have been associated, and the
measure lapsed.

4. The scheme at present in operation was ori-
   ginated in 1858, during the administration of Mr.
   (now Sir Francis) Smith. In the course of the
   Parliamentary Session of that year he drafted a Bill
   for the establishment of eight Scholarships, each of
   the value of £200 per annum, and tenable for four
   years; of which Scholarships two were to be annually
   competed for by youths under twenty years of age,
   who had resided for the foregoing five years or more
   in the Colony. The conduct of the examination was
   to be in the hands of a Council of ten members to be
   nominated by the Governor, and designated the
   "Tasmanian Scholarship Council." Before the Bill
   thus drafted had been submitted to the House of
   Assembly, various alterations were suggested by
   persons engaged in tuition or interested in the cause
   of Education. The most important of these was
   a scheme for examinations to be held in imitation
   of the local examinations which are annually held in
   England by Examiners appointed from Oxford and
   Cambridge. This suggestion was adopted. Provision
   was made in the Act for the holding of such exa-
   minations for boys under the age of nineteen, and
   for conferring the Degree of Associate of Arts (A.A.)
   on those who passed a satisfactory examination. It
   was also provided that no youth should be admissible
   to the competition for a Tasmanian Scholarship until
   he had taken the Degree of A.A. As the operations
   of the Scholarship Council were thus enlarged, the
   name was altered to that of "The Tasmanian Coun-
   cil of Education," and the number of members was
   increased to fifteen. The Act was passed in the
   Session of 1858, and constituted the Council of
   Education a corporate body.

5. Early in 1859 the Council of Education com-
   menced its operations, and proceeded to make bye-
   laws for the conduct of its proceedings, and to
   arrange the scheme of work for the examinations to
   be held under its authority. In accordance with the
   Act of its constitution, the first examination for the
   Degree of A.A. was fixed for 1860, and the first
   examination for the Scholarships for 1861.

6. Meanwhile, in the Parliamentary Session of
   1859, a measure was passed which has had a most
   important influence on the Educational arrangements
   of Tasmania. The Common Schools of the Colony
   have been for many years under the management
   of a body called the Board of Education. It was
   decided by a vote of the Legislature that the Board
   of Education should have the privilege of bestowing,
   annually, Exhibitions to the amount of £100 on the
   most deserving pupils of the Common Schools;
   these Exhibitions to be tenable for four years at
   such Superior Schools as the Board should approve.
   A similar privilege was awarded to the Council of
   Education. The Board of Education have been in
   the habit from that time onwards of sending to
   the Superior Schools annually six of the best and
   ablest pupils of the Common Schools. Meanwhile
   the Council of Education decided on bestowing
   annually, by means of the money placed at its
   disposal, two Exhibitions of £50 each on boys under
   fourteen, who had not been during the previous
   six months at any School under the Board of Edu-
   cation. The object of this last limitation was partly
   to make these Exhibitions an object of further
   emulation to those who had succeeded in obtaining
   the Exhibitions bestowed by the Board, and partly to
   encourage the Superior Schools and the Private
   Schools of the Colony to send in their pupils as
   competitors. The first examination that was held

under the authority of the Council of Education
was an examination for two of these valuable
Exhibitions. It was held in June 1860, and each
year since then there has been an examination
held in the same month; and two Exhibitions
have been awarded to the best two of the candidates
who have succeeded in attaining the standard of
marks fixed by the Council.

7. In September, 1860, the first examination for
   the Degree of A.A. was held. It was conducted by
   Professor Irving of the Melbourne University,
   assisted by other competent Examiners. The sub-
   jects of examination, the standard of marks requisite
   for merely passing, and for passing with honour, had
   been assimilated, as far as possible, to the schemes of
   the Oxford and Cambridge Local Examinations. Each
   successive year Professor Irving has taken the prin-
   cipal share in the examinations, assisted sometimes
   by Examiners from Melbourne, and sometimes by
   Graduates of the English Universities resident in
   Tasmania. The nature of the examinations will be
   seen from the examination papers which the Secretary
   is instructed to send with this Report, while the
   average number of marks obtained, of degrees con-
   ferred, and of candidates rejected, will be seen from
   other documents which he has been directed to
   furnish.

8. In September, 1861, the second examination for
   the A.A. Degree was followed by the first exa-
   mination for the Tasmanian Scholarships. Two
   youths, Hope and Garrett, who had attained a First
   Class in the A.A. Degree of the preceding year, were
   candidates for these prizes; but though both passed
   a very creditable examination, they did not succeed
   in reaching the very high standard of marks which
   the Council had fixed as the necessary qualification
   for success. It was felt that such a prize ought
   not to be bestowed except upon candidates who
   should pass such an examination as might prove
   them qualified to take a good position in an English
   University. In the examination for Scholarships in
   1862 both these candidates were successful, and
   proceeded to England at the beginning of the fol-
   lowing year, one going to Oxford the other to
   Cambridge. This is the only occasion as yet on
   which two Scholarships have been awarded in one
   year. In 1863 the Scholarship was obtained by
   W. Knight, who had headed the list of the A.A.
   Degree in 1861. He proceeded to Trinity College,
   Cambridge. In 1864 there was no candidate for the
   Scholarship, and consequently no examination for it.
   In 1865 one Scholarship was awarded. It was
   obtained by C. Hogg, who had headed the list of
   Associates in the previous year. He is the only one
   who has as yet succeeded in qualifying himself for
   the Scholarship within one year after taking the A.A.
   Degree. He proceeded to St. John's College, Cam-
   bridge. In 1866 the only Scholarship awarded was
   obtained by H. A. Perkins, who had taken a First
   Class in the A.A. list of 1864. He has proceeded to
   the University of Edinburgh. Last year, 1867, again
   there was only one successful candidate, G. Archer,
   A.A. of 1865. He has proceeded to Cambridge.
   And in the examination just concluded for the
   present year, one Scholarship only has been awarded.
   The successful competitor is Manassch Fearnley,
   who headed the Degree list of 1866.

9. If it should seem that, considering the splendour
   of the prizes proposed, the competition is somewhat
   meagre, it must be borne in mind that the very high
   standard fixed for the attainment of a Scholarship
   makes it useless for any to try except youths of
   great ability and attainments. Several who have
   taken the A.A. Degree have continued their studies
   with a view to the Scholarship, but have ultimately
   withdrawn from the competition. Of these some