87

H.—l

English. —The passages set were paraphrased with correct expression and faithful reproduction of the meaning. The papers also showed a careful study of the texts read, and a good acquaintance with the argument and the language. Derivation was somewhat backward. Latin. —In Class I. the translation was faithful and well expressed; but parsing, syntax, and accidence were somewhat backward. The work done during the year has not been extensive. In Class 11. the work was very creditably done. The pupils have been well grounded in what they have gone over. Elementary Physics. —More than half the papers were well answered. The writers of these had a clear grasp of the principles and of the technical terms introduced, and explained the experiments in a lucid and accurate way. Confusion in explanation, and inaccuracy of language and statement, marred most of the remaining papers. It would be well to accustom the pupils to draw illustrations of the experiments described. Geometry. —The upper class answered most accurately, and gained 97 per cent, of the marks. The second class also answered very well, and made an average of 82 per cent. Algebra. —Class I. gained the good average of 65 per cent., and several of the papers were excellent. Class 11. made an average of 60 per cent. On the whole, the advanced work has been very carefully done, and many of the papers evinced a very creditable degree of intelligence, and unusual ease and care in expressing what their writers had to say. I think that the Committee and the Headmaster have good reason to be satisfied with the attention the pupils have given, and the progress they have made.

Invercargill Grammar School. The following is a statement of the extra subjects taken up by the more advanced pupils, with a brief estimate of the character of the work in each class and each subject:—

English. —A few verses of Gray's Elegy were fairly paraphrased by a few, but moderately by most. Many of the ideas were omitted, and compression was in almost every case carried to excess. In explaining the lines given for comment usually but one word was touched upon, when the whole expression required explanation. Derivation was moderate. Geometry. —This subject was very well answered by the highest class, well by the second, and very fairly by the third. Algebra. —The papers of Class I. were excellent, and those of Class 11. uniformly good. Elementary Physics. —A few of the papers were good, but in most cases the principles were not fully understood. The girls answered much worse than the boys. Latin. —The pupils in Class I. answered fairly in most respects. Class 11. did very well. The translation was most careful, and the accidence accurate. The chief uses of the cases were also very fairly known. In Class 111. the translation was accurate and very well expressed, while the parsing and inflections were good. French. —Two of the papers showed ability to translate, and a good acquaintance with the grammar ; the others were moderately done. The extra subjects on the whole have been creditably taught, and the results in English and in some of the other ordinary subjects of the highest class would no doubt have been much more satisfactory had the material to be worked up been of better quality. The Latin and mathematical subjects show what excellent work a select number of the pupils have done. Tokomairiro Grammar School. The following statement shows the extra subjects taken up by the more advanced pupils, with a brief estimate of the character of the work in each subject;—

Subject. Class. No. of Pupils. Work done. English ... Geometry I. I. 24 5 Eoyal Header No. VI., aud Grey's Elegy. Euclid, Books I., II., and III., to page 20, and Exercises on Book 1. Euclid, Books I. and II. Euclid, Book I. Todhuuter's Algebra for Beginners, pp. 1-120. „ pp. 1-71. Balfour Stewart's, pp. 1-61. Caesar, Book I. ; Phaadrus, Books I. and II.; Virgil's iEneid, lines 1-226; and simple Latin composition. Principia Latina, II., pp. 1-20; Ca?sar, Book I., 1-28 ; Arnold's Composition, Ex. 1-25. Principia Latina, Part I., and Part II., pp. 1-6. Perrin's Fables, 33-60; Charles XII., pp. 20-33 ; Ahn's Second Course, to p. 53; De Fivas's Grammar, to Ex. 86. ,, Algebra ... II. III. I. II. I. I. 2 3 4 4 25 1 ,, ... Elementary Physics Latin ,, ... II. 4 French ... III. I. 6 4