E.—B

2

9. In the absence of a Professor of Mathematics, the requisite lectures in this department were delivered, in 1883, by Professors Brown and Thomas, who, at the request of the Council, undertook these additional duties till the arrival of the new Professor of Mathematics. 10. On the 16th April, 1883, the Auckland Board of Education notified to the Council that Mr. Moat had ceased to be Chairman of that Board, and that Mr Bichard Laishley, barrister-at-law, had been elected Chairman. 11. The Auckland University College was formally opened by His Excellency the Governor of New Zealand, Sir William F Drummond Jervois, G.C.M.G., C.8., at a public meeting held in the Choral Hall, Auckland, on the evening of Monday the 21st May, 1883, on which occasion His Excellency presided, and delivered a highly interesting and instructive inaugural address. 12. On the 6th June, 1883, the Council appointed Mr Hugh Garden Seth Smith, M.A. Cantab., barrister-at-law of the Inner Temple, District Judge of Auckland, to be Lecturer on Law 13. The Chairman of the Council received a letter addressed to him by the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Oxford, Dr Jowett, dated the 28th August, 1883, and proffering to the College such a status of affiliation to that University that students who shall have "resided at" this college for three years, and passed an examination with honours, shall have the period of residence at Oxford requisite for graduating there reduced from three to two years, "or rather," adds the Vice-Chancellor, 'to about one year and eight months." On the 21st November the Council adopted the following resolutions, proposed by the Chairman: — " (1.) That the thanks of the Council of the Auckland University College be given to Dr Jowett, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Oxford, for the offer he conveyed to this Council, in his letter of the 28th August last, from the Hebdomadal Council, of admitting students of this college to the University of Oxford. " (2.) That this Council accepts the proposal, but is of opinion that hereafter a course of tuition of two years in this college ought to be accepted, instead of a three years' course, as entitling students of this college to the benefits of admission to Oxford under the proposed scheme for shortening the period of residence there for colonial students. " (3.) That it be represented to the Vice-Chancellor that the New Zealand University, to which the Auckland University College is affiliated, is incorporated by Act of the General Assembly of New Zealand, and has received a royal charter recognizing the degrees of the New Zealand University as if such degrees had been granted by a University of the United Kingdom, and that the Auckland University College is at present maintained by a statutory grant of £4,000 per annum. " (4.) That this Council concurs with the Vice-Chancellor that the clause marked B, relating to affiliated colleges, which provides for the Oxford University being represented on the governing bodies of such colleges and taking part in their examinations, would be inapplicable to this institution." 14. In the Auckand University College there are in each year two terms of fourteen weeks each, commencing respectively on the first Monday in April and the last Monday in July. 15. The fees for lectures (which fees are paid over to the lecturers) are —15s. per term for a course occupying one hour per week, £1 10s. for a course occupying two hours per week, and so on proportionally 16. On the 19th December, 1883, the Council resolved that there should be two entrance or junior scholarships of £20 each, to be awarded upon competitive examination, and two senior scholarships of £30 each, to be awarded to students who shall have been most successful in the annual examination. Each of these scholarships is granted for one year 17 Soon after the lamented decease of Mrs. Gillies, wife of Mr. Justice Gillies, his Honour communicated to the Council, by letter dated 29th of March, 1884, that he and Mrs. Gillies had been recently considering the adoption of some special means of perpetuating the memory of her late uncle, Dr Andrew Sinclair, E.N., who had done much for natural science in the early days of the colony Mr Justice Gillies announced, in the same letter, his intention of immediately presenting to the college the sum of £3,000 for the purpose of founding two scholarships, to be called respectively the Sinclair and the Gillies Scholarships, in memory of Dr Sinclair and of Mrs. Gillies; one of the scholarships (the Sinclair) to be awarded for excellency of attainments in zoology and botany, and the other in chemistry and electricity, a certain amount of knowledge of mathematics being in each case required. This munificent donation has been made, and the scholarships have been instituted. 18. In the first term of 1883 the number of students attending the lectures was 73, in the second term, 56, in the first term of 1884 the number is 72. 19. The number of graduates of the University of New Zealand whose names are on the register of the college is at present 11, of whom 4 are ad eundem. The number of matriculated students or undergraduates is 51. 20. To the recommendation made by the Boyal Commission on University Education, in 1879, that a sum of £12,500 should be devoted to the erection of a suitable building in Auckland, effect has not hitherto been given. The operations of the college have been seriously hampered, and great inconvenience has been caused to Professors and students by the want of place and accommodation suitable for the delivery of the lectures. The one lecture-room in Eden Street is used by two Professors, those of Chemistry and Natural Science, the Lecturer on Law (as before mentioned) lectures in the District Courthouse, in High Street, and until recently the Council was without a lecture-room for the Professors of Classics and Mathematics. The temporary use of the house called Admiralty House, which is in Short Street, has been granted by the Government, with the sanction of the Naval authorities, and one lecture-room in that building has thus been procured.