E.—7

6

The numerical attendance at all the classes and the results of the recent examinations are shown in the following table: —

All the new students who entered for the first year's course, and some of the older ones, who had not previously taken ambulance, attended the evening class established by the St. John Ambulance Association, and by successfully passing the examination gained certificates of first-aid, as required by the regulations. Only one occasional student, as before mentioned, attended an arranged evening class in assaying, but only for a short time. Nearly all the students requiring to engage in practical mining and metallurgical work during the vacation, in order to complete the stipulated working terms of twelve and nine months respectively, have, so far as I could ascertain, found working-places in coal- and gold-mines and cyanide establishments, partly in Otago, partly on the West Coast, and some in the Hauraki goldfields (North Island), while two have gone to the Mount Bischoff tin-mine, Tasmania. And, as in previous years, it requires thankfully to be acknowledged that the general manager of the Union Steam Ship Company granted those students who had to travel by sea a liberal reduction in the cost of a return ticket, and extended the time of the latter to six months. With regard to the number of students likely to attend classes next session, only an uncertain forecast can be made. Supposing that all these return who have completed their first and second year's courses, and, in addition, those older ones who, according to the register, have not quite finished their studies for any diploma or certificate, the number would be forty-one, and as three applications for entry of new students have already reached the Eegistrar, the number would come to forty-four. It is, however, very likely that some four or five of the older students who did so badly in the recent examinations will not return, a decrease which would leave thirty-nine or forty, to be increased again by the uncertain number of other new students applying for entry before the commencement of next session. Thus there is strong probability that the attendance number next session will not fall short, and may perhaps exceed that of ■ the past session— i.e., forty-five to fifty. As in previous years, Dr. Don, the lecturer in general geology, arranged to make with his students three geological field excursions, but bad weather prevented the second, to the Green Island coalfields. However, to make up for this, an additional day was devoted to the third excursion. The first excursion embraced the examination of the volcanic rocks of the Otago Peninsula around Portobello, whilst the other, occupying three days, comprised the inspection of the sedimentary rocks of Moeraki, Hampden, and the Oamaru district. Dr. Don has still farther improved the arrangements for illustrating his lectures by the preparation of

Results of Examinations. Subjects. Attendance. Entered for I Examination. 1st Class. 2nd Class. 3rd Class. Failures. General (University)— Mathematics... Theoretical mechanics... Theoretical physics Practical physics Theoretical chemistry... Practical chemistry Quantitative chemical analysis ... Theoretical biology Practical biology 17 15 12 12 13 13 11 1 1 16 15 12 12 13 13 11 1 1 1 5 6 3 1 1 3 2 4 5 7 8 12 5 7 3 2 1 5 3 7 2 1 Special (School of Mines) — Mining, first course Mining geology General geology Palaeontology Mineralogy ... Petrography ... General metallurgy Special metallurgy Practical assaying, first course ... Practical assaying, second course Blowpipe analysis Applied mechanics Surveying, first course... Surveying, second course Model-drawing Practical plane geometry Solid geometry Machine-drawing 28 12 16 1 17 9 18 18 17 6 20 11 15 9 12 12 14 19 28 11 15 1 17 9 18 18 17 6 20 11 15 8 12 12 14 19 4 9 1 7 4 10 3 8 2 1 2 6 8 5 5 8 5 4 1 3 5 3 4 7 9 2 1 10 4 7 4 3 7 7 5 3 11 1 3 1 6 5 2 3 3 6 4 5 5 6 "3 7 "l 2 Totals 349 345 92 94 110 49