E.—l2a

1902. NEW ZEALAND.

EDUCATION: RHODES SCHOLARSHIPS.

Presented to both Houses of the General Assembly by Command of His Excellency.

The Agent-General to the Hon. the Acting-Premier. Sir,— London, 20th June, 1902. I beg to transmit herewith copy of letter which I have received from the trustees of the will of the late Mr. C. J. Rhodes, requesting that an extract (enclosed herewith) from that gentleman's testamentary dispositions be brought to the notice of the Government, with the object of obtaining the views of the Minister of Education with regard to the election of qualifying students desirous of availing themselves of the scholarships to be established under the provisions of Mr. Rhodes's will. I have, &c, The Hon. the Acting-Premier, Wellington. W. P. Reeves.

Enclosure. Sir,— 30, Mincing Lane, London, E.C., 17th June, 1902. At the request of my colleagues, trustees of the will of the late Mr. C. J. Rhodes, I send you an extract from his testamentary dispositions relating to scholarships to be established for students from certain colonies and from the United States of America. You will note the qualifications Mr. Rhodes desired should be sought for in the candidates, and his suggestion that before election the trustees should consult with the Minister having control of education in the various colonies, States, and territories to which his dispositions apply. The trustees are desirous of making regulations with regard to the method by which the qualifications of candidates are to be ascertained and as to the examinations. They will, therefore, be obliged if you will be so good as to bring the scholarship provisions of Mr. Rhodes's will to the notice of your Government, and favour the trustees with the views of the Minister having control of education in your colony with regard generally to the election of qualifying students. It is hoped that the students can be elected in time to go into residence at Oxford in October, 1903. I am, &c, Bourchier F. Hawksley. The Agent-General for New Zealand, 13, Victoria Street, S.W.

Sub-Enclosure. The Right Hon. Cecil John Rhodes. The following are the provisions in the testamentary dispositions of the late Mr. Rhodes relating to the establishment of scholarships at Oxford for students from the colonies and the United States of North America:— Whereas I consider that the education of young colonists at one of the universities in the United Kingdom is of great advantage to them, for giving breadth to their views, for their instruction in life and manners, and for instilling into their minds the advantage to the colonies as well as to the United Kingdom of the retention of the unity of the Empire : And whereas in the case of young colonists studying at a university in the United Kingdom I attach very great importance to the university having a residential system such as is in force at the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge, for without it those students are at the most critical period of their lives left without any supervision : And whereas there are at the present time fifty or more students from South Africa studying at the University of Edinburgh, many of whom are attracted there by its excellent Medical School, and I should like to establish some of the scholarships hereinafter mentioned in that University, but owing to its not having such a residential system as aforesaid I feel obliged to