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I'opuhtr Ltcttucs. —The popular lectures were given again during winter months of the year, and the attendance during the series showed that these lectures were appreciated by the public. The expense of providing these lectures is somewhat heavy, as in many cases lecturers come from some distance, and lantern-slides have to be provided to supplement those already possessed by the lectuier; but the expense is not so great but that it could easily be covered if a slightly higher charge was made for admission. Ido not think an increased charge would prevent any one from attending. Did I think so I would not advocate it, for I would not like to prevent any from taking advantage of that which must make not only for pleasure but also profit. These high-class lectures, though termed " popular,'' supply information and education to a large number, and 1 hope the series will be continued from year to year. Diploma Day.—l see that the Semite has decided to ask the respective governing bodies of the University Colleges to take control of the ceremonies on Diploma Day, and possibly it may be a step in the right direction. At times, in some centres, there have been unseemly disturbances of the proceedings, but here such a course has been more honoured in the breach than in the observance. I know that at times it must be somewhat irksome for those who for the nonce are allowed a little latitude to exercise forbearance when speeches are somewhat lengthy and perhaps not quite to their liking, but, knowing what I do of the common-sense and kindly feeling of our undergraduates, I am certain that the question of control will be an easy matter for those who have this duty put upon them. Bequests and Donations. —Revenue from bequests and donations is placed in the summary of receipts at £762 10s., which, with an amount of £66 received in interest on the amount of the Arthur Postle bequest, includes the revenue from the Gammaek, Postle, Haydon, and Miller bequests, so that the whole of our revenue from bequests and donations amounts to £828. Considering the advantages that the whole community receives from the endowments administered by the Board of Governors for the various institutions under its control, it appears that the residents in the Province of Canterbury think that enough has been done by the foresight of the pioneers of Canterbury to justify the present generation in not giving substantial help to institutions that are able to provide so many and so full educational benefits to a large proportion of those who wish to profit by higher education. Others, again, from want of knowledge of what yet remains to be done, give no thought to the necessities of the various institutions that require assistance. In the College proper, greater facilities are required for the teaching of physics. A miserable makeshift of a building has had to be kept in the service of the Board, to provide temporary, let us hope, accommodation for the Professor of Physics. Other lecturers are crowded out from the ordinary lecture-rooms of the College, as so great an expansion of work has taken place in the last few years, and have to be accommodated in the same building. A College library, a building suited to the requirements of a University College, is an absolute necessity. The present library is housed in a room that has not sufficient space in which the books can be properly arranged, and there is absolutely no accommodation for the librarian, nor room for the students to take the books from the shelves and use them as books of reference should be used —namely, by having a reading and a writing room, where they could comfortably pursue private study without having to remove from the library precincts volumes probably wanted by many in the same week. The want would perhaps not be so acute if the College were a residential one, for then students would only have to take a book across the quadrangle to the quiet of their own rooms; but when it is remembered that many of the students live a considerable distance from the College, and cannot afford the quiet accommodation that is necessary for careful preparation and study, any one who thinks of the matter seriously must see that a properly equipped College library is an urgent necessity. The Museum and the Public Library are two other institutions that are starved for want of sufficient funds, ami though the residents in the town point out with pride these places to those who come to visit Christchurch, and say, justly, as far as the Museum, at till events, is concerned, " This is the finest museum south of the line," yet the representatives of these residents, reflecting the apathy of their constituents, have refused to supplement the funds of these institutions in any way whatsoever. The Girls' High School, rightly referred to as one of the best of the secondary schools in the Dominion, has a most meagre endowment, and consequently is cramped for room both in the classrooms and the playground, while up to the end of this year the teachers —not inferior, judging by results, to any in the Dominion—were paid at a lower rate than many in the primary schools. These remarks show that the people of the city and provincial district are unaware of the pressing necessity of ampler funds, and I feel sure that if they can only be brought to realize the position the Board of Governors will have the opportunity of administering a largely increased revenue, which will help to further extend the educational advantages of the province. Some provision ought also to be made for the most brilliant of our female students being helped to carry on post-graduate work either in Europe or America. At the present every scholarship for such a purpose is confined to the male students, and while either by University or close scholarships every opportunity is offered to them, the female students, who form a large proportion of our undergraduates, have absolutely no bursary, scholarship, or studentship set aside to enable them to pursue their studies without being hampered by financial considerations. Comparisons are not always the most desirable way of pointing out how difficulties can be overcome, but in the present case the action of the Otago residents, in recognizing their responsibilities, points clearly to the fact that those who are interested in higher education need only have the requirements placed before them to readily respond to a legitimate appeal. When the finances of the Otago University were in an unsatisfactory condition an appeal was made to the public, and the action of one public-spirited gentleman in contributing £2,000 for the establishment of a chair that was urgently needed gave the lead to a movement that resulted in