ST. JOHN'S COLLEGE.

New Zealander, Volume 9, Issue 747, 11 June 1853, Page 7 (Supplement)

ST. JOHN'S COLLEGE.

Auckland, February, 1853. Sit-in compliance with your Excellency's hstracuons, we have visited s>t. John's College, sad examined the Native School which is maintained there partly at the expense of Gofframeot, and beg leave to lay hefore you the Sulking Report, the result of our examination. St. John's College is situated on a rising ground, near the confluence of the Waitemata adtheTamaki, about six miles from Auckland, and forms a group of picturesque buildings, visible from a great distance. The porta of these buildings strictly appropriated to ie school, consists of a school room, which occupies the whole of a highly ornamental hiilding constructed in wood, after the old EngShstjle of architecture, 80 feet long and 16 abroad, with three small transepts on either s;(ie, Rooms for the master and a sitting room for me boys, with separate bed rooms for most of fen, are in buildings around three sides of a nwre 65 feet long and 37 feet broad. The accompanying plan shews the whole of the buildings at St. John's College, ['Plan of St. \ John's College—margin] and distinguishes ' i'« which are at all in connection with \ & school. There is a considerable extent of land in the ' Ki'hoourho.d belonging to the college, much i oift hich has been fenced in and brought under i "Nation. On this land the pupils are taught i to various operations of farming, under an exNenced agriculturist. , The pupils are all males, and amount to 40 Miter. Of these, 26 are adults, 12 of JMm have been at the school since its estagforat ai -Bishop's Auckland in 1815. have been brought from all parts of the ° on ]f) and consequently belong to various J* This will, doubt'ess, have the effect J taking up the prejudices and dislikes tribes, which have hitherto prevailed, Jm appear to live very amicably together, , a submit readily to the discipline of the say *• ' i • i ],- x neir general appearance is very good, ths . * u persons, well clothed, !e «ul i Q disposition, and eager in the acpsentof knowledge. Their food is mostly yfcpmihe produce of the college farm, a^ ls superior to what the natives generally are ' joined to at their own homes, particularly food " a S a greater proportion of animal j/^ of great importance in strengthentlh !v constltu^ons against scrofula, and e fdiseases to which they are very liable.— arrangements of their dormitories, which * ft ' separate apartments to many of the adults, e also excellent, and well adapted to bring *Jte natives according to European habits CUs toms, The school hours are so arran-

ged that every boy attends the school for two whole days in each week, besides one hour in the evening of two other days, exclusive of Sunday. The rest of their tune is devoted to farming operations, weaving, printing, or other industrial employments, unless when any of them accompany the Bishop on visits to distant parts of the diocese. It will be seen, from the accompanying statement of the funds, [Financial Statement—margin] and cost of support and education of native youths at St. John's College for 1852, which we have been furnished with, that the local Government contributed in that year £2OO towards the maintenance of the school, and that the yearly cost of each adult pupil Wcs£ls Ms., and of each boy £ll 12s It is therein also stated that the teacher received a salary of £l5O, and an assistant £25 per numOn the examination of the school, we foun that all the pupils, except those those who had been admitted very recently, could read and write their own language ; and that although most of them could read English tolerably well, and seemed to understand what they read, not any one of them had mastered the difficulties of English pronunciation, or was able to speak the language fluently. In arithmetic and writing English, their proficiency was found to be considerable, und the journals kept by t'ne adults and elder boys, shewing the occupation of their time for several years, do them great credit. Ia Scripture history and geo- 1 graphy they are well grounded, and their pro- j ticiency in singing shews that th ■ Natives are capable of great improvement in that art, and that the pupils at the college have had the advantage of an able master. With respect to the progress made by the ] school in industrial training, there cannot be i more satisfactory proofs than in the state of the College Farm, the highly-efficient state of the Piloting Office, and the character of the vvoik done in carpentry and in weaving. Nt-ariy the j whole of the labour on the farm is done by the pupils. Many useful works have been printed j at the college press. Two looms have been erected ; and some coaise woollen fabrics have been produced from the wool of the Hock belonging to the establishment, of an excellent strong quality, and well adapted to the wants of the natives. In reporting on this school, we have no hesitation in stating our opinion of its great efficiency, and that a foundation has been laid for its becoming much more extensively useful when a greater extent of the college farm has been brought under cultivation. An objection might, perhaps, be raised against the length of time which some of the pupils have been kept at the school; but, in explanation it may be stated, that St. John's College has been established within the last eight years, on land previously in a st.se of nature, when the assistance of the elder and more advanced pupils was more necessary than it may become when the design of the school, as a self-supporting establishment, is more fully developed. Besides, by this arrangement another object ot great importance to the general education of the natives is obtained in bringing up, under the immediate superintendence of the Bishop, a number of young men well prepared to undertake the office of teachers among the several tribes to which they belong. We have the honour to be, Sir, Your most obedient servants, Andrew Sinclair. C. W. Li oar. Hi.s Excellency Lieut.-Governor Wynyard, C. 13., &c. &c.

St. John's College. Statement of Funds undCost of Support and Education of Native Youths, 10.j2. Rkceipis. X s. d.

Expenditure. Clergyman and one Assistant £ s. d. Master 175 0 0 Two Native Teachers 50 0 0 Superintendents of working Departments 100 5 C 24 Native Adults, maintenance, and clothing ~.,, 301 11 3

14 Native Boys, maintenance, and clothing 162 IS 3 942 15 0 Balance expended in oilier branches the College, buildings, &c. . 825 15 6 Total £1768 10 6 Number of pupils maintained— Native Adults 2G " Boys .... 14 40 Yearly cost of each pupil Adults.... £ls 4 0 Boys 11 52 0 Salaries paid to teachers Head Master ... £l5O 0 0 Assistant " 25 0 0

Note.—The plans and views referred to in the foregoing Reports, and which were attached to the originals, are necessarily omitted here.

071 J7 0 Ditto from Colonial Government 1:'00 0 0 Ditto from Society Propogating Ditto General Church Fund.... 300 100 0 0 0 0 Interest of Scholarship Funds and 150 0 0 Return in produce from farm, after payment of interest of Capital, hired labour, &.c. -260 11 4 Ditto from Press . . 80 1 8 340 1.'. 0 £1708 10 6