NATIVE SCHOOLS.

E—No. 8,

INSPECTORS' REPORT ON SCHOOLS IN THE AUCKLAND DISTRICT. Auckland, 7th April, 1860. Sir— We have the honor to report for the information of His Excellency the Governor, that we inspected the following Schools, on the days respectively hereunder mentioned :— St. Stephen's School, Auckland, on the 9th February, 1860. The Three Kings', Auckland, on the 17th February, 1860. St. Mary's and St. Anne's, Freeman's Bay, 23rd February, 1860. St. Mary's, North Shore, 24th February, 1860. We beg to report thereon as follows :— I.—St. Stephen's School. The special object of this Institution is the preparation of Native Candidates for Ordination. There were six of these under instruction, who had all had previous training in one or other of the Schools superintended by Clergymen of the Church Missionary Society. Out of these six Maoris •students, three have been recently ordained by the Bishop of New Zealand. One other Maori pupil had left for the diocese of Waiapu, at the time of examination, and we are informed that he has since been ordained by the Bishop of Waiapu. The Candidates under instruction reside at St. Stephen's, with their wives and families. All are fed and clothed, mainly, at the expense of the Board of Native Education, who allow* £12 a-year for each individual, excepting infants and children under five years of age, as being too young for instruction, and except those above ten or twelve years of age, who are sent on to other schools. Archdeacon Kissling informed us that the Board allowed last year for twenty-five individuals, as on the school establishment, but that thirty persons were maintained and instructed on the average, not including six infants and children under five years of age. In addition to the six men, there are now on the books of tbe school, their wives, the widow of a native teacher, and six of their children. There are also three half-caste girls, two of whom are supported by their friends. The men and one of the women read English, some of them with an excellent pronunciation, and have a fair knowledge of its grammar, and of the construction of sentences ; they do not readily translate Maori into English, but understood all the questions which were put to them in the latter language. They have a good general knowledge of Geography, and excel in Arithmetic as far as the " Rule of Three" Their writing was very good. They were examined in Scripture History by the Bishop in presence of the Inspectors, and acquitted themselves well, but no request was made that their knowledge on religious subjects should be further tested. As they are all intended for the Ministry, they are not trained to any industrial occupation beyond cooking and baking their own bread. They have about six and a-half hours' tuition during the day. The women can read Maori, and are versed in Scripture History. They receive two hours of instruction daily ; they are also taught to sew, and wash and iron, and make all their own and the men's under-clothing. The children can read easy sentences in English, and being taught almost everything in English, they understand English wheu spoken to them tolerably well. They say their Multiplication table together. They have rice and sugar for breakfast, potatoes with four lbs. of meat made into soup for dinner, and bread and tea for supper. One cow supplies them with milk during a portion of the year. A double change of clothing with a change ot linen is provided for all the inmates of the school, besides an extra dress for .Sunday. The men have boots, two pairs per annum at least, but not the women and children. They appear clean and healthy ; there have been four births during the past year, and two infants have died. The buildings are excellent, and in good condition ; the dormitories are now, and built of brick and stone. There are twelve rooms, with fire-places in each; one is appropriated as a wash-house, and has a brick oven also ; each family has a separate room, with bedsteads and portion of bedding. The main building is of wood, and, besides accommodation for the Superintendent and his family, contains two class rooms, dining room, kitchen and other sleeping rooms, &c. :it will shortly require to be re-shingled. There are 80 acres of land attached to the school : it is enclosed and has been laid down in grass, ] but is not very productive. The Institution is under the management of Archdeacon and Mrs. Kissling, who constantly and ! regularly receive valuable assistance from the Bishop, and other friends of the school, and it is evident' that its special object is being carried out in a systematic and efficient manner. There is a trained teacher for the men Two of the students take it in turns weekly to superintend a school of thirty-three Native children at Oraki, on the opposite side of Hobson's Bay. These children were examined in English spelling and reading, and do credit to their teachers. They clothe and feed themselves. They each pay a weekly sum of Is., which goes towards an endowment fund for the support of a minister for their village. They have contributed £48 during the last year. First and last, the adults and children have contributed £118 10*., of which £104 remains balance in hand; and this amount the Bishop purpoes to double, if practicable, with the view of forming an endowment for the Native Pastorate.

Number and class of Scholars, &c.

Attainments and progross and nature of instruction.

Food. Clothing. ; Cleanliness and health. School buildings and land.

Land. Discipline, management and efficiency.

. Affiliated School.

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