NATIVE SCHOOLS.

E—No. 8

the Maories have a fair knowledge of the Maps of Europe and of the World, and could point out and name the different countries and their capitals. They all learn to sing. They are also taught agriculture, and cultivate potatoes, Indian corn, pumpkins and melons, &c.: they have the use of a horse and cart and a plough. They have generally bread and tea for breakfast, potatoes and fish, and occasionally meat, for dinnner, (the Half-castes get meat generally every day for dinner,) and potatoes, or bread and tea, for supper, but they prefer potatoes. Two cows supply milk also during a portion of the year. They have all two suits of European clothing, and shoes. The bedding is sufficient, —a straw mattress, two blankets, a sheet and a quilt. They appear clean and healthy, and there has been no disease amongst them during the past year. One wooden building contains the Superintendent's rooms, a small school-room and kitchen, and a bedroom for one of the Half-caste lads and the assistant teacher. The remainder sleep in a large wooden building, which has no floor and is very airy; it must be very cold in the winter. A portion of it is used as a store room for potatoes, &c. There are 52 acres of land enclosed, belonging to this and St. Anne's establishments; ten acres are under cultivation. The soil is generally of inferior quality. The school is under the Superintendence of the Very Reverend J. Macdonald, who is assisted by the Rev. J. Haltan and a very intelligent English lad who is preparing for orders. The pupils appear to be well looked after and trained to habits of order and regularity. IV.—St. Anne's School, Freeman's Bay. There are eleven Girls on the books of this school, two of whom were reported as being absent for a fortnight with their friends. Three of the eleven are Half-castes, and are not supported by their relatives; the others are generally the daughters of Chiefs and men of influence amongst the Maories. Eight girls were present at the examination. Four girls, two of whom were Half-castes, read English well, especially the Half-castes. They can all, except two who have recently commenced, read well in Maori; and four of them wrote it from dictation. Three girls have a very good knowledge of Geography; two others are less advanced, but have made some progress. Their Writing is good, and their Singing also. Three of the Maories are making good progress on the piano, which their friends are very anxious they should learn. Three of the girls know their Multiplication table, though roughly, and can do sums in Compound Multiplication and Division; the remaiuder are at Simple Addition. They make up their own clothes, and are taught to wash and iron, and to make bread and confectionery, to cook, milk, &c. They have also learnt a variety of useful accomplishments, such as worsted embroidery and crotchet work, admirable specimens of which were exhibited. Their Clothing and Bedding are good, clean, and sufficient. The girls are patterns of cleanliness and neatness, and appear very healthy; there has been no disease amongst them during the last year. The buildings are ample and comfortable, and stand on part of the land attached to St. Mary's Boys' School, from which they are separated by a paling fence. A small and neat Chapel is common to both institutions. This school is under the efficient superintendence of the Superioress, and another lady of the " Sisters of Mercy," who are assisted by four young ladies about to take the veil. Everything is conducted with the most systematic regularity, and the pupils are well grounded in all they profess to know. St. Mary's, North Shore. A list was furnished to the Inspectors, containing the names of all the students who had been OB the books of the School since the Ist of January, 1859; out of eighty, nine were noted as dead, and twenty as being sick or absent. There were present at the Inspection fifty-seven persons; besides whom, three females were absent preparing food, and two (a male and a female) were sick. Of the fifty-seven, four males and three females were represented as being only day scholars; so tin.t, at tbe present time, there are fifty-five persons (thirty mafes, and twenty-five females) borne on the strength of the school. Of the thirty males, six or eight are boys or lads, and the remainder are adults of all ages, some being far advanced in years, and four being Half-castes. One of them aiso was blind. Of the twenty-five females, six are children, and the remainder adults of all ages, four being Halfcastes. These form the major portion of two parties of Natives who are located on different parts of the school estate. They are generally married. There were four of the girls unmarried, but one of them was to be married immediately. The scholars have not made much progress in their English. Some of them were requested to J read from the " Reading Lessons," by the " Christian Brothers." Of the males, one read a continuous ] lessen of simple monosyllabic sentences. Two Maories, and one Half-caste youth, read from the list of combined monosyllables, in a tabulated form — e.g , "lam;" —"An ox;" —"He is;" —&c. Tw6 more repeated the Alphabet in English. Of the females, one girl, who is a Half-caste daughter of an European settler, read from the 49th Lesson part of the monosyllabic narrative of the Creation. Two others—one being the Matron of the Institution, and married to an European —read from the tabulated Lesson—"l am;"-—"An ox;" he Five more, including one Half-caste, and two adult Maories, repeated the Alphabet in English; and we were informed that several more could also say their Alphabet.

Food.

Clothing.

Cleanliness andhealth.

School buildings.

Land.

Discipline, efficiency and management.

t Numbers, &c. r

Attainments and ] ingress and nature of instruction.

Food and Clothing. Cleanliness and heal tli. Buildings and Land.

Numbers, &c.

Attainments and progress and nature of Instruction, English.

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