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tention. To be satisfied with the mechanical imitation of examples worked on the blackboard is not compatible with sound arithmetical teaching. In Standard 111. and Standard IV., in a few schools, weakness in notation and numeration, and in knowledge of tables, is perceptible, evidently owing to insufficient drill in the lower classes. Want of neatness in setting down the work in the compound rules would have failed in one or two cases the whole class if dealt with strictly. The ruling of one side of the slate into squares for all classes below Standard IV. would greatly promote improvement in this respect. Though the regulation teacher may protest, simple exercises in the reduction of money cannot well be dispensed with in Standard 111. In Standard IV. practice, and consequently bills of parcels, are not often well done, the weakness generally indicating defective knowledge of division. Teachers would find it to their benefit to endeavour to give some preliminary work in fractions to this class. In vulgar fractions, cancelling requires more drill. There is scope in this rule, and in decimal fractions, for effective object lessons. A writer says: " Arithmetic is a failing subject with many children because it is difficult to lead them to exercise their mental faculties; but it is rendered more difficult because there is little attempt made to cultivate the reasoning powers." More of the why and the wherefore is necessary ; and it would be good practice to encourage the scholars not only to state fully the meaning of the various progressive steps, but also to give reasons. A word of caution is necessary as to the statement of answers. Many cases occurred where the sums were correctly worked; but the statement of the answers was either neglected altogether or very carelessly performed. It is not wise to trust too implicitly to the good nature of the examiner in this respect. I propose to give, for the future, a larger proportion of questions in the lower classes in words, and to deal more strictly with failures in notation and numeration. Gi-bammae. —This subject is generally well taught, the analysis of the higher classes being the weakest feature. During the year I introduced to the notice of the teachers Abbott's little book on parsing; and I was glad to see that the effect of its teaching is to make the parsing decidedly less mechanical. It is difficult to understand why simple analysis should not be commenced in Standard 111. The adverb might with advantage be added to the list for this class, when by breaking up short sentences into their various parts a much better notion of the functions of the adverb and adjecfive would be obtained, and the current fault of using the latter in place of the former would not be so likely to occur. Constructive exercises are not nearly so often used as they should be; indeed, it is a common mistake with, teachers not to give children sufficient credit for constructive capacity, but to regard them too much as receiving vessels. Even in Standard 111. a list of words might be given oat to use in short sentences as different parts of speech, and exercises be given in forming nouns, adjectives, verbs, and adverbs from each other. Anything which enables them to exhibit their skill as producers has a special charm for children. Some time might occasionally be given in the upper classes to analysis practice with the reading lesson. The search for the subject, &c, in a rather involved sentence would be excellent practice, and be appreciated by the scholars. The effect would, I think, be also felt in the composition. Composition is generally fairly.well done, Standard VI. being, on the whole, the weakest. The chief defects are not so much want of expression as faults in punctuation, the use of capital letters, and the reiteration of the same word unnecessarily. In one school most of the letters in Standard IV. commenced with the time-honored formula as to the condition of the writer's health. Below Standard VI. I think that better results may be secured by obtaining from the pupil narration of the simplest and commonest experiences of every-day life. In Standard VI. this may be accompanied by paraphrase or metaphrase of some interesting story or poem, taking care that it is something which the child has not only read, but read with pleasure. "There is no known process of drawing out of a child's mind what is not in his mind. Composition being a constructive or building exercise, a pupil must have materials to build with." The existence of a school library would be an effective aid in composition. Gbogbapht and Histoby.—These subjects are, on the whole, up to the requirements of the standards. The knowledge of locality of Standard 11. and Standard 111. I tested by means of a blank map which I carried with me —and, considering that a blank map had not previously been seen in our schools, with most satisfactory results. In dealing with the subject of reading, I have already expressed my opinion as to the teaching of these subjects. The question of whether they are made interesting to the pupils must be answered in the affirmative before the teaching can be pronounced satisfactory. The introduction of the geographical and historical readers appears to me the surest way of effecting this. The geographical readers contain accounts of imaginary journeys, the best possible means of teaching geography, especially when the particulars are amplified from the teacher's own store of knowledge. It seems to me that there should be no attempt to store up in the pupil's mind any great quantity of names of places, persons, or occurrences, for the retention of which by the scholar for any length of time after leaving the school no patent mental stopper has yet been invented. Still, text-books for, at any rate, the two higher classes cannot altogether be dispensed with, as by their use the children can acquire a knowledge of facts for themselves, in preparation for their next map lesson. Geographical pronunciation and spelling require attention. For the former, Foster's " Geographical Pronunciation " and Chisholm's " Modern Geographical Names " are most useful books. The spelling of names in Standard 11. is a most decided difficulty, though not an unconquerable one, as a few of the best* schools prove. For Standard 111. there is a less degree of excuse; and when an examiner finds the greatest difficulty in deciphering the names written by a large class there is evidence of carelessness. Improvement in map drawing will, no doubt, come with the knowledge of drawing generally. In history the memory work should be reduced to a minimum. If children carry away from school a taste for its study the best result has been gained. It is never gained by trying to cram the mind with bare facts. I have coupled the two subjects because the first is often only important on account of its historical relations, and the latter can never be studied satisfactorily without good knowledge of the localities referred to. If wall maps were procurable similar to those contained in " Morris's History " they would be