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this College, whilst the only three mentioned as proxime accessit have also been of this College. The title of " Professor" has been adopted for the gentlemen in the full charge of the departments of modern languages, biology, and engineering. Biology. —With a view to obtaining the ruling of the Supreme Court as to the extent of the powers vested in the Board in connection with the endowment for the Medical School, a petition was presented to his Honour Mr Justice Denniston. The judgment was clear and affirmed that the endowment could be made available for the erection of buildings, the purchase of apparatus or fittings, or for the payment of salaries of those connected with the biological department. A tender for the erection of a biological laboratory and observatory tower, at a cost of £3,004 14s. Id., has been accepted by the Board. The building is well in hand, and its completion may be looked for towards the end of the year Sufficient accommodation will thus be provided in this department for biological students for some years to come. An inquiry into the department of chemistry and physics has taken place during the year The investigation was costly and prolonged, but, the report of the Special Committee not having been adopted, no changes have resulted therefrom. The most interesting portion of the inquiry centred round the expediency or otherwise of detaching the subject of physics from that of chemistry Until such time as the funds at the disposal of the College permit of the erection of a physical laboratory, and its equipment, and of a separation of the two subjects of chemistry and physics, matters must remain in an unsatisfactory condition. The professor in charge of the department is already urging the immediate appointment of a trained physical assistant, and the erection of a physical laboratory The subject is one of great importance to the welfare of the College, and will, ere long, force itself upon the earnest attention of the members of the Board. Examinations for exempted students have been held during the year at Wellington, Nelson, Napier, and Wanganui. An examination in music was again held at Timaru, when twelve candidates attended. Music. —Sixty students are attending the lectures. The numbers attending each series of lectures are given above. Eighty-one candidates sat for examination in music, a very great increase in numbers over any previous year They were divided as follows (1) First year (junior), 36 candidates, (2) second year (intermediate), 24 , (3) third year (senior), 18. Three advanced students also sat for examination on their work of the year. School of Engineering. —The report of the professor in charge is attached. Gibls' High School. The new lady principal, Mrs. T S. Poster, took charge of the school on September 13th, 1894. Since the beginning of the present year another teacher has been added to the staff, Miss H. Davy, 8.A., otherwise the teaching-power is unaltered from last year The number of pupils attending the school last term was 138, with very large classes in cooking and dress-cutting, the latter subject, indeed, being so popular that the teacher, Miss Keating, has been engaged for two extra classes. The swimming classes were well attended during the season, and produced satisfactory results. The examiners in the foregoing subjects, as well as those in drill, drawing, singing, and the general course of the school work, reported well in every case of the various classes. Pour candidates from this school sat for the Junior University Scholarship examination; three gained scholarships, while the fourth took a good place in the honours list. Ten girls also sat for the matriculation examination, all of whom succeeded in passing it. Since the close of the last term of 1894, the school buildings have undergone some minor repairs, and have been painted throughout. Some arrangements and fittings have also been provided for the practical teaching of physics in the school Boys' High School. There have been no changes in the staff this year, with the exception that the whole of the freehand drawing, as well as the geometrical, has been placed under the charge of Mr S. Hurst Seager. Model drawing is now taught in the School of Art by the School of Art masters. The school workshop has been reorganized by Mr Hurst Seager and put on a new basis, a systematic course m the use of tools and a working drawing being required from each boy before he can make articles for his own pleasure. The number of pupils attending last term was 247 ; the number at the same time last year was 238. The Board last year was considering the question of enlarging the school, and early in the present year, the consent of His Excellency the Governor having been obtained to the outlay, decided to extend the front of the school westwards by the erection of a lecture-room on the ground-floor and two class-rooms above, with some basement accommodation for laboratory work, &c, at a total cost, including architects' fees and all charges, of about £2,000. These additions are now in course of erection, and will be completed about the end of October Mr. W Walton was accorded leave of absence for the third term of last year, owing to illness, and returned the first term of this year greatly improved in health. At the University December examinations, E. Cull, P Fantham, and H. Maddison obtained places on the "credit" list. E. Cull won the entrance exhibition at the School of Engineering, and was awarded the school-leaving exhibition. Eleven boys passed the matriculation examination. H. Craddock obtained the Senior University Scholarship for Greek, and G. Lancaster for mathematics. A. G. Henderson obtained the University ' Bowen Essay " prize. A. E. Kirk and D. Bates obtained the degree of LL.B. W H. Dawson obtained his M.A. degree with first-class honours in chemistry and A. J Buchanan his M.A. with second-class honours in Latin and English. A. C. Sandstein has passed his first professional examination in medicine at Edinburgh University, with distinction, winning first medala in zoology, botany, chemistry, and physics. M. Keane, C. Hampton, and S. Eobertson won three out of the five senior scholarships awarded by the North Canterbury Board of Education. A. Sims obtained the second place in order of merit among those who passed with distinction in the Senior Civil Service examination, Three others passed the Senior and nine the Junior Civil Service ex-