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animation. The reports sent in by the examiners in the annual school examination in December were very satisfactory Museum. The annual report of the Curator of the Museum is attached. He may be congratulated on now having compiled and issued a guide-book for the use of visitors. The report announces a valuable discovery of moa-bones and various additions to different departments of the Museum. Notwithstanding the regular employment of a night-watchman, a robbery of gold and specimens has lately taken place. A man has been arrested by the police on a charge of being concerned in the robbery, and will be brought before the Stipendiary Magistrate to-morrow School of Abt. At the annual prize distribution, held on the 7th of February the Art Master delivered a statement respecting the work of the department for the year ending December 1894. An account of the meeting was published at the time. Previously the annual report has embraced the work of the last two terms of one year and the first term of the following year It has now been arranged that the report shall include the three terms of the one year The numbers attending the morning class have been as follows : — First Term. Second Term. Third Term. 1893 28 81 32 1894 . 32 35 32 The numbers attending the evening class were : — First Term. Second Term. Third Term. 1893 85 90 91 1894 115 108 93 Mr. S. Hurst Seager, the lecturer and instructor in architecture and decorative design, in December completed his first year's work with very encouraging results. Life classes have been regularly held for the study of the draped figure and of the nude. The annual exhibition of students' work, held in February was fairly successful, and all branches of art were well represented. The annual second-grade examinations were held in December last. At the same time a similar examination was again held at Tiinaru. The results compared with the previous year are as follows :— Full SecondFreehand. Model. Geometery. Perspective. grade Certificates. 1893 78 85 14 7 6 1894 90 72 22 13 11 Forty students attended from the Normal School during the period under review The Education Board of the district of North Canterbury has withdrawn the annual subsidy of £80 paid for some time past to the School of Art for giving instruction in drawing to the students of the Normal School. The students requiring to attend the school now join the ordinary classes. Messrs. Strange and Co., A. J White, Whitcombe and Tombs, and others generously offered prizes for competition. Mr Woodhouse, of Sydney, Professor Scott, of Canterbury College, Messrs. Van der Velden, and Mountfort kindly acted as judges in the various subjects without remuneration. The Public Libeaby During the year the Treasury paid over to the Library Department the sum of £155 165., which had been voted many years ago by the Provincial Council for library purposes. This sum was deposited in one of the banks, and has remained in an official account since the year 1875. Reference Department. —The large daily attendance in this department shows how much the increased accommodation was needed, and how it is appreciated by the public. The loss and damage to the books has been less than in any previous year only two works having been stolen—viz., " The New Zealand University Calendar, 1893-94," and " Stray Leaves from the Early History of Canterbury " Some valuable books have been at different times purchased at auction. A new catalogue is in course of preparation, but will take some months in compiling. During the year 316 books and pamphlets have been added, bringing the total number of volumes up to 9,431. The following donations have been made to this department " History of the Tower Bridge," by Chas. Welch (1894), presented by the Corporation of the City of London, ' New Zealand and its Aborigines," by W Brown (1845), presented by P Haultain, Esq., "Captain Cook's Journal during First Voyage round the World " (1893), presented by John Tinline, Esq., " Fairest of the Angels," by Mary Colborne-Veel (1894), presented by J V Colborne-Veel, Esq "Theory and Practice in Perspective," by Thomas Malton (1776), presented by J Spiller, Esq " The Key to Theosophy," by H. P Blavatsky (1893), presented by the New Zealand Theosophic League ; " Ocean of Theosophy," by W Q. Judge (1893) presented by the New Zealand Theosophic League , "Echoes from the Orient," by W Q. Judge (1893), presented by the New Zealand Theosophic League, "A Protest against Agnosticism," by P F Fitzgerald (1890) presented by Mrs. Fitzgerald , " Principle of Sufficient Eeason," by Mrs. P F Fitzgerald (1887), presented by Mrs. Fitzgerald , " Christendom Astray," by R. Eoberts (1890) presented by P Gorton, Esq., " Annotated Paragraph Bible," presented by the Eeligious Tract Society, " Geological Survey of United States" (1890-91), two vols., (1892-93) three vols., presented by the Smithsonian Institution. Circulating Department. —This department was closed from the 24th December till the sth January for stocktaking and alterations. It was found that the number of volumes missing amounted to 549. On reopening a trial was made of the " close-shelf system "of issue, by which the subscriber selected his book from the catalogue , but it was met with such general disapproval that on the 31st May the department was again closed for alterations. So far the present system has worked well, and it is to be hoped that the subscribers will aid the staff in detecting any irregu-