THE HONGKONG GOVERNMENT GAZETTE, 18TH MARCH, 1871.
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16. The Preparatory Class, which was established to secure a certain knowledge of both Eng- lish and Chinese before admission into the regular classes, has given proof of the usefulness which was expected of it. The master-ship of this class is given as a reward to one of the best scholars taught in the school. Under him, the boys learn the elements of reading, writing, and arithmetic, as a preparation for the English classes; and, under one of the Chinese masters, who take this class alternately, they are prepared for the Chinese classes.
17. The school-fees for the year amounted to $1,701.65, of which the sum of $1,460.75 was paid into the Treasury, and $240.90, being the fees paid by the Preparatory Class, went to the pay-
ment of the teacher of that class.
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18. There only remains, under this division, to acknowledge, on behalf of the school in general and of successful scholars in particular, the liberality of the Honourable C. C. SMITH, Dr. MURRAY, Mr. HAYLLAR, Mr. GERRARD, Mr. WAI KWONG, and Mr. KwOK CHEUNG, who added so largely to the Prize Fund. While there is, no doubt, a good deal of hard work on the part of the boys, due to a desire for respectable and lucrative employment, the incentive to diligence produced by the valuable prizes which are given annually is of the most marked character. It is gratifying to be able to state hat, next year, the list of donors will be considerably increased. These and others of the community would add greatly to, their kindness by coming and making personal experience of what the boys can or cannot do. It is matter of regret that while so many give liberally, so few care to come and judge of the school for themselves. This is not said from any desire to parade the school, than which nothing could be more distasteful, but it is not unnatural to wish that the public knew exactly what an institution is worth which needs so large a sum of the public money for its support.
19. The Village Schools, which are free schools supported entirely by Government, are twelve in number. They stand in the following order of efficiency, as tested by an examination of cach school.
2. Sai-ying P'ún, (Pún-ti.)
1. Stanley.
3. Girls' School.
4. Bowrington.
5. Sai-ying P'ún, (Hak-ka.) 6. Webster's Crescent.
7. Tang-lung Chau, (Pún-ti.) 8. Aberdeen.
9. West End.
10. Tang-lung Chau, (Hak-ka) 11. Worg-nai Chung. 12. Shau-ki Wán,
20. These, as has been said in previous Reports, are Chinese schools, pure and simple. Chinese books alone are used and the mode of instruction is such as would be found in any native village school in China. But, this has been too often noticed to need repetition.
21. The great aim in the supervision of these schools is to see that what is taught is taught me thodically and well, that regularity, and especially punctuality, be attended to, and that cleanliness bo not forgotten. It would perhaps be difficult to fix any precise amount of improvement from one year to another; but, on looking back over the last nine years, evidences of progress are not wanting. The Chinese are very slow to appreciate anything which is not precisely as they are accustomed to it, and in nothing is their conservatism so apparent as in education. Foreigners may know some- thing of other matters, especially if they have reference to trade, but, in the matter of education, the dullest villager and the most ignorant boat-woman loudly proclaim their superiority, without the slightest suspicion of its being questioned. They know exactly what books their children are to read, and when and how they are to be read, the opinion of all foreigners to the contrary notwithstanding. 22. The school buildings are good and suitable, except those at Bowrington and Stanley, I had hoped to see these two re-appear on the Estimates. A new school-house at Stanley is greatly needed, but one at Bowrington is an absolute necessity, as has been pointed out on previous occasions. The number of scholars taught at the school, during the year, was 92. The highest number on the roll, on any one month, was 76, the lowest 56, and 63 was the average for the year. Yet this large number has to be accommodated in the upper floor of a small, low-roofed, ill-ventilated, Chinese house. I cannot forego this opportunity of, once more, calling the attention of the Government to the necessity of proceeding with the erection of the proposed school-house at Bowrington.
23. Three masters died in the course of the year,-those at Sháu-ki Wán, at the Ilak-ka school at Tang-lung Chau, and at the Pún-ti school at Sai-ying P'ún. The last had been a Government school-master for upwards of ten years and had always a very good school. There was one dismissal, that of the master at Shau-ki Wán, the predecessor of the one that died. This has always been a wretched school as regards attendance. It was thought advisable, as the Hak-kas showed so little appreciation of it, to allow the Pún-tis a chance, but last year's experience does not inspire much fidence as to the benefit of the change. The schools at Aberdeen and Wong-nai Ch'ung are con- al sources of disappointment, but they are good schools when compared with the one at Sháu-ki
Wán.
24. The Pún-ti school at Tang-lung Chau, after being for many years at the head of the Village Schools, has lately been very unfortunate. For situation, the healthiest, apparently, of all the schools, O fewer than three masters have died within the short period since the new school was opened. her masters of the school have had long periods of serious illness, and several of the scholars have died.
As death after death occurs, the superstitious fears of the children are increased and the with- drawals become more and more numerous. the better is greatly desiderated.
There is no apparent remedy for this, but a change for
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