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Chinese community, or that the Government provide ground and school-building in which case the Committee would cheerfully work the School at their own expense on the lines of a Grant-in-Aid School, with little doubt of success.
16. OXFORD LOCAL EXAMINATIONS.-The results of the Oxford Local Examinations held in Hongkong in July 1896 were as under:-I. Preliminary Candidates. Honours List, none. Pass List, St. Joseph's College, 4 passes; Victoria English Girls School, 2 passes; Private Tuition, 2 passes; Queen's College, 1 pass; British Kowloon College 1 pass. Candidates who, having exceeded the limit of age, satisfied the Examiners,-St. Joseph's College, 5 passes; Queen's College, 3 passes, Victoria English Boys School, 3 passes; Diocesan School, 2 passes; Victoria English Girls Schools, *1 pass; Private Tuition, 1 pass. Successful Candidates who obtained distinction-none. Details:- Candidates presented, 65; examined 54; passed in. preliminary subjects, 47; in religious knowledge, 37; in English history, 45; in geography, 22; in mathematics, 11; in natural science, 1; in drawing, 18. Total of certificates issued to preliminary candidates to candidates of proper age, 10; to can- didates beyond the limit of age, 15.-II. Junior Division. Honours List, third class, Private Tuition, 1 pass. Pass List-Diocesan School, 3 passes; Queen's College, 2 passes; St. Joseph's College, 2 passes; Victoria English Girls School, 1 pass. Candidates who, having exceeded the age of 16 years, satisfied the Examiners-St. Joseph's College, 2 passes; Queen's College, 1 pass; Victoria English Boys School, 1 pass; Victoria English Girls School, I pass. Candidates who obtained distinction- Diocesan School, 1 in religious knowledge and in English. Details as to results of the examination of Junior Candidates; presented 46; examined, 40; passed in preliminary subjects, 40; in religious knowledge, fully 19, partly 7; in English, fully 16, partly 6; in mathematics, 10; in French. I; natural science, 1; in drawing, 3. Certificates issued to candidates of proper age, 9; to candidates beyond the limit of age, 5.-III. Senior Candidates. Honours List, none.-Pass List. Queen's College, 3 passes; Victoria English Boys School, 2 passes; Private Tuition, 2 passes; Diocesan School, 1 pass. Candidates who, having exceeded the limit of age, satisfied the examiners, Queen's College, 1 pass; Victoria English Girls School, 1 pass; Diocesan School, I pass.-Details. Candi- dates presented 22; candidates examined, 20. Candidates passed, in preliminary subjects, 19; in religious knowledge, fully 8, partly 3; in English, fully 8, partly 7; in mathematics, 7. Certificates issued, to candidates of proper age, 8; to candidates beyond the limit of age, 3. The foregoing results may be summarized as follows:--candidates examined 114; certified as passed, 50; failed, 64; passes obtained by St. Joseph's College, 13 passes; by Queen's College, 11 passes; by Diocesan School, 7 passes; by Victoria English Girls School, 6 passes; by Victoria English Boys School, 6 passes; by Private Tuition, 5 passes; by British Kowloon College, 1 pass. Distinction,-1 scholar of Diocesan School gained distinction in religious knowledge and in English subjects. Honours,-I pass in third class was gained by Private Tuition.
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17. BELILIOS MEDAL AND PRIZE EXAMINATIONS.--The Trustees of the Belilios Medal and Prize Fund have not thought it advisable as yet to resume the annual competitive examinations but will be in a position, by the close of the year 1897, to offer again prizes for competition though probably on altered and improved conditions.
18. PHYSICAL TRAINING.--The Military Authorities have continued to grant the services of a private whose drill instruction is much appreciated by eight of the local Schools.
19. INDUSTRIAL EDUCATION.--Apart from the R. C. Reformatory School at West Point, which gives regular instruction in several handicrafts, there is one Kindergarten School, established some years ago by the Basel Mission, which gives gratuitous teaching to young Chinese children at Saiying-poon, not merely combining play with work but giving useful instruction in the rudiments of industry by systematic training of hand and eye. It is to be hoped that the Government will see. its way to encourage the Basel Mission, if but as an experimental measure, and in a small way, to expand this movement for the benefit of native children, by a small merit grant based on inspection and average attendance.
20. MEDICAL EDUCATION --There are now fourteen students connected with the College of Medicine for Chinese, and the standard of preliminary preparation is on the whole improving. The departure of Dr. CANTLIE from the Colony early in the year was a serious loss to the Institution, but others have come forward to take part in the teaching, and the work is going steadily forward in spite of the disadvantages under which the College labours through the lack of a suitable building and a permanent staff.
21. SCHOLARSHIPS.--The draft of the revised Government Scholarship Scheme, referred to in former reports, is still under the consideration of the Government. Meanwhile, however, other Colonies, having Scholarships on the same lines on which the Hongkong Scholarship Scheme was worked, have also come to the recognition that Scholarships so conditioned, although benefitting smart individuals who any how have an advantage over others by their higher natural gifts, do not materially benefit education generally nor the Colony which makes such large pecuniary sacrifices, I am still of opinion that the re-establishment of our Government Scholarships on lines more or less like those sketched out in my draft report of 7 February, 1894, would prove a boon to the general