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attending private schools, there were scarcely five or six Portuguese boys not attending any school. At St. Saviour's only they had 72 Portuguese boys, and at the Convent comprising the boarders and orphans they had not less than 143 girls of upwards of seven years of age and with very few exceptions almost all Portuguesc.
Several of the pupils at St. Saviour's had got situa- tions in Mercantile Firms.
Besides St. Saviour's schools which were strictly com- mercial, there was a small Seminary for Chinese boys pur- suing higher studies.
The Reformatory was going on well. A grant had been made by the Government to the Reformatory as well as to the orphans at the Couvent. The whole amounting to $1256 for the year.
Father Raimondi then mentioned the large number of uneducated boys in the Colony. When he read in Mr. Stewart's Report that there were 10,000 uneducated child. ren in Hongkong, he could not help recognizing the fact, that if left in ignorance they would be 10,000 more thieves. Three schemes for remedying the evil had been suggested. 1. Compulsory education. 2. Separate schools for the better class. 3. Trade schoola, These last are recommen- ded by the very Rev. Father as Chinese are eminently a tra- ding people.
His Excellency Sir Richard MacDonnell answering the address said that "although there was no more stre- nous supporter of the Protestant Church, than himself, still be must confess that in this Colony the efforts of the R. C. brethren far out stripped and were in excess of those of all other denominations, and he thanked Father Rai- moudi and those connected with him for the results they had so successfully accomplished" (Daily Press) With re- gard to a compulsory system of education in Hongkong His Excellency was not for it. Then he coutinned saying: "Father Raimondi had made reference to the grant which had been made to the Reformatory at West Point; he thought it needed some explanation, since the grant had been made on behalf of the Government. The facts were simply these. If it was not for this Institution the Government would have thrown upon its hands a great number of des- titute children for whom a maintainance would have to be provided. Buildings would have to be crected, Superin- tendents provided, and a large expense therefore entailed upon the Colony. Now all that he had done was to make
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a very good bargain for the public. He had made a cal- eulation based upon which he had given about one fourth of what would otherwise be necessary to expend from the public funds. He could say that the children had the very best of care from those who now had charge of this very valuable Institution, and no one could do better for them especially for the female school, than the Sisters who had charge of it." (Press).
In April 1870 appeared a printed Report of the R. C. Schools for the year 1869 which is ably drawn up and is also of much interest." (Press). At St. Saviour's College the number of the pupils was 93. At the Convent, comprising day scholars, boarders and orphans, the girls reached the high namber of 260. At the Reformatory there were 52 boys.
With regard to the assiduity of the Catholic boys at school in generai there was reason to be satisfied, as out of 121 Portuguese boys over seven years old residing in the Colony, 115 received education, while it appears from the report of the Government schools that of 18,094 Chinese boys over the same age residing in Hongkong only 2,639 frequented the schools.
There were 12 European boys at St. Saviour's Schools stadying Chinese.
Concerning the Reformatory Father Raimondi says, it is with pride we assert that during the six years the Re- formatory has been opened not one of the former inmates Lus been brought before the Magistrate and even out of the nuraber who have been sent there by the Police not one after leaving the Reformatory, has been brought up a second time to the Police Court.'
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The next Report published in 1871 is longer and has more details.
The Reverend Principal after having expatiated on the particular branches of education afforded in the R. Catholic Schools existing in the Colony and having infor- ried us of the fact that several of the pupils could epeak more than three languages and one of them not ten years old could translate from English into Spanish, French and Chinese and do it tolerably well, he sums up and says: It is now ten years since the Couvent schools were opened; seven years since the Reformatory at West Point was set on foot; six years since St. Saviour's Col- lege was founded. Looking back to our labours, we have reason to be satisfied with our success. We have here a
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