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that the work of the teachers of the Central School was tested by independent examiners. Whereas, it was the only school in the Colony receiving Government aid in which the teachers themselves tested and reported on their own work.
6. Making all allowances for the fact that this was the first independent examination of the Central School, that it was in the nature of an examination, and that it was a surprise conducted as prescribed in the Government Grant-in-Aid Schedule for Schools in which a European Education is professed to be given with Chinese in addition, I cannot say I was entirely satisfied at finding that in the two essential objects for which this school was established many years ago by the Government, there should be such a result as that reported by the Examiners, namely, that the classes for translation were barely passable, and that scarcely any of the Chinese boys produced in translation into English a single grammatical sentence.
7. I have the honour also to enclose a copy of my observations at the recent annual prize distribution at the Central School, on its failure as an institution avowedly established for the teaching of English to the Chinese; and I take the liberty of asking Your Lordship's particular attention to the following statement of facts that I then publicly made:-