the Church of England Colonial Chaplain, and the Lutheran Pastor of the German community, from accepting any share of the public money voted for education. The examinations under the Grant-in-aid scheme are held by independent Government examiners in specified subjects (not including religious subjects), but the word "secular" has now been struck out of the scheme, and, for the first time, every school in the Colony, whether religious or secular, can obtain a grant. At the same time, schools other than "elementary" were also admitted under the scheme.
The Government scheme of education has not availed of by the missionary bodies for their schools, and by one or two small European schools. done much for the greater number of the community,
24. The Grant-in-aid scheme is, however, only
25. In the early years of this Colony, successive Secretaries of State impressed on Sir Henry Pottinger, Sir John Davis, and other Governors, the primary duty of encouraging schools where the Chinese boys could learn English. Some of my predecessors recognized the national importance of this, and directed English to be taught in every school supported by the Government. For a short time this was done. But on my first inspection of the Government schools, I found that the teaching of English had been given up in all of them, with one exception. In the principal Government School,—the Central School, which had been established for the special purpose of teaching English to the natives, I inspected two class rooms, containing one hundred and fifty boys, under three Chinese teachers, and I found that neither the teachers nor the pupils could speak a word of English. Soon after this, I requested the European Head Master of the school to examine all the pupils on the roll, and to report to the Government as to their capacity for speaking English. He reported that out of the 412 Chinese boys in attendance, 18 were able to speak English with considerable fluency, 58 spoke English with diffidence, and 336 could not be said to speak English at all.
26. Within the last few months, the first examination of this school by independent examiners was held, when they obtained results almost as unsatisfactory as those reported by the Head Master, Mr. Stewart, in 1878. They reported that "scarcely any of the Chinese boys produced in translation into English a single grammatical sentence."
27. The result of such an educational system is seen in many ways. During the four years of my administration, many trials have taken place in the Supreme Court, criminal trials and civil cases, both tried by juries, but though the majority of the prisoners tried are Chinese, and a considerable quantity of the property disposed of by the verdicts of juries is Chinese property,—nevertheless, I do not remember in the whole course of those four years to have seen a Chinaman on a jury. The Ordinance under which juries are summoned, provides that no man can sit on a jury who has not a knowledge of English. In the year 1877, an appointment was vacant in the Magistracy, a clerkship, worth £200 per annum. For this clerkship a knowledge of English and Chinese was necessary, that is, translation from English into Chinese, and from Chinese into English. I gave that appointment by open competition. I secured the services of the Bishop of Victoria, of Mr. Charles May, who was at the head of the Magistracy, and of Mr. Ng Choy, as three independent examiners to conduct the examination for that appointment. Eleven boys presented themselves as candidates for the examination,—all Chinese youths, but the examiners reported that not one could pass the examination, and the reason they gave in their report was the want of power or experience in translating Chinese into English. Nearly all the candidates had been educated at the Central School, and three of them were Monitors in the school.
28. In a letter written by the Inspector of schools to the Colonial Secretary in April 1880, a passage occurs which, perhaps, accounts for the defective state of English teaching in the Colony. The Inspector writes:-"I heard it once stated by the Head Master of the Central School, in the presence of His Excellency the Governor, that there are foreign merchants in the Colony who, in the interest of local foreign trade, desire that their Chinese clerks should not be taught any more English than is required to enable them to copy an English letter readily and neatly, and who discourage, therefore, any attempt to give Chinese youths a thorough command of the English language."
29. Her Majesty's Government are, however, aware that within the last two or three years the practice of teaching English has been restored in the smaller Government schools; and, in course of time, I hope to render the Central School more useful in this respect.
Trade and Commerce.
30. For several years past, the trade of Hongkong has been steadily increasing. The Harbour Master states that the total number of all vessels entered and cleared in the year 1880 was 62,495, with a tonnage of 8,634,376.
31. A large fleet of Chinese owned steamers, and, since last year, the steamers of a Japanese Company, are now competing with the foreign ship-owners.
32. The German and American merchants, who at one time were displacing British traders, are now being displaced in turn, by the Anglo-Chinese merchants of Hongkong. The latter have become the chief means of sending British goods into China; and thus the native dealers and consu...
the Church of England Colonial Chaplain, and the Lutheran Pastor of the German community, from accepting any share of the public money voted for education. The examinations under the Grant- in-aid scheme are held by independent Government examiners in specified subjects (not including religious subjects), but the word "secular" has now been struck out of the scheme, and, for the first. time, every school in the Colony, whether religious or secular, can obtain a grant. At the same timė, schools other than "elementary" were also admitted under the scheine.
availed of by the missionary bodies for their The Government scheme of education has not the Chinese.
24. The Grant-in-aid scheme is, however, only schools, and by one or two small European schools. done much for the greater number of the community,
25. In the early years of this Colony, successive Secretaries of State impressed on Sir Henry Pottinger, Sir John Davis, and other Governors, the primary duty of encouraging schools where the Chinese boys could learn English. Some of my predecessors recognized the national importance of this, and directed English to be taught in every school supported by the Government. For a short time this was done. But on my first inspection of the Government schools, I found that the teaching of English had been given up in all of them, with one exception. In the principal Government School,--the Central School, which had been established for the special purpose of teaching English to the natives, I inspected two class rooms, containing one hundred and fifty boys, under three Chinese teachers, and I found that neither the teachers nor the pupils could speak a word of English. Soon after this, I requested the European Head Master of the school to examine all the pupils on the roll, and to report to the Government as to their capacity for speaking English. He reported that out of the 412 Chinese boys in attendance, 18 were able to speak English with considerable fluency, 58 spoke English with diffidence, and 336 could not be said to speak English at all.
26. Within the last few months, the first examination of this school by independent examiners was held, when they obtained results almost as unsatisfactory as those reported by the Head Master, Mr. Stewart, in 1878. They reported that "scarcely any of the Chinese boys produced in translation into English a single grammatical sentence.'
"}
27. The result of such an educational system is seen in many ways. During the four years of ny administration, many trials have taken place in the Supreme Court, criminal trials and civil cases, both tried by juries, but though the majority of the prisoners tried are Chinese, and a considerable quantity of the property disposed of by the verdicts of juries is Chinese property,-nevertheless, I do not remember in the whole course of those four years to have seen a Chinaman on a jury. The Ordinance under which juries are summoned, provides that no man can sit on a jury who has not a knowledge of English. In the year 1877, an appointment was vacant in the Magistracy, a clerkship, worth £200 per annura. For this clerkship a knowledge of English and Chinese was necessary, that is, translation from English into Chinese, and from Chinese into English. I gave that appointment by open competition. I secured the services of the Bishop of Victoria, of Mr. Charles May, who was at the head of the Magistracy, and of Mr. Ng Choy, as three independent examiners to conduct the examination for that appointment. Eleven boys presented themselves as candidates for the examination,—all Chinese youths, but the examiners reported that not one could pass the examination, and the reason they gave in their report was the want of power or experience in translating Chinese into English. Nearly all the candidates had been educated at the Central School, and three of them were Monitors in the school.
28. In a letter written by the Inspector of schools to the Colonial Secretary in April 1880, a passage occurs which, perhaps, accounts for the defective state of English teaching in the Colony. The fuspector writes:-"I heard it once stated by the Head Master of the Central School, in the presence "of His Excellency the Governor, that there are foreign merchants in the Colony who, in the interest "of local foreign trade, desire that their Chinese clerks should not be taught any more English than is required to enable them to copy an English letter readily and neatly, and who discourage, therefore, any attempt to give Chinese youths a thorough command of the English language."
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29. Her Majesty's Government are, however, aware that within the last two or three years the practice of teaching English has been restored in the smaller Government schools; and, in course -- of time, I hope to render the Central School more useful in this respect.
Trade and Commerce.
30. For several years past, the trade of Hongkong has been steadily increasing. The Harbour Master states that the total number of all vessels entered and cleared in the year 1880 was 62,495, with a tonnage of 8,634,376.
31. A large fleet of Chinese owned steamers, and, since last year, the steamers of a Japanese Company, are now competing with the foreign ship-owners.
32. The German and American merchants, who at one time were displacing British traders, are now being displaced in turn, by the Anglo-Chinese merchants of Hongkong. The latter have become the chief means of sending British goods into China; and thus the native dealers and consu-. ̈
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