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PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE, LONDON |

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* THE NEW SYSTEM REFERRED TO IN THE ABOVE REPORT,-PREPARED BY

To the Members of the

THE REVEREND DR. LEGGE.

Victonia, 11th July, 1800,

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112

BOARD OF Educaties.

GENTLENEX,―The Inspector of the Government Schools having resigned his Situation, we shall probably be requested by His Excellency, the Governor, to recommend some other gentleman to fill the vacant office, and if a competent person shall not immediately be met with, a more careful supervision of the Schools will devolve upon ourselves. The present seems a farourable opportunity for me to solicit your attention to some thoughts concerning the management of the Schools, and the general promotion of education in this Colony under the auspices of the Government, which have been revolved by me for many years; and if you concur in the propriety and advisability of my views, I would beg that they may be laid before His Ex- cellency, with the favourable recommendation of the Board.

The appointment of a European Inspector was a great improvement on the system by which the Schools were previously conductes, and we owe much to Mr. Lobscheid for the increased efficiency of the old Schools under his management, and for the establishment of many new ones. Having been resident in the Colony (with the exception of temporary absences) since 1843, I have rejoiced to witness how attention to the important business of education has grown, in some proportionable de- free,

with its general growth and prosperity.

But great results cannot be realized under the present system. There are about twenty Schools distributed over the island. The pupils are mostly children of the poor, whose attendance is irregular, and cannot be calculated upon for a series of years. The teachers are in general men of no particular qualifications for their work The teachers of English are young men whose own knowledge of our language is only rudimentary. The Inspector does not teach himself, but his business is to see that the teachers do their duty, and to assist them by his counsel. We cannot expect that he will spend more than two or three hours in each School in the course of every month.

The plan which I would recommend instead of this is the following:-

First. That there be erected a building in Victoria, in which the Schools now maintained in Tae-ping-shan, the

· and central Bazaars, Webster's Crescent, and near the Mosque, shall be concentrated in different rooms. upper

Second-That in connection with this building there be provided a residence for a European Master, who shall form and conduct English Classes; and that only in the Schools concentrated there shall English be taught.

Thind-That this Eupean Master, sided by a Board of Education, constituted like the present, or modified as cir- cumstances may render desirable, exercise a Superintendence over the other Schools in Aberdeen and the villages over the Island.

This plan would retain all the advantages of the present system of inspection, and might be expected to produce real and definite results, which cannot now be looked for.

In the first place, the Government would have an officer, himself actively engaged in the work of education.

In the second place, the English education carried on under the Master's eye would be more efficient than it is now, and he would be able to collect into his own classes the pupils whose progress and interest in their studies gave promise of their making real attainments.

In the third place, many young Chinese, well-educated in Schools in China, and connected with Chinese firms and fami- lies in the Colony, would be found to enter his English classes.

In the fourth place, an impulse would be given to the Chinese education carried on in the concentrated Schools. The teachers under the immediate and daily observation of their superintendent might be expected to be diligent, and earnest to further the progress of their pupils. And an influence would go out from their Schools, which would tell upon those in the villages.

There would be the outlay for the building which this plaa supposes, but the permanent expenditure for such a system would not be very much larger than that of the present. And fees should be charged from pupils attending the English classes, who did not enter from the Government Schools. My own opinion is that these would amount to no inconsiderable sum,

This plan makes the teaching of English a more prominent part of the education in the Government Schools than it has hitherto been. But I beg to submit to you that it ought to be so. It ought to be so in this Colony, where the administration of Justice is conducted in the English language, and according to English law. It ought to be so, that an influence may go forth from the island, which shall be widely felt in China, enlightening and benefiting many of its people.

I beg to submit the above views to your consideration. I may repeat that they have not occurred to me in connection with Mr. Lobscheid's resignation of his office as Inspector of Government Schools. I had the honour of mentioning them to Sir John Davis, when the Government first began to extend its patronage to the education of the Chinese, and I would hope that you may accord to them your sanction and recommend them to the adoption of the present Governor, in the now greater maturity of the Colony.—I am, Gentlemen, your obedient servant,

JAMES LEGGE.

EXCHANGES, MONEYS, WEIGHTS,

AND

MEASURES.

Insert under separate Heads the Course of Exchange; a List of the Gold, Silver, and Copper Coins current in the Colony, and their relative Value to each other; the Amount of Ballion and of Paper Currency in circulation; in what Money Accounts are kept; and the Weights and Measures in common use.