Sessional_Paper_1904 — Page 787

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one, the best translation made in the Class; the other serves to show how entirely ignorant of their own language are nearly half the senior boys of the College. It is necessary to add that the two examples are translations of the same piece! In it the expression 俄而 "and after a while” or "in a moment" occurs. No fewer than 8-boys, recognizing the word f, which is also used for Russia, drew a bow at a venture and gave an account of the Russians, who, needless to say, had nothing to do with the matter. TUNG TING-SUI and TSE YANG-LING in Ia did good papers, and TSANG KAM-FUK in IB did very fairly. But in Chinese as in other subjects we bear out the contention of former examiners, that between the top and the bottom boys a great gulf seems fixed; so that it is hard to understand how they come to be classified together.

60. The papers set for Class II were evidently beyond them. Good work was done by PUN SZ-LO, NG KWOK-LEUNG, WONG PO-NAM and LUK YI-KAN.

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61.

The paper set to Class III was very easy, and was generally well done what mistakes there were being due to a want of knowledge of English rather than to failure at comprehending the Chinese. The old variants of the word "shame " were again noticeable—he was very shame, he very ashame, etc.

62. We have dealt but briefly with the Chinese of the Upper School, because the general ignorance is attributable to the system only recently abolished. No adequate knowledge of Chinese can be looked for in the Upper School until the new system has begun to bear fruit

63. Discipline is excellent.

DISCIPLINE.

GENERAL RECOMMENDATIONS.

64. While we are agreed that the work of the Lower and Preparatory Schools has immensely improved, and is, broadly speaking, very satisfactory, we believe also that a correspordingly increased valué might be given to the Upper School, if the following shortcomings were remedied and improvements made:-

Organization. As was pointed out last year, boys are admitted to the Upper School who are quite unfit for such high standing.

History and Geopaphy.--We can only repeat the recommnendation made last year-"It is highly desirable that a syllabus should be carefully thought out and "laid down so as to extend throughout the school without variation from year to "year.

Mathematics.--The Headmaster might be requested to report upon the ques- tion of changing the school curriculum in the rection suggested under paragrapli-

42 above.

The Chairman,

EDWARD A. IRVING, Inspector of Schools.

J. W. ORMISTON, Major, R.A.

S. B. C. ROSS.

THE GOVERNING BODY, QUEEN'S COLLEGE.