several deserve very favourable mention for their answers, and merit every encouragement. 26 have entitled themselves to a second class certificate, and 31 to a certificate of the third class. 29 have failed." The Examiner in Geometry says:-"The number of candidates is still smaller than it ought to be. The papers of the candidates are, I think, of a higher character. Those who have not passed must, I think, have been admitted through mistake. All those who have passed, have done themselves credit, the work generally being accurate, even when its extent is limited." The Examiner in Mensuration says:-"I find nothing in this Examination which calls for any particular remark. I may mention as an elementary defect, and one which I have always observed, that many of the candidates fail in converting the duodecimal parts of a foot into inches. As a whole the candidates have answered the simpler questions very fairly, but only a few of them have been successful with the most difficult ones." The Examiner in Trigonometry says:-"The quantity of work done this year appears to me to be less than that of last year, but the quality is good, although no candidate obtained the number of marks entitling him to a first-class certificate. Two questions only of the paper were left undone by some one or other of the Candidates." The Examiner in Conic Sections says "I am sorry that the number of candidates who have answered questions in Conic Sections is so small, and I hope the year is exceptional. I am of opinion, however, that the subject should be continued for the sake of the few who study it; their labours, although they may not be rewarded with the highest honours, deserve encouragement, for they indicate an amount of study of an abstract and exact science which is educationally of great value." of excellence has hardly come up to that of past years. He would particularly direct the attention of students to the more important practical bearings of the subjectse.g., the Mariner's Compass, Terrestrial Magnetism, the Electric Telegraph, the Properties of Steam; a very limited acquaintance with some of which is generally manifested." The Examiner in Astronomy says:-" The papers this year are very different from those of the preceding year, which were distinguished by light reading generally. They are entirely free from Astronomical literature, and all of them more or less show that considerable attention has been paid to the form of lenses, and to the fundamental law on which luminous rays depart from their primitive direction, in passing from one transparent medium into another. Considerable knowledge was also shown, in some of the papers, as to their combination in different descriptions of telescopes. The law of atmospherical refraction had received some attention, but with the exception of two candidates, its practical application was not understood. Increased attention has also been paid to the construction of instruments, and to the better understanding of their use, and to the reduction of observations. Upon the whole, these papers are the most practical and the best I have had. I would advise future candidates to pay additional attention to optics, geometry, trigonometry, and practical work generally." The Examiner in Chemistry says:-"The papers in this subject are, on the whole, decidedly better this year than on most previous occasions." The Examiner in Animal Physiology says:-" In the present examination, with a great increase in the number of candidates over last year, I am sorry to say that the papers do not show a proportionate advance in merit. No candidate passes with a first-class certificate; 9 only obtain a second-class certificate; 13 a third-class one; and 18 fail to obtain even that. It is needless to say that no paper approaches the highest of those written last year. In the better papers of this year the great defect is incompleteness of exposition, and not positive or serious inaccuracy. In the medium papers both these defects sadly prevail. In the lowest papers there is a serious looseness of statement, and often a want of aim in the replies." The Examiner in Navigation and Nautical Astronomy says "I have only to repeat my annual expression of regret at the absence of any evidence of active interest in these important branches of practical science. Persons engaged in teaching Navigation-and they are easily counted-experience considerable difficulty in finding qualified persons for assistants. The ordinary teaching of Navigation is a mere cramming of certain practical rules for the purpose of passing an examination-a most unhealthy practice, indicative of a sense of helplessness, arising from lack of application and interest in the most important of their professional duties, on the part of young seafaring men. I am glad to learn that the merchants of London are about to establish a school-ship in the Thames, for the better training of the young officers of the mercurious fact that not one examined could state the differ chant marine." The Examiner in the Principles of Mechanics says:"Of the sixteen students whose papers have been forwarded, I have the pleasure of stating that four have given me very considerable satisfaction, by the intelligence which they have displayed in answering the questions proposed. The principal defect which I have noticed and which, indeed, is common to all the papers-is a want of clearness and method in the description of what they evidently know. I am compelled to refuse a classification to eight out of the sixteen, a step which, I think, will be justified by even a casual glance at the papers of those rejected. But, nevertheless, on the whole, the results of this examination show a marked and cheering advance, the successful candidates having surpassed, I think, those of former years." The Examiner in Practical Mechanics says:-"In this subject fifteen candidates have presented themselves for examination, and it will be seen that three certificates of the first class and five of the second class have been awarded. This result is encouraging, and contrasts favourably with that exhibited in any previous year." The Examiner in Electricity, Magnetism, and Heat, "regrets that on the present occasion the average standard The Examiner in Botany says:-"Although there is an improvement in the answers of the students who have this year come up for examination, still I am obliged once more to remark that practical Botany is not so familiar to them as it ought to be. This is sufficiently shown by the ence between Triticum (wheat) and Hordeum (barley). So again in naming plants, although four extremely common species were submitted to the students, all in the best possible state, one did not pretend to name them at all, one named them all wrong, two could name only half, and only one student could name them all. In like manner in describing plants according to rules laid down, and in correct technical language, out of eighteen answers four only were passable, and they were bad, all the rest being entire failures, and yet the power of describing plants correctly is the only foundation of sound botanical knowledge." The Examiner in Agriculture "again reports of the single paper submitted to him, that a higher place would have been awarded to it but for the defective replies to several questions on details of farm practice, by which alone, of course, real competency or proficiency in agricultural knowledge must be tested." would make the following observations relative to the The Examiner in Mining and Metallurgy says:-" I Examination Papers of the present year. The questions relative to Mining have generally been answered in such a way as to give evidence of considerable theoretical knowledge as well as practical experience on the part of the students, but the Metallurgical questions have been in most instances less satisfactorily treated. On the whole, I consider the replies exceedingly creditable." The Examiner in English Literature says:-"Though the number of Candidates in this subject is smaller than The Examiner in Political and Social Economy says: that of last year, it is peculiarly satisfactory to observe "I regret to observe that the standard of the candi-that every one of them has passed, and that a good prodates is decidedly below any thing I have seen before in these examinations." The Examiner in Domestic Economy says:-"The number offering themselves for examination in this subject is only eight, and although double what it was last year, it is much smaller than might have been expected. The answers are, on the whole, very satisfactory, and much in advance of those given on the last occasion. The smallness of the number offering themselves for examina tion may be owing to this-that the subject is not one to which much attention is given by the Institutions." The Examiner in Geography says:- The impression left on my mind by the inspection of the geographical papers of this year is in all respects favourable. The number of first-class certificates which I am able to award, bears, I think, a higher ratio to the whole than on most former occasions, and the cases of failure are by no means numerous. The total number of candidates is greater than in any previous year. I feel sure that those candidates who gain the distinction of first-class certificates in Geography have earned the right to them by diligent and thoughtful study of their subject, not neglecting its essential and rudimentary details in their anxiety to attain its higher generalisations. This is what it has always seemed to me most desirable to encourage. Geography, too long studied (at least in this country) empirically, and treated as a mere aggregate of isolated facts and data, has now its admitted rank amongst the exact sciences, and, as in the case of other sciences, every geographical fact claims its due place in the great circle of knowledge. A geographical truth has its antecedents and its consequences, like a truth of any other science, but to the appreciation of this, and the attendant claim to real knowledge of geography, a perfect mastery over the elements of the subject is altogether indispensable. A knowledge of numerals is not more essential to the mathematician than is familiarity with such details as are best learnt by the aid of the map (and, indeed, are only to be mastered and fixed in the mind by reiterated exercise upon the map, aided by familiar practice in its construction) to the geographer, in the highest sense of the word. Those only by whom such details have been duly mastered can understand the truths of Physical Geography--still more, appreciate their full value and bearing. I find evidence of labour directed to such an end in the work of this year's candidates, and the success which has been attained by no inconsiderable number of them, may well serve as encouragement for the efforts of future years." portion of them are in the first class. They have generally shown a sound acquaintance with the text of the authors on which they have been examined, and have committed but few mistakes in spelling or grammar. The worst defects in the answers appear to have resulted from a want of attention in mastering the meaning of the questions." The Examiner in Logic and Mental Science says:-"A decided improvement is to be noticed this year, both in the number of the Candidates in Logic and Mental Science, and in the general quality of the answers. More logical rules. Of the text-books in Mental Science, attention has been given to the practical application of Paley's Moral Philosophy seems to have received the most intelligent attention, whilst the answers upon Bacon's Organon are the most meagre, from the want of collateral knowledge. On the whole, the examination is more satisfactory than in any former year." The Examiner in Latin and Roman History says:-" In Latin the average is decidedly better this year than last, both in parsing and translating, but no higher excellence has been reached by the best than before. The answers in Roman History do not seem to me quite so good as before; but I cannot say that this is more than an impression." The Examiner in French says:-" I am glad to be able to report still further improvement in the French papers. Whilst the standard is certainly not lower, the number of certificates granted this year, especially of the first class, is much larger in proportion than it has ever been. Compared with the results of former years, the present Examination has indeed proved very gratifying." The Examiner in German says:-"The Examination Papers for this year have been nearly all better than in former years; the translations of German into English, and of English into German, showing much progress. It is also gratifying that there was a considerable increase of candidates, proving that the falling off at the last examination was purely accidental; I have even been informed that, in one place at least, the number would have been greater, but that many were kept back by the subject of the Essay-an incident in German History. The plea is that they have not leisure enough to study the history of a foreign country together with its language, and as the primary object of these Essays is to test the powers of composition of the student, we may as well remove this stumbling-block, and give, in future, subjects with which every fairly educated candidate may be presumed to be familiar. I may, nevertheless, add that in most of the Essays I had to look over on the present occasion, a good knowledge of the question was displayed, if the mode of expressing it was not always what might have been desired." The Examiner in English History reports:-"The papers on this subject this year were of very unequal merit. The best were perhaps equal to the standard of former years, but there was an unusual proportion of worthless papers. This may perhaps be ascribed partly to the fact that Macaulay's History was a text-book. Several students seems to have mistaken their interest in the style of The Examiner in Free-hand Drawing says:-"The a great author for knowledge of history; and some evi- drawings which have been made by the candidates this dently believed that they might secure a first-class cer- year are very superior to any that have been submitted to tificate with only a portion of the work. Candidates will me during the last few years. If I remember rightly, no do well to remember that a paper which missed the four first-class certificate has for some time past been awarded, questions on the first 1500 years of English History, or the consequently the prizes offered by the Society have not three questions on Constitutional History, was disqualified been given. I am glad to be able this year to award three for the first-class, by the mere fact of these omissions. first-class certificates, so that the prizes will be taken. I Again, vague or inaccurate knowledge is worse than use- consider each of these three candidates a credit to the less. It is no sufficient answer to say that Magna Charta Institution to which he belongs, and deserving of encouis the first bulwark of English liberty without specifying ragement, though of course I prefer the drawings by that any of its principal provisions. Those who intend to offer candidate to whom I have given the greatest number of themselves next year will do well to practise themselves marks. I think it probable that the remarks which apin writing answers without books to old examination pa-peared in the Journal of the Society last summer, conpers. Accuracy and thoughtfulness are the two qualities that tell most in all examinations, and both are best perfected by exercise." demning the mode of study followed in some schoolsthat is to say, "copying from the flat, and not drawing from nature or from the round"-induced many young TABLE II.-RETURN OF THE NUMBER OF PAPERS WORKED IN THE FOUR LAST YEARS, WITH THE RESULT FOR THE YEAR 1862. Arithmetic 232 } 45 { 3ཚཤུསྡུག:: :8ལས ::53:9ག::ས 84 82 17 4 5 11 6 30 766 821 ... 1,079 1,217 275 men to follow a more useful mode of studying drawing,, for not only are the first-class drawings better than usual, but there appears more intelligence amongst the second and third-class men than there was at the examinations in former years. I may be mistaken in this surmise, but, as it is a subject which interests me very much, and might be of use in guiding teachers of drawing schools, I should think it worth while inquiring whether any different mode of study has been adopted at some of the institutions." The Examiner in Geometrical Drawing says:-"The examination in this subject has been rather better than the last, but till the causes of failure I have formerly mentioned are removed, greater success can hardly be expected. I must again express my regret that the desire to obtain higher marks induces candidates to attempt questions which they must be conscious are beyond their powers, instead of securing the more favourable return which would result from work of a less ambitious character better done. There appears a frequent neglect of the conditions of the question, either from a wrong conception of its meaning, or from a belief that strict compliance with them would not be required. Perspective projection, a subject commonly supposed to be easily learnt, is that in which the most signal failure usually occurs." The Examiner in the Theory of Music says:"There is little increase in the number, but much improvement in the quality of the music papers. One only No. of Papers in respect of which LO Certificate was awarded. The CHAIRMAN introduced the subject of— THE PROGRAMME OF EXAMINATIONS FOR 1863. The SECRETARY stated that he was not aware that any alteration was proposed in the programme of the examinations for the ensuing year. tained certificates. He felt satisfied that in another year, with further publicity, there would be a great increase in the numbers of those who would take advantage of these be a matter of great pride to those who competed for Elementary Examinations, and that the certificates would them. In one Institute it was already agreed that they should be uniformly framed and glazed. He had brought It was agreed that Tuesday, 28th of April, and three forward this resolution with the view of eliciting the following days be fixed for the Examinations. CENTRAL COMMITTEE OF EDUCATIONAL UNIONS. Mr. HARRY CHESTER said so far as this system had been brought into operation it had been very satisfactory. It was desirable that attention should be called to it on the present occasion, in order to get a large number of Institutions to take up the subject and avail themselves of the same scheme. It had been carried out largely by the Southern Counties Adult Education Society, and the Yorkshire Union, and he had no doubt other districts would be desirous to avail themselves of the same advantages. Mr. BARNETT BLAKE (Yorkshire Union) said he had prepared a resolution with a view of bringing this subject before the Conference. The Hon. and Rev. SAMUEL BEST (Southern Counties Adult Education Society) said it was very important that this system should embrace as many districts as possible, because every addition that was made enhanced the value of the certificates given. The certificates awarded by the Central Committee had now a uniform value, whether granted by the Southern Counties or any other Union. He hoped Mr. Blake would be able to confirm what he (Mr. Best) could state, viz., that the system had worked very satisfactorily in his district, indeed he might say it had been a complete success. A considerable proportion of the candidates examined had passed, and he was happy to find that of the five candidates which came up for the Final Examinations of the Society of Arts, three had obtained the Society's certificates. He thought year by year they should find an increasing number of those who passed the Examinations of the Central Committee coming up to the Society's Examinations. Mr. BLAKE said there could be no question that great advantage would arise if these elementary Examinations were made better known. He therefore begged to move the following resolution : opinion of the Conference upon the subject. Rev. J. B. KENNERLEY (Salford Working Men's College), in seconding the resolution, said he could bear his testimony to the utility of the system of Examinations by the Central Committee of Educational Unions. In the college he represented they had certificates in different forms of lettering, which were given to the successful competitors. One great benefit arising from the system was the improvement of the orthography of the candidates, which was for the most part very defective amongst the adults. The correction of bad spelling was best effected by habitual writing. The eye must be trained as well as the hand, and the eye could not be trained to the orthographic form without the use of the pen. One of the great difficulties met with was the timidity of the pupils in offering themselves for examination, but after having passed an elementary examination, they came with more readiness to the Society's examinations. They all knew the value of confidence in examinations. If a candidate was timid, all his ideas passed away from him for the time. He believed if this system of educational unions were more extensively adopted it would do great good, and would improve the character of the examina tions. In Mr. E. AKROYD (Halifax Working Men's College) had much pleasure in supporting the resolution, upon two or three important considerations. Allusion had been made to the greater value of the certificates from the fact that they had general currency. He compared the certificate of the Society of Arts or of the Central Committee to a Bank of England note, which was current all over the country, whilst the local certificates stood in the light of a provincial bank-note, circulating principally in one locality. Before they adopted this plan of certificates, the practice in the Working Men's College, of which he was principal, was to grant certificates which embraced a period of three years, which were given to children who attended evening classes, aud who had recommendations "That the Institutions in connection with the Society of of three years' standing, and these certificates were of Arts be recommended by this Conference to adopt the scheme value to the recipients. He thought the time had now of elementary Examinations prepared by the Central Com-arrived for the Society to re-consider the whole machinery mittee of Educational Unions, and to stimulate the extension of education. His own experience had shown him that of instruction in evening classes by giving every possible pub- evening classes must be worked in connection with daylicity to its advantages." schools, and the same educational staff might, he thought, be advantageously extended to evening schools. his own locality the masters of the day-schools stimulated the day scholars to attend the evening schools. The result was they got day scholars who attended till they were thirteen years of age, and these children afterwards formed the juvenile classes of the Working Men's College, till the age of seventeen. By this means they got rid of dilettante teaching, which was the great difficulty of Mechanics' Institutes. Pupils liked to be under a trained schoolmaster; they had more confidence, and attended better to his instruction. The time had gone by when amateur teaching would do for the working classes; and upon the plan he suggested Mechanics' Institutes would cease to be mere elementary schools. He believed the Working Men's College of Halifax fulfilled its purposes in an admirable manner, and that both the working men and the junior scholars who attended, were bona fide members of the operative class. He attributed that to the fact that the head schoolmaster of the day school was the head-teacher of the College, and by that means a proper degree of influence was exerted from the junior to the senior classes of scholars. One of the chief difficulties was to get the thing known, and to fix attention to it. In the Yorkshire Union they published placards announcing these Examinations, and hung them up in the reading-rooms. The town of Leeds, having its twenty or thirty Institutes, might very readily form a district of its own by union with Institutes within a reasonable distance, and it would be a great advantage to do so, but the system had not met with encouragement there. He had been to some of the out-of-the-way places and found candidates. At Redcar, a small village, he found a very creditable Institute established, and four senior and two junior candidates were sent from it; one of them, a female, stood No. 2 in the Examinations. The result was the award of certificates, which were far more valuable than if they had resulted from Examinations by people in their own place. Candidates who came from the small manufacturing village of Bingley also stood well in the Examinations. He had not seen the results of the Society's Final Examinations, published in the last Journal, but he knew that there were a great many candidates from the Elementary Examinations who had ob It has since been found necessary to alter this date to the 5th of May and three following days. Mr. JAMES PARKER (Marylebone Literary and Scientific Institution) said he was formerly Secretary to an Insti |