3. In what declensions is the ablative the same as the dative? What is the difference in meaning? Are both these cases used after prepositions? If not, which? Give three instances.

SECT. II.—1. How many forms of declension are there of adjectives? Decline velox, velocis throughout.

99 66

2. Decline "ambo," " unus,' duo,"
," "tres," in ull.

3. State the general rule for the comparison of adjectives, with instances.
In what sense is it true to say that melior is the comparative of bonus?
What are the positive forms of superior, prior, inferior?
SECT. III.-1. Decline "hic,"
," "ille," "qui,” and “

se."

2. Write out the present indicative of "adsum," "6 possum," prosum." 3. Write out side by side the terminations of the future indicative, active and passive, in each of the four conjugations.

SECT. IV.-1. In what particulars must a verb agree with its nominative case? Are there any exceptions?

2. What determines the case of a relative? Is the gender of a relative always the same with that of its antecedent?

3. Translate into Latin: To know oneself [Noscere se ipse] is the first step [gradus] to [ad] wisdom [sapientia]; which as [ut] it is the most difficult [difficilis], so [ita] it is the most useful [utilis] of all things [omnis.]

SECT. V.-1. From what part of the Latin verb is each of the following English words derived: Direction, student, futurity?

2. How does the learning of another language enable you more easily to understand the grammar of your own? Illustrate by instances from Latin and English.

3. What difference must be made in the method of learning a language when you wish to make it a study, and when you wish to make immediate use of it?

THE QUEEN'S COLLEGES.-Government is about to issue a commission, at the head of which Mr. Temple is likely to be placed, for the purpose of inquiry into the internal economy, curricula of education, and attendance of the several professors and presidents of the Queen's Colleges, and the several rules and regulations which govern each, with a view to their modification and improvement.

THE REV. DR. BOOTH ON COMPETITIVE EXAMINATION.-The inaugural lecture to the Evening Classes for Young Men was delivered last month, by the Rev. Dr. Booth, F.R.S., at Crosby-Hall, Bishopsgate-street-Colonel Sykes, F.R.S., Chairman of the East India Company, and Chairman of the Council of the Society of Arts, in the chair. In the course of his address, Dr. Booth said:" So convinced are the examiners of the Society of Arts of the greater value of accurate knowledge in a few things over a smattering in many, that they have resolved to examine no candidate in more than three subjects."

HANDWRITING AND SIGNATURES.

EOPLE are beginning to be more sensible now-a-days than they formerly were about penmanship. Lord Byron set a bad fashion about forty years ago of illegibility. Bad habits are always more or less contagious when they exist in eminent men or women. That which would have been thought discreditable to a pauper schoolboy was imitated as a model when perpetrated by a titled poet. So it is with all bad fashions. Swearing and blasphemies were at one time a mark of high breeding, in the reign of Anne and the Georges, but are now happily a type of blackguardism. Bad handwriting has not however, equally gone out of practice, however little it may now be esteemed in any sense fashionable. We have three or four correspondents, all of them eminent and distinguished men, who write such indescribable scrawls with such an utter disregard of the formation of letters, that the operation of reading what they write is a tissue of guesses. We will not waste time in expatiating on the many evils of contracting such a habit. It not only leads frequently to serious mistakes, but creates an irresistibly unpleasant impression on the reader's mind. It would be very wrong to draw any positive deductions from handwriting as to character, but still it is certain that in some respects disagreeable peculiarities in handwriting are often connected with affinities of idiosyncrasy.

Many of those who decipher character from penmanship make hits which are not altogether guesses: and we suspect that some temperaments do so materially influence physical acts that it is very possible to betray petulance, good nature, irritability, equanimity, capriciousness, perseverance, fickleness, puzzleheadedness, small mindedness, generosity, or a niggardly miserly disposition by corresponding characteristics in the general style and aspect of handwriting as well as by the formation of the letters. It behoves, therefore all those whose handwriting is not irretrievably bad to beware how they hoist signals in every letter they write of characteristics which they would fain conceal even from their intimate friends. This caution acquires weight from the possible injustice of the impression made. It may happen that bad writing results from a carelessness in what is thought a trivial matter; and which is compatible with perfect magnanimity, and in fact sometimes arises from it. Such men generally lament openly and candidly how little pains they originally took in acquiring a better style. The handwriting which most of all indicates a disagreeable disposition is that little mean and cramped one in which the letters, although legible enough are angular harsh and utterly devoid of symmetry and freedom of outline. We never happened to know this hand associated with breadth of mind or warmth of heart; although there may of course be exceptions to this as well as to every other general rule: at the same time we believe that everything so well said by the Rev. C. Malan in his "Aphorisms on Drawing" as to the effect of character upon the success of the painter and draughtsman, equally applies to handwriting. There is another fault to be especially guarded against, which is greatly increased by steel pens. It is that of the fine scratchy Italian hand, in which ladies offend much more than gentlemen. Our Premier has thus castigated it in a letter which will bear republishing. Here it is:

-:

66 Sir,

"Whitehall, May 24, 1854.

"I am directed by Viscount Palmerston to request that you will submit to the Committee of Council on Education for their consideration, that one great fault in the system of instruction in the schools of the country lies in the want of proper teaching in the art of writing. The great bulk of the lower and middle orders write hands too small and indistinct, and do not form their letters, or they sometimes form them by alternate broad and fine strokes, which make the words difficult to read. The handwriting which was generally practised in the early part and middle of the last century was far better than that now in common use, and Lord Palmerston would suggest that it would be very desirable that the attention of schoolmasters would be directed to this subject, and that their pupils should be taught rather to imitate broad printing than fine copperplate engraving.

"To the Secretary to the

"I am, &c.,

"H. WADDINGTON.

copyheads to be executed We think it a very good

"Committee of Council on Education." Messrs. Bell and Daldy have caused some which will carry out Lord Palmerston's views. plan, and hope it may suggest and produce as a necessary consequence broad nibbed steel pens instead of those spiky points which now prevail. Let us also recommend a small hone to those who are pestered with these spiky points. Writing on a wet hone with them will soon adapt them to the writer's hand and use. We like breadth and strength of character, and we think that the Palmerstonian handwriting is in keeping with it, and therefore recommend it.

Signatures are among the most important branches of this subject, for if a man's handwriting is bad, ten to one but that his signature is altogether illegible. Some people even who can write a tolerably plain hand acquire a conventional mode of signing their names which almost defies the discovery of who they can possibly be, unless one is personally acquainted with their queer chirographs. Here is one of them.

Yet it is the name of an eloquent preacher, and a man of high literary attainments. Do these good people know that they run imminent danger of having their scrawls forged? Bankers will tell us that the plainer a signature is the more difficult it is to deceive them by imitations. How different from the massive simplicity of the signature of

David Masson

Whose broad strokes and well formed letters are perfectly Palmerstonian. Lord Brougham's falls within the same category,

Aron Ram

But his signature is not quite so plain as that of Earl

Stankohe

Here is a pattern of power, plainness and precision, quite characteristic of the man;

Jenn Spher

These are equally good

Alaric AWatts
Milian Houst

There is also the additional virtue in these signatures in which that of

Charles Swarn

participates, namely, that not only is the writing plain but the whole Christian name is given. We do not like initial letters only. They are at best but idle substitutes; and in times sent with the Christian names in full, it correspondents know what we are called.

when Post Office orders must be is doubly expedient to let our Nobody would doubt who

are; but less noted personages, such as

Jonstex

J. M. Hervey.

and many more whose works have familiarised and endeared their surnames to us, may just as well keep us in mind of their Christian names likewise; as after all, without them they are but imperfectly designated, and nowise distinguished from others who may prefix similar initials to common patronymics. We can still less understand why some who rejoice in double surnames should sign by one only, occasionally abbreviating the Christian name as well. Here is an instance. No one ever calls that distinguished lyrical poet and still more distinguished philanthropist Monckton Milnes,Mr. Milnes. Why therefore does he sign himself

Andt. M. Milner.

as if he had merely some second Christian name like Matthew, which would be the impression clearly conveyed by such a signature to strangers to his name, and might even mislead those who knew it. Others, like the celebrated novelist

E Bulwer Letter

seem to think it quite trouble enough to write one of their names plainly, leaving the other to be deciphered by context.

These and similar abbreviations prevail far more among us than among foreigners. With great deference to the very gifted and eminent men who adopt them, we must protest against these habits. There is really no saving of time or other adequate gain to counterbalance the evil and unsightliness of such practices, and we trust that their abandonment will be among the other concomitants of advanced education. As a means to this end we recommend that all scholars in all schools, high and low, be invariably required to sign their names in full at the foot of every copy they write.

S.

THE GREAT AIM OF THE SCHOOLMASTER.-The great aim of the schoolmaster ought to be, to make the children observant and reflective; to make them think and reason about the objects around them—the animal world, the vegetable world; to instruct them in the school of surrounding nature, and to bring their minds to bear upon the every-day work of life. When the master or teacher can do this, the life of the schoolboy becomes a life of discovery and of pleasure.-From Dean Dawes' Effective Primary Instruction.