to do with half measures." Nor is the public interest less concerned in the question. Mere increase in the quantity of education is fast ceasing to be a desideratum. It is becoming useless to encourage the establishment of third-rate schools in most localities, because they cannot command support. Low salaries, inefficient teachers, and ill-taught schools no longer satisfy the times, and money expended for such purposes will henceforth more than ever be thrown away. I believe, therefore, that I am advocating the true interest of the institution itself, as well as that which the Committee of the British and Foreign School Society value still more highly, the cause of educational progress in a right direction, when I recommend that the six months class should be discontinued, and that every student not belonging to Classes C. and D. should have the benefit of at least the first year's course of training given to the certificate class, though he may not desire actually to possess a certificate. The excellent regulation, recently sanctioned by your Lordships, which opens the competition for Queen's scholarships to certain students of one year's standing, who have never been pupil-teachers, enables me to make such a recommendation with increased confidence, because, by means of it, many promising students, having completed the first year's course, would be in a position to obtain a second year's training without additional expense. I am aware that the six months students are retained mainly for the purpose of supplying teachers to schools in which Government aid is rejected upon principle, and that there is an apparent necessity for meeting the demand, con tinually made by the managers of such schools, for teachers who will be content with moderate salaries. Nor do I mean for a moment to suggest that the Society should contract the sphere of its operations, or cease to provide for the wants of that large class of British schools which depend for support upon voluntary contributions alone. My argument is, that the true interests of these and all other schools require that the teachers under whom they are placed should be more thoroughly trained to their duties than heretofore, and that a state of circumstances now exists in which those who are satisfied with inferiority in this respect must be content to forego the ordinary chances of success. But, whilst I do not scruple to urge the expediency of abolishing the general or six months classes in both departments of the institution, and the great importance of adding to the female department whatever machinery may be required for the efficient training of infant teachers, it becomes a duty to acknowledge, without reserve, the incontestable merits of the general management and the high claims of the establishment, as actually administered, to your Lordships' continued support. No better testimony to the excellence of its domestic arrangements, in a sanitary point of view, could be desired than that which is furnished by the experience of the past year. The premises stand in a district where Cholera in its most. fatal form was fearfully prevalent during the autumn; yet the operations of the institution were never interrupted for a single day, and no one of its inmates suffered from that malady. The efficiency of the intellectual and professional training afforded must be judged of, in the first instance, from the results of the periodical examinations. Those for the close of 1853 have already been given in detail; and, I think, it will be found on inspection that they are altogether very satisfactory, though not incapable of improvement in some particulars. But a far truer test is afforded by acquaintance with the men and women whom this training has served to fashion. large majority of the teachers in my district have been trained at the Borough Road, and I have found them, as a body, dis-. tinguished for practical skill in communicating the elements of education to the young, for soundness rather than showiness of attainment, for straightforward energy of purpose, and for single-minded devotion to their work for its own sake. -A That It is, perhaps, not on the whole to be lamented that the very highest influences, those which affect man as a moral and spiritual being, are the least capable of being submitted to any test. They are all-important, however, in the case of those to whom the training of youth is to be confided, and no normal institution would discharge its duty which did not, in its daily routine, treat them as being of paramount interest. they are so regarded by the authorities of this institution is apparent from the uniform tenor of their public statements, from the teaching practised in their schools, and from the whole scope of their internal arrangements. The utmost care is taken to lead the minds of the students by gentle means in a right direction, and to inculcate a spirit of genuine piety, unalloyed by sectarian bitterness. A tone of cheerful mental activity, tempered by religious sentiment, pervades the establishment, and conveys an unmistakeable impression that its purpose is to make its inmates not only abler scholars and more skilful teachers, but better men and truer Christians. I have the honor to be, &c. To the Right Honorable JOSEPH BOWSTEAD. The Lords of the Committee of Council on Education. Report, for the Year 1854, on the Wesleyan Training Institution, in the Horseferry Road, Westminster; by Her Majesty's Inspector of Schools, J. D. MORELL, Esq., M.A. MY LORDS, November 1854. I HAVE the honor to submit to your Lordships the following statement as to the result of my inspection of this institution, in reference to its position and its labours during the current year. In the report returned by my colleague, Mr. Arnold, for last year, a full description was given of the buildings connected with the institution, their site, their arrangements, their fittings, their ventilation, and their cost. These points I need not now repeat. It will be sufficient merely to state, that they consist of a Normal college, capable of containing 100 students-60 male and 40 female; of five practising schools, each furnished with ample accommodations, classrooms, and playgrounds; of a principal's residence, and secretary's offices. Added to this, there are also houses for two of the teachers in the practising schools, and a curator's lodge. The site is in the heart of the city of Westminster, and the area covered by it is one acre and three quarters. The institution was supposed by the original projectors to have been formed upon a more than sufficiently extended scale for future requirements. Three years, however, have now hardly elapsed, and the entire extent of the normal arrangements is in full occupation; each year has demanded an addition to the staff of teachers; and next year will see the same staff still further augmented. This amount of activity could not, of course, be carried on without incurring a very considerable outlay. The last balance sheet presents the following statement of expenses incurred and met : From this it will be seen that after all the fees paid by the students, all the children's pence in the five practising schools, and all the Governmant grants have been appropriated, there is still a balance of nearly 2,000l. to be carried over to the general account, and to be provided for by the zeal of the Wesleyan body in the cause of Normal education. During the course of the year 1853, 97 students entered the college-60 males and 37 females; and 58 left it. Of the number last mentioned, 56 received appointments to schools. Ten pupil-teachers obtained Queen's scholarship's, two of whom received early appointments to schools; and the remaining eight continued to the close of the year. By virtue of the new Minute of the Committee of Council, which takes away all restriction from the number of candidates for Queen's scholarships in the various Normal institutions, 37 pupil-teachers-28 males and 9 females-presented themselves at the last Christmas examination (1853). Of the candidates so presented, 33, viz., 25 males and 8 females, obtained scholarships; and, with one only exception, were received into the institution. Reckoning, then, the 33 Queen's scholars who were received into the institution at the opening of the session and the 37 students remaining from last year, there were 26 vacancies left. These vacancies were speedily filled up, so that the whole number of students residing in the institution during the year 1854 has been 100, viz., 60 males and 40 females. The entire accommodations have thus been occupied, according to the original design of the institution. The next point to which I refer is the plan of study which has been followed in the Normal school during the current year. The staff of teachers, including the Principal, is as follows: 1. Rev. J. Scott, Principal. 2. Mr. W. Sugden, B.A., Head Master. 3. J. L. Kinton, Second Master. 4. 5. 6. 7. C. Mansford, Mathematical Tutor. J. Edger, Assistant Tutor. J. R. Langler, Master of Method for Female Students. 8. E. J. West, Music Master. 9. Mrs. C. Osborne, Industrial Mistress. 10. Mr. W. Low, Drill Master. The following table will give an accurate notion of the subjects taught, the time devoted to each, the text-books employed, the general scope of the lectures, and the amount of matter it is thought possible to accomplish during the year. Remarks. 331,3 The Bible; Wes- 3 2 123 3 352 113 241 123 12/2 12346 2 3 2 1142 211/2 M'Culloch's Course Latham's English mar. Schmidt's Latin M'Leod's Graduated Melrose's Arithmetic; Colenso's Algebra; Snowball's A brief course of instruction in the evidences and doctrines of Christianity, and a comprehensive outline of Scripture history and geograpy is aimed at. Besides the time here shown, the Principal is enabled to give much valuable religious instruction incidentally, during the periods appropriated for the devotional reading of the Scriptures, on the Sabbath and at other suitable times. In the first instance, by the practice of simultaneous, mixed with individual reading, the attempt is made to secure distinct and impressive reading Then by a full material and verbal analysis in the more advanced classes the foundation is laid for a more finished elocution. Besides the time expressly appropriated to this subject, there is a considerable amount of instruction secured in the course of many of the other lectures. Besides the knowledge derived from the study of these text books, a wider and more thorough knowledge of the subject is aimed at by the exhibition of the real structure of the language, and also by giving prominence to its syntactical relations. Independently of the more thorough and extensive knowledge of general grammar, only to be secured by the study of a second language, it is considered to be an object of the highest importance to perfect the students, whose time and other circumstances will permit, in the ready and accurate use of their own tongue. These objects are aimed at in the teaching of this subject. Care is taken to illustrate the structure of the two languages as compared with each other. The successive stages in the formation and connexion of letters, both small and capital, are exhibited and practised, with a view to the formation of a good plain style of penman. ship. The various examination papers, &c. are always valued with reference to the style of the penmanship, besides the regular course here indicated. The ordinary errors and faults and the best methods of obviating them are pointed out from time to time. The principles of common, fractional, and decimal arithmetic have been carefully studied, and as each rule has been commenced, the principles on which it is based, and the best methods of teaching it have been exhibited. The subject of mental arithmetic has received some amount of attention, and has been one of the exercises in the practising schools. The upper class has advanced about as far as Progression in Colenso's Algebra, and the second to the end of Quadratics Very many examples have been worked in each rule. One or two students who are resident for a second year, are much further advar.ced. Trigo- Although no time is specially allotted to this study in the time-table, a considerable number of the upper class of students have advanced under the direction of the mathematical tutor, as far as the end of the formulæ involving two angles. མ |