Tenasserim Schools.

MOULMEIN-THIRTEENTH YEAR.

Under the Superintendence of the Commissioner of Tenasserim Provinces.

Of the school at Moulmein, Mr. Colvin speaks as follows: "I am glad to notice that Captain Phayre thinks that there has been, on the whole, a decided improvement in the school since January last. I have instructed Captain Phayre at once to direct the removal from the school of the pupils whose irregular attendance has been the most protracted and marked.

"We have already, it is fair to say, five or six practical surveyors fit to be employed in the public service, who have been trained in the Moulmein school, and it will be observed that two more are promised to be prepared by January next."

Captain Phayre also reports to the Commissioner regarding the same school in these terms:

"I yesterday visited the school and examined the two senior classes in their English reading lessons. In the first class there are only three Burmese, two of whom were accidently absent in consequence of the arrival of some friends from Mergui; the third, Naga Phoo, is the one who was the most indifferent of the three at the examination in January; there is an improvement certainly observable in his construing English into Burmese; still he failed in several sentences of the English Reader No. I., the meaning of which he evidently did not understand, the short dialogues at the end of the book he was more successful in.

"The second class consists of nineteen boys, thirteen of whom were present. They read and construed Nos. 68 and 69 of Esop's Fables in a creditable manner.

"I also examined the third class, which is under Mr. Crawley. The head boy, Monglah, acquitted himself remarkably well, and I recommended his transfer to the second class; the rest of the boys of this class construed English into Burmese tolerably well.

"On the whole, I think there is a decided improvement in the scholars' knowledge of the English language, since the time of your visit to the school in January last.

"Mr. Hough informs me that by January next two Anglo-Burmese boys will be ready to act as practical surveyors. There are also, he has just informed me, two boys of the first class and one of the second, who have applied to leave the school for the purpose of returning to Mergui; the two first mentioned boys would in all probability have been able to survey by January next."

Some disagreement having taken place between Mr. Hough, the head master, and Mr. Crawley, the second ditto; Mr. Colvin removed the latter to Mergui, and replaced him by Mr. Lachapelle. The measure was approved of by the Deputy Governor.

Mr. Colvin's attention has been directed to the preparation of suitable works in Burmese for the use of the school, and in pursuance of this measure, five hundred copies of the second part of Mr. Hough's Anglo-Burmese Dictionary have been printed. The printing of 250 copies of a treatise on plane trigonometry prepared under Capt. Durand's approval by the Rev. Mr. Stilson, has also been sanctioned; and of these it is Mr. Colvin's intention to send 150 copies for the use of the Institutions in Arracan.

No boys have as yet sufficiently advanced in their studies to compete for scholarships.

Mr. DaCosta was appointed head master of the Ramree school, vice Mr. Fink, who had resigned, and Mr. A. Savigny, head master of the Akyab Institution, in the place of Mr. Harris.

No report has been received from the Commissioner on the prospects of either of the above Institutions during the past year.

The Inspector of Assam schools, Mr. Robinson, submitted a very elaborate report on the Institutions under his charge, from which, however, only those passages have been extracted, which seem to bear on the progress of education generally in Assam:

Zillah Gowalpa-1 English School, Supported by

rah,

...

...

1 Vernacular do.,

8 Ditto.

1 English School.

24 Vernacular Schools.

8 Ditto.

Nowgong,... 10 Ditto.

Seebsaugur, 1 English School.

10 Vernacular Schools.

,, Luckimpore, 5 Ditto.

private con

tributions.

In the margin is shown the number of schools now in existence, eight Vernacular ones having been added during the past year.

No pupils have, as might be expected, as yet come forward to compete for junior scholarships. Irregularity in attendance is the evil most complained of by Major Jenkins, the Commissioner. The same officer speaks well of Mr. Robinson's activity and zeal. Mr. Robinson writes as follows:

"Since the date of my last general report eight vernacular schools have been established under the sanction of Government in the Gowalparrah district. Teachers have been appointed to these, and they are now in active operation. I have not yet had an opportunity of visiting them, but hope to be able to take the circuit of the district shortly, when I shall submit a full report on the state of each school.

"In Assam, I believe, we have peculiar difficulties to cope with, such as are unknown in any other part of India, yet when all these circumstances are taken into consideration I think we shall find but little cause for discouragement. We have in all probability raised our expectations too high, and formed a standard for ourselves based on preconceived opinions, which on an examination with circumstances will be found to be impracticable. By the operation of our schools we are now teaching about five thousand youths to read and write, and if we effect nothing more at present, even this is an amount of good not to be despised. But when this is viewed in connection with the interests that bear upon it, when we consider that we are but laying a foundation on which a valuable

superstructure is yet to be laid, we have every reason to be satisfied that the work has hitherto gone on so prosperously. We are now beginning to get a few lads of the adjoining hill tribes into our schools, an interesting feature in our progress, and one to which we may look for great and beneficial results both as it respects themselves and their subsequent closer intercourse with the people of the plains. This appears to me so important an object that I cannot bring these remarks to a close before again adverting to a proposal previously made to have a few elementary school books published in the languages of these tribes, to serve as an inducement for them to learn to read. They have their prejudices-as may be expected, and are scrupulous about learning a foreign language lest they thereby lose their own. These scruples may be humoured, and when they once begin to taste the pleasures presented to them, the difficulties that now stand in the way will soon disappear."

South West Frontier Schools.

Local Committee of the Chota Nagpore School on the 30th April 1848.

Local Committee of the Chaibassa School on the 30th April 1848.

The eventual success of education in this quarter is very doubtful.

Captain Hannyngton writes of the boys at Chota Nagpore as follows:

"The number of boys now attending the school is 64. Of these some have been in attendance for five years.