six months in the year. This, of course, hinders any marked progress. In the Parishes of Kingsclear, Manners-Sutton, and Queensbury, all the districts, with one exception in each case, have maintained schools during last term. In District No. 2, Queensbury, the first school in nine years was in operation during the past year. In Southampton a number of schools were closed temporarily, but the interest manifested in this Parish in erecting new buildings, and in repairing old ones, convinces me, that the general interest manifested in schools, it is not behind the others.

In Carleton County, the schools in the districts which I visited, viz., those in the Parishes of Wakefield, Wilmot, Simonds, Peel, and parts of Richmond and Brighton, were, with rare exceptions, maintained during the year just closed.

SUPERIOR SCHOOLS.

It was my privilege to visit the Superior Schools at Keswick Ridge, York County, at Hartland, Centreville, and Florenceville, in Carleton County, all of which were doing good work. Those at Hartland and Keswick Ridge are ungraded, with classroom assistants. In Centreville and Florenceville graded schools are maintained.

The Superior Schools have been discontinued at Lake George and Nashwaaksis, in York County, and at Centreville, in Carleton County.

A Superior School is about being established at Canterbury, No. 4, York County. The school at Centreville was doing excellent work in both departments. Mr. Carvell, who taught the Superior School, resigned, to engage in the study of the law. In this flourishing village, with a fine school-building well equipped with appliances, and an enrolment of about one hundred, a Superior School would seem a necessity. The Trustees have thought otherwise.

Mr. A. K. Neales, A. B., has been appointed to the Superior School at Jacksonville, vacated some time since by the resignation of Mr. Alexander.

I cannot let this opportunity pass without expressing great pleasure at the improvements made, both in school-grounds and also in the interior of the school-buildings, on account of the establishing of Arbor Day. My predecessor worked faithfully, and with great success, in getting teachers to observe this day; and probably, in no inspectorate in the Province, can so good a showing be made in this respect. The name of Inspector Oakes is inseparably connected with Arbor Day. County Institutes were held in both Carleton and York during the year. In Carleton County the Institute was held in October. I was not able to be present, but was informed that it was not so well attended as usual, owing to the severe storm which took place at that time.

In York County, the Institute was held in December. It was well attended, and great interest was manifested throughout all the sessions.

A public meeting was held, at which addresses were delivered by Mayor Hazen, the Chief Superintendent, Mr. Parkin, Dr. Bailey, and the Principal of the Normal School.

I cannot close this report without thanking you, Mr. Superintendent, and also Mr. Oakes, for much valuable information, upon my undertaking a rather difficult round of duties.

I have the honor to be,

Your obedient servant,

H. V. B. BRIDGES.

SIR: The Board of School Trustees of the City of Fredericton have the honor herewith to submit their report for the year ended 31st December, 1888.

The term of office of A. A. Sterling, Esq., expired on 31st December, and at a subsequent meeting of the City Council he was reappointed.

Regular monthly meetings of the Board and several special meetings were held during the year, when matters appertaining to the welfare of the educational interests of the city received careful deliberation. We have now arrived at a point in our history when, with the exercise of reasonable economy, we find it very difficult to meet the requirements of the service with the amount allowed by Sec. 104 of the Schools Act. The recent erection of a commodious brick school-house, somewhat extensive repairs to other buildings, the necessary improvements and additional appliances required for the proper maintenance of our schools have all conspired to largely increase the annual expenditure of the Board. As you are aware, the system of collecting city rates applies to the collection of the school taxes, and while we ask for the sum required, we only receive the proportion collected.

Upon the re-opening of the schools after summer vacation, the Primary department of Charlotte Street School, taught by Miss McAdam, was so overcrowded that we found it necessary to provide an assistant teacher, Miss Alice Perley, and under this arrangement the school was conducted until the 1st of December, when it was deemed advisable to open a permanent duplicate department of the 1st and 2nd grades. Miss M. C. Hunter was transferred from Doak Settlement School and placed in charge of the new

department. For the remainder of the term the school at Doak was conducted by Miss Maggie McGahey.

Without particularizing, we are pleased to report all our schools in an efficient condition. It is highly satisfactory to us to know that our teaching staff is composed of men and women of considerable professional experience, and that the result of their labors is in the main commensurate with the difficult work they have to perform, With our excellent system of grading, and most of the teachers with only two classes, very little friction occurs; in fact as a Board we are scarcely ever called upon to interpose in the internal working of the schools. The chief drawback in the progress of the work in all the schools is caused by the irregularity of attendance. A glance at the reports from various portions of the Province convinces us that Fredericton is not alone in contending with this difficulty. At several stated periods during the year the prevalence of sickness in the community was the principal cause of irregularity, but by far too many children are allowed to absent themselves for frivolous reasons and through the indifference of parents. This must naturally render the teacher's work more difficult, and the pupil who is always in his place suffers thereby on account of the often recurring necessity for review. A system of truancy prevailed in some of the departments in the early part of the year to an annoying degree, but through the tact and persistence of the teachers this difficulty has been overcome.

While a few of our schools suffered from overcrowding for a time, a re-adjustment of classes brought about a more equitable division of work, and we have accommodation for many more children than are in attendance. It is to be regretted that even in this city there are numbers of children growing up in idleness and ignorance, while the doors of our schools stand wide open inviting them to take advantage of the mental and moral training provided by the State. In order to overcome the carelessness or neglect of parents and guardians it would seem highly desirable that a compulsory attendance clause be inserted in the Common Schools Act so that no children may be allowed to grow up to manhood without the possession of sufficient knowledge to enable them to become good citizens.

Several unavoidable changes occurred in the teaching staff during the year. In June last Mr. Parkin, Head Master of the Collegiate and High School, obtained leave of absence to undertake some biographical work in England. His position was temporarily filled by the appointment of Mr. H. V. B. Bridges, second master. Mr. F. B. Meagher, assistant, assumed the position vacated by Mr. Bridges, and Mr. N. W. Brown was appointed assistant teacher. The work was carried along very well with this reconstruction of the staff until October last, when Mr. Bridges was called to undertake the important duties of Inspector in room of Mr. Oakes, resigned. This caused another vacancy which was filled by the appointment of Mr. Burton C. Foster, a former member of our teaching staff. Mr. Parkin returned a month later and at once assumed his former position, when Mr. Brown withdrew from the staff. With all these changes it could hardly be expected that this always efficient school would retain its normal condition, but through the energy of the teachers we are pleased to report that good work has been done.

Miss Cliff, who obtained leave of absence from Morrison's Mills School for six months at the beginning of tle year for the purpose of attending the Mt. Allison Institutions, had her absence extended for the school year. This school was satisfactorily conducted by Miss Annabell Hooper during the year, and she is continued in

charge of it.

Miss Cliff returned to duty on the 1st instant and is now in charge of the school at Doak Settlement.

We beg to make a few extracts from the last report of Inspector Oakes to the Board. He says ::

"I may state in a general way that in discipline, methods of teaching, apparatus, spirit and tone the schools were, taken as a whole, being satisfactorily conducted. The teachers seemed faithful and earnest in their efforts to render their work efficient, and the pupils seemed generally very willing to follow the directions of their teachers."

Referring in detail to the different schools he says:

"The work in the York Street schools was in about the same condition as I found it two years ago, on the whole fairly satisfactory, all things considered. The unsatisfactory condition of the school building renders the best school work impossible. * * The teachers were evidently all much interested in the welfare of their pupils and ambitious to excel.

"In the Charlotte Street school-building the work generally was quite satisfactory. In some cases the manual work, such as industrial drawing and writing, was not quite up to the standard. In other cases the temperance teaching and geography were marked features of successful instruction. The large rooms of this building produce a more animated class of pupils, working under more normal conditions than in York

street.

"In Regent Street Schools I found matters about as on former occasions, excepting that in the Advanced male department there were only three pupils enrolled in Standard VIII, as compared with twelve in that standard last year.

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I would respectfully recommend that in the first four grades the boys and girls be not separated in classification, and that each of these two teachers take only two grades each, instead of three, as at present, and thus save the teachers' energy for securing better results.

"The Model School departments I found fully maintaining the excellent character of their work. Mr. J. F. Rogers, the Principal, deserves special commendation, both on account of the improved appearance of his school-room, and the superior results of his work as tested by the inspection of it. The carefully selected and tastefully arranged pictures, flowers, plants, and reference books, are telling their effects upon his. pupils both in their intellectual and moral culture.

"The Collegiate School is, I think, doing its usual excellent work in its usual way. The spirit and tone of these very important departments are excellent, there being very little, if any, antagonism between pupils and teachers, so common in schools of this grade. During the two days I spent in these schools I felt well satisfied with the culture being imparted and the methods employed. I was especially pleased to observe the new set of the Encyclopedia Britannica procured during the past year. These properly used must continue to become of great value to teachers and pupils."

Arbor Day was celebrated in connection with our schools on Friday, 18th May, and teachers and children entered heartily into the exercises. At the several schools the arrangement of a programme was much more elaborate than on former occasions. Trees were planted and dedicated to well known educationalists, including the Chairman and Secretary of this Board. Flower beds were set out, the playgrounds cleared up and rustic seats provided, and at some of the schools repairs were made to the fences enclosing the grounds. In all the schools more or less "house cleaning" was

done by the girls, and the class-rooms made increasingly attractive by adorning the walls with pictures and mottoes and by a generous addition of potted flowers.

The work begun on Arbor Day was followed up by necessary repairs upon several of the buildings in the city proper, and at Doak Settlement and Wisely. At the latter school the attendance is limited, and embraces some children living outside the district. Miss I. R. Everett is still in charge, and is succeeding well in her work.

In order to give an idea of the general results of the annual grading of the pupils, as well as the Examiner's estimate of the qualificationss of the members of our teaching staff, after his extended experience with them, we make some extracts from his last annual report:

"The grading examinations were very fully carried out during the greater part of the month of June, and in the course of my work I was enabled to estimate quite accurately the general tone of the teaching and discipline.

"I feel confident that the staff of teachers as a whole are discharging their important duties in such a way as to deserve the public confidence. Many of them show, through the general work of their schools, that they are fully alive to the importance of meeting constantly increasing demands which the community is making on the schools. They are generally zealous and industrious, and the skill which they display in teaching as well as the tact and good sense which they manifest in managing their schools is the best guarantee that even better results may be confidently looked for in the future.

"The following table shows the general results of the grading examinations :