Successful results of year in superior education referred to, and Board's views on Engineer Class.

the future, and we turn with much pleasure to a narrative of the progress made in our different institutions during the last year and a quarter, as it will be found that this period presents the most satisfactory results, both at the Grant College and the Elphinstone Institution, that have been yet witnessed in Bombay. The year is also characterised by what we trust will turn out to be a second Elphinstone Institution, viz. the formation of a new College at Poona, by the absorption of the Sanscrit College into the English school. In order to complete the picture which this report will present of the results of superior education at this Presidency, we think it advisable to subjoin, in Appendix No. 5, the views of the Board as to what has been called the failure of the Engineer Class, and which were elicited by a letter to the Board from the Commission on Public Works.

40. We now proceed to notice the present state of the different institutions under our charge.

ELPHINSTONE INSTITUTION.

Establishment of Professors on April 30th 1850. Principal (Europe)........ JOHN HARKNESS, Esq. Acting Principal, and Profes

sor of Mental and Social Sciences

Professor of Mathematics

HENRY GREEN, Esq.

and Natural Philosophy.. JOSEPH PATTON, A. M. Acting Professor of History

try and Natural History.. R. HAINES, M. B.

Assistant Professor......

DA'DA'BHA'I NAOROJI, Esq.

Master of the Upper School. W. DRAPER, A. M.

41. Throughout the period embraced in this report the Institution has remained under the general control of Pro

fessor Green, as Acting Principal; and we are happy to say that his unremitting exertions, ably seconded by those of the other Professors, have been successful, not only in maintaining, but, we trust, in increasing the high reputation which the Institution had previously acquired; and they have been no less successful in increasing the favorable opinion entertained for it by the Native community generally.

42. In January last we were favored by Mr. Green with one of the most able, and certainly the most full and minute It contained, indeed, so much much that we ourselves, and

Principal's Report. report ever laid before us. valuable matter, and so others interested in education, might desire to refer to from time to time, that we decided on having it printed entire; and we now beg to submit a copy, which will be found in the Appendix, No. 10. Though somewhat formidable in size, it probably does not contain a single paragraph more than would be required by any one who really desired to have before him a minute, accurate, and full detail of what the Institution is really doing. The general arrangement of the report, and its classification of subjects, will be found at the commencement. The list of questions on the different subjects of each Professor, both written and oral, will of themselves explain the searching nature of the annual examination in December last. It will be seen that the specimens of answering on each subject consist of one set from the scholar who had the greatest number of marks, and another set made up from the papers of the rest of the class. It will further be seen that the best man of the year is Wishwanath Narayan, a Concanee Brahmin, who received his preliminary education at the English school at Rutnagherry.

43. With the full detail given in the report itself, it seems quite unnecessary here to Satisfactory results. enter into any particulars. It will

be seen that the large subject of the mental and social sciences has been under the special charge of Professor Green; Mathematics and Natural Philosophy under Professor Patton; History and General Literature under Acting Professor Reid; and Chemistry and Natural History under Professor Giraud. On each subject the results obtained at the examination were most satisfactory, notwithstanding the fact, which must always be borne in mind, that the written questions were answered under the disadvantage of writing rapidly against time, in a difficult foreign language, and without the possibility of reference to books.

Political Economy

and Logic.

44. The extent to which Mr. Green has carried Political Economy and Logic has been very considerable and attended with excellent results, not only directly in the amount of accurate knowledge which has been diffused on these subjects, but indirectly in promoting those exercises of thought which, among other benefits, have materially assisted in producing that evident improvement in the general style of composition which will be found in the majority of the papers accompanying the report.

English Composition, History, and General Literature.

45. In noticing this improvement, however, we should be unjust to Mr. Reid if we did not attribute a considerable portion of it to the incessant pains taken by this gentlemen in pursuing the admirable system he adopted for practically teaching English composition as a branch of his duty as acting Professor of History and General Literature. On reference to Mr. Reid's special report, it will be seen that the number of essays written by the different classes was very considerable, and that the compositions were examined seriatim, and severely criticised both in style and matter. On all points connected with the course of History and General Literature, we beg to refer to Mr. Reid's report.

Mathematics and Natural Philosophy.

46. With regard to the subjects of Mathematics and Natural Philosophy, we need only refer to Professor Patton's able Report, which, with its accompanying list of questions and specimens of answering, will give a very accurate impression of the state of the different classes. It will be observed, and we think with great satisfaction, that Mr. Patton has extended his course by introducing the subject of Physical Geography; and we can bear testimony to the great interest it excited among the students. He also proposes still further to extend his course, by introducing a separate course of practical mechanics for the second year, so as to relieve the study of pure mathematics and as a preparation for the theoretical mechanics of the third.

47. With regard to the classes in Chemistry and Botany, we would refer to the special report of Professor Giraud, embodied

Chemistry and Botany.

in the general report of the Institution. It will be seen that Dr. Giraud's object in the class on Chemistry was, first, to convey a knowledge of the principles of the science; 2dly, to explain such natural phenomena as are dependent on these; and lastly, to point out some of the applications of Chemistry in the arts and manufactures. In Botany, after explaining the structure and functions of plants, he pointed out the various relations of the vegetable kingdom in the system of nature, and endeavoured to render his class familiar with the important indigenous plants of this part of India. For this purpose the students accompanied Dr. Giraud occasionally to the Horticultural Gardens, where the means for prosecuting "practical Botany" are said to be ample.

48. In thus alluding to the subjects of Chemistry and Botany, we may take the opportunity of expressing our regret at being deprived (though we trust only for a time) of the services of Dr. Giraud, whose impaired state of

health rendered a change to the Neilgherry Hills necessary in March last. His peculiar excellence as a lecturer, and his zeal and success in teaching, were well tested during his four years' service in the Institution. We trust, however, that the interest of the Institution will not materially suffer as his temporary successor, Dr. Haines, is a gentleman who obtained high honors in Chemistry at the University of London.

Assistance from Rev. A. G. Fraser and R. X. Murphy, Esq.

49. In thus concluding the notice of the results of the annual examination, we would take the opportunity of recording our obligations for the kind and valuable assistance rendered by the Revd. A. G. Fraser and by R. X. Murphy, Esquire. The paper for the senior classes in Political Economy was set by the former gentleman, and the subjects for English essays by the latter.

Increase to Educational Staff.

50. We have now to record the increase we have deemed it necessary to make to the educational staff of the Institution, for the purpose of carrying out completely the scheme of education which we had formally sanctioned. This scheme, in the College department of the Institution, comprised four divisions of subjects, which could not efficiently be taught by less than four Professors; 1st, Mathematics and Natural Philosophy.

2nd, Mental and Moral Philosophy and Political Economy.

3rd, History and English Literature.

4th, Chemistry and Botany.

The second and third subjects of the division had been previously taken by one Professor, but the arrangement was so evidently imperfect that we decided on making an additional Professorship; and as Mr. Reid, a distinguished scholar of Trinity College, Dublin, had labored zealously in the College department, and had voluntarily undertaken