feeling very materially reduced the strain to which the Model School was necessarily subjected in the practice of so large a number of students.

The Governor-General's Medal for "Highest School Standing" was awarded to Mary Perkins of Grade VII, and was presented to the successful competitor on the occasion of the public examinations by the Hon. A. F. Randolph, Chairman of the Board of School Trustees.

In conclusion, I desire to express my satisfaction at the general results of the past year's work. The Instructors associated with me in the Normal Department have been indefatigable in the performance of their duties, and our students have gone out from us animated, as I believe, with a sincere determination to do their duty as teachers. I have the honor to be,

Your obedient servant,

Fredericton, January 1887.

ELDON MULLIN, Principal.

APPENDIX B.

INSPECTORS' REPORTS.

INSPECTORAL DISTRICT No. 1.-George W. Mesereau, A. B., Inspector, Newcastle.

THIS DISTRICT EMBRACES THE COUNTIES OF RESTIGOUCHE, GLOUCESTER AND NORTHUMBERLAND.

WILLIAM CROCKET, ESQ., M. A.,

Chief Superintendent of Education,

Fredericton.

SIR-I have the honor to present herewith my annual report on the condition of the schools in Inspectoral District No. 1, for the year ending December 31st, 1886.

It is a source of satisfaction to me to be able to report that the forward movement among school districts in respect to improved furniture and better appliances, noticed in my report of last year, has in no way disappointed my expectations. The old idea "what was good enough for me is good enough for my children”—a relic of the log school-house period of our educational history-is rapidly giving way to more liberal opinions and more exalted views of duty to the rising generation. In many districts trustees and ratepayers have come to the conclusion that, other things being equal, the condition of greatest mental activity is that of greatest bodily comfort and that it pays to have good maps, comfortable desks and seats and bright cheerful school-rooms.

It is to be hoped that this movement will not stop at the interior of the school, but will extend to the school grounds. And here I take the liberty of suggesting that the Board of Education take into consideration the propriety of proclaiming an "Arbor Day" for all the schools of the Province. If children and parents can be induced to plant trees in the school grounds, they will soon create in the district, a public opinion in favor of protecting the same by having the grounds properly enclosed.

SUPERIOR SCHOOLS.

The Superior Schools in this Inspectorate are still doing satisfactory work and some of them, such as Newcastle and Campbellton, work of a very superior character. The Petit Rocher Superior School has been discontinued since summer vacation. No Acadian could be procured by the Trustees to succeed Mr. Jerome Boudreau, promoted to the Inspectorship of Inspectoral District No. 2.

In June, Miss Mary McDonald resigned her position as Principal of the Tracadie Superior School after conducting it successfully for nearly two years. She was succeeded by Miss Helena Duffy, who also resigned at the end of the term, much against the wish of the Trustees and Ratepayers. The Trustees have since engaged Mr. Jas.

McIntosh, who for several years taught with marked success the advanced department of the Richibucto Grammar School. I consider the trustees fortunate in having secured the services of a teacher of such experience and undoubted ability.

F. M. McLeod, Esq., B. A., for several years principal of the Superior School, Campbellton, resigned his position at the end of the year to pursue his studies in the Halifax Law School. His withdrawal from the profession is a great loss. It was his energy, sterling worth and many admirable qualities of mind and heart that brought the Campbellton Schools to their present high state of efficiency.

IMPROVEMENTS.

It would occupy too much space to mention all the improvements that have been made in this Inspectorate during the year. To indicate a few of the most noticeable must suffice.

The Trustees of Escuminac District No. 1 Hardwicke, have supplied their school with 30 new double desks and seats, a teacher's desk and seat, maps, etc., necessitating an extra expenditure of about $100. The Trustees of Red Bank No. 9 South Esk, have made extensive improvements. They have turned their school-house end to the road, built an addition, provided a much needed class-room, improved and enclosed the grounds, built new outhouses where they are screened from observation, and supplied new furniture. Much credit is due the Directors especially the energetic secretary J. D. McKay, Esq. No. 6 Blackville has been improved by new school-house floor, full set of desks and seats, maps, etc. These improvements are, for the most part, due to the energy of the teacher, Mr. Otto Hildebrand. He remained in the district three out

of his four weeks of vacation to oversee and help on the work, an example to those teachers who begrudge every moment of service not specified in the "bond." In Black Brook, No. 3, Chatham, under the able administration of Trustee Dealy, the debt has been cleared off, new desks and new cylinder stoves provided, and school-rooms enlarged. Other districts that deserve special mention in this respect are Nos. 6, 7, and 8 Alnwick, No. 1 Derby, No. 10 North Esk, No. 6 Glenelg, and No. 21 Blissfield.

NEW SCHOOL-HOUSES.

The trustees of River Charlo, No. 2 Colborne, have completed a very fine school building, which is in every way a credit to the district.

In No. 10 Caraquet, a very populous district, there has been erected during the last year a fine two-story school-house, one flat of which is finished and a teacher and class-room assistant employed therein.

NEW SCHOOLS.

Schools were opened for the first time in Pleasant Ridge, No. 13, Rogersville; Petit Lameque, No. 7, Shippegan; Little River, No. 8, Shippegan; Tilley Road, No. 71, St. Isadore; and Becketville, No. 1, Durham.

NEW DISTRICTS.

New Districts were erected as follows:-St. Simons, No. 1, Shippegan ; and Collet Settlement, No. 1. Rogersville.

The following Districts, formerly erected, were organized during the year :—Hopewell, No. 9, Durham; Goose Lake, No. 91, Shippegan, (Miscou Island), and The Road, No. 14, Alnwick.

While most Boards of Trustees are alive to the importance of securing good principals for their schools, and good teachers for their advanced departments, there is still a want of appreciation of the fact that the best teacher should have charge of the primary grades. They evidently fail to understand that it is as impossible for pupils, poorly taught in the first part of their course, to achieve a perfect intellectual development in the higher grades, as for a bent and stunted shoot to become a perfectly uniform tree even under the most favorable conditions. It is the experience of many of our principals, and teachers of higher grades, that much time is lost in taking the pupils back over their primary work, and in teaching them to observe, to compare, to analyze, to note correlative facts, in short, to endeavor to supplement in a few weeks or months the neglect of years; but the evil effects of early mismanagement can never be wholly eradicated.

INSTITUTES.

Successful institute meetings were held during the year by the Restigouche, Northumberland and Gloucester County Institutes. Restigouche County Institute met in Dalhousie, in June, but I was, unfortunately, not able to be present. From reports, however, I am led to believe that it was very successfully conducted by Messrs. F. M. McLeod, B. A., of Campbellton, and C. H. Cowperthwaite, B. A., of Dalhousie Grammar School.

The Northumberland County Institute was more largely attended than ever before -about 80 teachers being present. The teachers appeared anxious for improvement and willing to assist by taking part in discussions, etc. Several valuable papers were read, important discussions had and interesting addresses delivered. The teachers were cheered and encouraged by the presence of the Chief Superintendent and the late Dr. Jack, ex-President of U. N. B., who took part in the proceedings.

The meeting of Gloucester County Institute, at Bathurst, was also well attended and the proceedings interesting and profitable. The Chief Superintendent was present at this institute also, and gave valuable assistance in sustaining the interest.

Public meetings were held in connection with the last two mentioned institutes, at which addresses were delivered by the Chief Superintendent and others.

A new departure, and one calculated to result in the greatest amount of good to the profession, was taken by the institutes of Northumberland and Gloucester Counties. I refer to the unanimous adoption by both these societies of a standard educational work, viz.:-" Joseph Payne's Lectures on the Science and Art of Teaching"; to be read by the teachers during the year and thoroughly discussed at the next meetings of the institutes. The members of other professions are compelled to keep pace with the best thought that relates to their work, or fall hopelessly behind. This applies with greater force to the teaching profession than to any other. May the action of these two institutes be the dawning of a movement that will mightily increase the usefulnessof every member of the profession, and make us all more fully sensible of the weighty responsibilities that rest upon us in preparing the rising generation for the various duties of citizenship.

That section of the law which requires residents of a Parish to pay school rates on all the property they own in the Parish to the school fund of the district in which they reside, bears heavily on all the outlying districts and is absolutely ruinous to some. I have in my mind now several districts that have been forced to close school because of

the operation of this section. Some of their ratepayers, through the natural gravitation of population to business centres, have moved into more populous districts in the same Parish. They continue to draw a great part of their support from the districts in which they formerly lived, but they pay nothing towards the support of the school. There are other districts that have kept their schools open only by having their districts enlarged from time to time. And still others from independent districts have degenerated so that now they can support school only by receiving special aid as "poor districts." As these cases are increasing in number, I hope that this matter will ere long be satisfactorily provided for. It seems to me to be a true principle that the property of the district should contribute to the education of the children of the district, as a natural deduction from the more comprehensive principle upon which our school law is founded, that the property of the country should educate the children of the country.

In concluding this report, I wish to say that my year's work has clearly demonstrated to me that our school system is continually growing in favor with the masses and that our schools are constantly increasing in efficiency.

I have the honor to be,

Your obedient servant,

GEO. W. MERSEREAU,

Inspector Insp. Dist. No. 1.

INSPECTORAL DISTRICT No. 2.-Jerome Boudreau, Inspector, Richibucto, N. B.

THIS DISTRICT COMPRISES THE COUNTIES OF KENT, VICTORIA AND MADAWASKA AND THE PARISHES OF ABERDEEN, KENT AND WICKLOW IN CARLETON COUNTY.

WILLIAM CROCKET, Esq., A. M.,

Chief Superintendent of Education,

Fredericton.

SIR-I have the honor to submit to you the Annual Report of Inspectoral District No. 2, for the term ending December 31st, 1886.

The territory assigned me embraces the Counties of Madawaska, Victoria and Kent; also the Parishes of Aberdeen, Kent and Wicklow in Carleton County.

This being my first term as an Inspector, I cannot furnish you with as full and ample details as I could give after a longer experience; I will therefore limit this report to actual facts as noted in the course of my visits.

Visiting this Inspectorate for the first time, I must say that I was well pleased with the cordiality and kindness extended to me by the people with whom I came in contact, as well as with the desire evinced by the trustees generally to carry out my recommendations. Yet, I regret to say, that last month, I had to report to you a certain Board of Trustees and request that their county school draft be withheld until my recommendations were carried out.

I have during the term with but few exceptions, visited all the schools and school