Ост. 1. Navarin, Guerin, from Covelong 25th September. 7. Triton, C. Pouvereau, from Bordeaux 14th June. Passengers.-Mr. Frankford, Merchant; and Dr. Gervain, Dentist. 9. Fatima, G. Fithers, from Liverpool 24th June. Ruby, W. Wander, from China 20th July and Singapore 12th September. Passengers from China.-Mrs. Alexander, H. Alexander, Esq. and Mr. J. Davis. Argo, (Brig,) J. Billing, from Sydney 28th July and Batavia 13th Sept. Mellekel Behar, Mahamody, from Juddah 20th June. Passengers.-Messrs. Nicols Isackas and George Cherouf. Hammon Shaw, Syed, from Muscat 5th September. 10. Andromache, Chads, from Macao 17th July-with Lord Napier and family. London, (Bark,) John Pickering, from London 28th May and Ennore 26th September. - 14. - 16. Passenger from Madras.-Mr. G. F. Jackson. Fattal Curreem, Moossa, from Bombay 26th August and Allepee 15th Sept. Eamont, (Bark,) J. Seager, from Marcanum 23rd and Madras 24th Sept. Passengers from Madras.-Mrs. Brady and three children. Charles Stewart, (Schooner,) D. Ross, from Rangoon 16th September. Philanthrope, Guezenec, from Bordeaux 19th June and Madras 3rd October. Elizabeth, Latapie, from Bordeaux 24th May and Bombay 31st August. Jessore, Samuel Kennedy, from Boston 8th June. Mount Vernon, T. M. Saunders, from Boston 1st June. Dalla Merchant, (Bark,) J. Weir, from Singapore 8th September and Kyouk Phyoo 5th October. 18. Guiana, (Bark,) M. Tait, from Madras and Ennore 23rd September. Cornwallis, (Ditto,) P. Key, from China 21st August. Vesper, (Ditto,) J. T. Atwood, from the Mauritius 27th August, Madras and Ennore 7th October. -- Jessie, (Ditto,) G. Troup, from Sydney 11th July and Bombay 24th Sept. 19. James Pattison, R. Middleton, from London 15th June and Madras 7th Oct. La Lucie, (F. Brig,) G. Garazno, from Bourbon 20th October. 20. Resource, R. Coombes, from Singapore 21st and Penang 29th September. Passengers from Singapore.-Mr. and Mrs. Strickland, and 3 children, and G. Sherwood, Esq. 23. Duke of Buccleugh, A. Henning, from London; Portsmouth 29th June, and Madras and Ennore 13th October. Passengers.-Mrs. W. P. Grant, Mrs. Horne, Mrs. Hessing and 2 children, Mrs. Perkins, Mrs. Ann Perkins, Miss Mary Coull, Miss Ann West, W. P. Grant, Esq., Captain A. Horne, H. M. 44th Foot; Lieut. J. Gordon, 50th Regt. B. N. I.; Lieut. G. B. Reddie, 29th ditto. Rev. John Vaughan, and Mr. W. H. Perkins. From Madras.-A. F. Arbuthnot, Esq., Captain A. T. Johnstone, and Ensign W. H. Blake, M. N. I. Nusser, Hadjee Ambre, Nacoda, from Bussorah 6th August, Muscat and Bombay 28th September. Nusrut Shaw, Stewart, for Bombay. Passenger.-Captain Highton. Georgiana, Thomas, for London. Passengers.-Mrs. Span and three children, Mrs. Trower, Mrs. Seants, Lieutenants Span, Trower, and Cooke; Messrs. Claributt, R. Ronald, and Barrett, and two children. Ост. 5. City of Edinburgh, D. Fraser, for Madras. Passengers for Madras.-Mr. and Mrs. Breen, and Dr. Shaw. 7. Tyre, L. Ellis, for Liverpool. 9. King William, W. Steward, for Mauritius. 22. Java, (Bark,) J. Todd, for Port Louis. Meteorological Register, kept at the Surveyor General's Office, Calcutta, for the Month of September, 1834. E. 29,854 81, 80,880,3 E. ,830 80,8 SO, 80, ,750 81, 80,780,6 E. E. E. 9 E. E. s. s. E. E. ,910 85, 87,585,5 ,900 85,2 86,585,2 ,836 85,4 86, 84, s. E.,802 85,2 85, 84, s. E.,794 83,482, 81,5 s. E. ,906 81,2 80, 80, ,880 81,3 80,480, 30,279,479,4 8.,938 84,589,6 85, CM. 976 83,7 86,284, S. THE CALCUTTA CHRISTIAN OBSERVER. December, 1834. I.-The School-master in the Mufassil, No. I.; being the first of a series of papers intended to disseminate information concerning the conduct of English Schools for Natives. [Continued from page 456.] open APPENDIX TO § I.-OPENING OF THE SCHOOL. On the ing of a new school, it usually happens that many boys enroll themselves, who, from domestic and various other circumstances, are quite incapable of attending. Others, who could attend, becoming disgusted with difficulties, or the restraint which is inseparable from a school, desert as the novelty wears off. All this may happen, be it observed, without any fault of the teacher. He therefore should not be discouraged, nor should committees be dissatisfied, merely, because after a month or two his scholars decrease. If those, whom he does retain, improve, they will certainly allure others; and many even of the deserters will at last return. Besides, he will meet with less disappointment in future. Boys who are induced to read by the progress of their companions, usually prove far the most steady scholars. Three instances which confirm the above statement have fallen within the writer's own knowledge. A school in Calcutta opened with nearly 500 scholars-its numbers fell down to 90-and it now has 400 regular attendants. Another school, at a short distance from Calcutta. opened with 200, which diminished to 70; but in the course of eight or ten months, rose again to 150. A third school, in the Mufassil, opened with 88, and went down to 6; but after seven months' duration, it contained 90 scholars. In no one of these cases, did any change take place either in the masters or the sys tem. If possible, parents, or other relations, should be made to attend with boys on their admission; as the latter frequently enter a school without consulting their friends, and often, of course, after having learned the alphabet, are taken away, to the no small vexation of the master. APPENDIX TO § II.-MODE OF INSTRUCTING BEGINNERS; AND OF DISTRIBUTING BOYS INTO CLASSES. Persons in the habit of visiting schools, must often find young men possessing considerable acquaintance with the English language, and foremost in their studies generally, who, conscious of their faults in pronunciation, dare scarcely open their mouths; or if they do, appear to great disadvantage. The circumstance is mortifying to master and scholar. Both labor day after day to correct the error: but with little success; a bad habit has been formed, and it generally remains for ever. Now what is harassing, and almost impossible at this stage, is easy if attempted at the right time-in the beginning. Neglect here, indeed, is that which creates most of the difficulty. Boys therefore should never be permitted to read any book, until the pronunciation of every letter in the alphabet has been perfectly acquired. They can acquire it, and they will, if the teacher, shutting his eyes and his ears to their impatience, firmly insist upon the task or at worst, not one boy in five hundred will ultimately fail. Even when they do get books, pronunciation is, of all things, the most important; because errors in anything else may be corrected afterwards, while in this, they quickly grow into a habit, which seldom or never can. Not a single word then, should be put off until it occurs the next time. Leave nothing in the rear conquer as you go on. A little perseverance at the outset, will surmount every obstruction. The labor, great at first, rapidly decreases, and at last becomes almost nothing: while, besides complete success, you have effected an immense saving of time and toil. Pronunciation, instead of continuing for years, an irksome and a daily task-as in the bit-by-bit system-is despatched in a few months, once and for ever. It may be remarked here, with respect to spelling, that however proper other modes of dividing words into syllables, may be for English boys, the best method for natives, is that which agrees with the pronunciation. Thus, the division should be, sev-er, not se-ver; noth-ing, not no-thing; rèb-el, (noun,) not rè-bel; and so on. As, where all are equally ignorant, there can be no classing of boys according to proficiency, they should be classed, at first, according to their ages. The elder lads have a feverish aversion to sitting and reading with children; and will sometimes even desert rather than do so. It is well therefore to humour this foible at the outset. But when the principle of equality in knowledge can be assigned as a reason for setting a young man amongst his juniors, no squeamishness on his part should be permitted to cause a departure from that principle. If it is not strictly adhered to, the num ber of classes will be augmented, or else certain boys must be instructed separately; either of which measures is directly opposed to economy of the master's time and labor; who can teach fifty at once, even better than one singly. Besides, the practice recommended, becomes the custom, at length; and is then submitted to as a matter of course. Considerable difficulty attended its introduction at A ; still, it was established, and that thoroughly. During a public examination of the school, the spectators were highly amused at the eagerness with which a young man, having corrected a child, seized upon the latter's place in the class; while he whose conduct had excited the mirth-though by no means a fool-appeared wholly unsuspicious of its origin. It is sometimes a little difficult to evade teaching a boy separately. He brings proficiency itself to enforce his request, and avers that he is kept back by his class. When, as may happen, there is no other class which he can enter, while he continues dissatisfied, and importunate to be instructed separately, show him his folly by granting his request. Premising that you, as a master, are bound to divide your time fairly amongst all, and that he, especially, as one desirous of infringing a rule, can expect nothing more favorable than strict justice, divide the time of teaching by the number of boys, and give him his share, which, perhaps, in a large school, may amount to three minutes a day. The voice of the school will compel him to acknowledge the justice of this measure, and to be quiet. It may be, he will proceed slower than he might do, could he be put into a fitter class, or were he taught singly but the greatest improvement of the greatest number is the master's object, not the forced progress of individuals. On the above principle, the number of classes in a school should be kept as small as possible: and, of course, the classes themselves, should be as large as possible. The time and labour expended on ten boys, will teach forty equally well, and even better, because emulation is stronger, and less personal, amongst the greater number. A good teacher can keep alive the attention of every boy in a class of from forty to fifty; and he works with far more spirit than he would do in a class of ten or twenty. Still, the boys in a class should be nearly equal in attainments, or the inferiors will lose heart, grow disgusted, and drop off. A boy who is decidedly behind his class, should be immediately transferred to the next below. Considerable address is often necessary in doing this. The boy may not be in fault; and yet, unless care is taken to represent his own welfare as the sole motive and end of the measure, he will look upon his removal as a disgrace, and perhaps leave the school. Caution should be employed also in promoting boys to higher classes. They are always better too low than too high; and it is far less easy to get them down, than to put them up. |