Of the 51 male students who left with appointments, as above stated, only 7 had attended two full sessions; while of the 50 at present on the roll, 10 were students before 1st October last, and 18 entered at that time,—so that there will be 28 young men ready for appointments in August, on completing terms of attendance from a year and upwards in the Normal School. Of the remaining 22 on the roll, 7 entered between 1st October and 1st March, and 15 entered since that time. It should be noticed that of those on the roll there are only 95 who can be regarded as regular students-the remainder, principally ladies, swelling the total on the roll, but attending only partially. This was felt to be an evil in former years. Were the standard of qualification for ladies entering the Normal Class raised, as was done in the case of male students in October last, and were students admissible only at the commencement of a session, the results would be much more beneficial. Several young men who applied for admission to the Normal Class having been found to want the amount of scholarship necessary to enable them to go along with the other students, have been advised to return at the commencement of next session in October, and in the meantime to prepare for the competition which will then take place. 2. GLASGOW. Number of Students who entered the Seminary during the year ending May 10. 1847. Number of Students who left during the year ending May 10. 1847. Remarks. Of the Free Church Students, (male,) 9 have been appointed to schools in Scotland; 2 to schools in England; 1 is preparing for the ministry, and 1 is in bad health. Of the females, 4 are engaged in Scotland; 2 in Eng. land (infant schools); 1 in Ireland; 1 in Berbice; 1 preparing for missionary work among the Jews; 2 entered for self-improvement; and the Secretary is in correspondence regarding the remaining two. Of the Wesleyans, (male,) 2 have been appointed to Episcopal schools in England; 1 to superintend educational operations in certain of the South Sea 1 left unwell. The others have received appointments in England from the Conference Education Committee. Two of the females have gone to Islands; the West Indies; 1 has settled in Scotland; the remainder have been appointed to situations in England, many of them infant schools. Those belonging to other denominations have received suitable appointments, one of them being a Caffre female, who returned last summer to her native country. VII. TEACHERS' COMPETITION FOR HIGHER RATES OF SALARY. The manner in which the examinations for higher rates of salary were co ducted will appear from a perusal of the following documents : I. PUBLIC INTIMATION OF COMPETITION. 11 The examination will take place during the last week of April 1847, at such convenient places as may be afterwards fixed on, and which will be specified in a future advertisement. The attention of those teachers who may intend to offer themselves for examination is meanwhile directed to the following vidimus of the subjects of examination:— CLASS I. SALARY OF L.20. 1. English Literature and Grammar. 2. Geography, especially of Europe and Palestine. 3. History, British History, with the Elements of General History. 4. Arithmetic. 5. Algebra, as far as Quadratic Equations, not including Surds. 6. Geometry.-Euclid, 1st, 2d, and 3d Books. 7. Latin-Virgil, First Book of Eneid, Sallust, First Six Chapters of the Catilinarian Conspiracy, and Grammatical Exercises. 8. Greek.-Greek Grammar; and Ninth Chapter of the Gospel of John. 9. Scriptural Knowledge.-Bible and Shorter Catechism. CLASS II-SALARY OF L.30. All the branches of the preceding class, and Latin.-Virgil-Sixth Book of Æneid. Horace Second Book of Odes, and the Ars Poetica-Mair's Introduction. Greek.-Gospel of Matthew, and First Book of Xenophon's Anabasis. Algebra.-Surds and Quadratics, with two unknown Quantities. Geometry.-Euclid-First Six Books. Practical Mathematics.-1. Plane Trigonometry-2. Mensuration of Plane Figures-3. Land Surveying. CLASS II.-SALARY OF L.45. All the Branches of the preceding Classes, and Latin.-Virgil-Fourth Book of Georgics. Horace-Fourth Book of Odes, and the First and Tenth Satires. Juvenal-Tenth Satire. Cicero-De Senectute. Greek.-Greek Grammar-Dunbar's Greek Exercises-The Book of Acts, and the Epistle to the Galatians. Homer-First three Books of Iliad. Algebra-Binomial Theorem-Cubic Equations. Logarithms-Their Construction and Application to Compound Interest and Annuities. Geometry-Plane and Solid Geometry. The following Works are recommended for Perusal and Study :- N.B.-Teachers who intend offering themselves for examination are requested to intimate, at their earliest convenience, their intention to Mr GIBSON, 38 York Place, Edinburgh, and to state for which of the Classes or Rates of Salary they are to compete. N B.-This Examination took place in May 1847. DEAR SIR, 11.-CIRCULAR TO TEACHERS. FREE CHURCH OF SCOTLAND, EDUCATION OFFICE, The Acting Committee of the EDUCATION SCHEME of the FREE CHURCH OF SCOT. LAND have fixed, that the Competition for the higher rates of Salaries formerly advertised, shall take place on Thursday and Friday, being the 6th and 7th May next, at the places mentioned below. I append to each of these places the name of a gentleman who has been requested to take part in conducting the Examination, and who will be ready to inform such Competitors as wait upon him where and at what time the Examination begius. The Committee are very desirous, that all Teachers having salaries of L.10 only, shall present themselves on this occasion. And I am directed to say, that the examination for the lowest rate (L.20) will be such, as to enable any Teacher, having a fair knowledge of the branches indicated in the vidimus, to obtain the lowest rate of salary. it It is left optional to the Candidates to determine at which of the above mentioned places may more conveniently suit them severally to attend. Every intending Competitor will be so good as intimate to me, by return of post, the place at which he is to present himself, in order that his name may immediately be forwarded to the local parties who are to conduct the examinations. I am, dear Sir, yours faithfully, REV. DEAR SIR, JOHN GIBSON. III. FIRST CIRCULAR TO MINISTERS. EDINBURGH, 38 YORK PLACE, 26th April 1847. The examination of Teachers who are to compete for the higher rates of Salaries, referred to in the enclosed copy advertisement, is appointed to take place on Thursday and Friday, being the 6th and 7th of May next. The Acting Committee of the Education Scheme have fixed on as one of the places at which such Teachers shall undergo examination ; and they have directed me to request you to take part in conducting the examination; and to solicit the aid of such of your brethren as may find it convenient to act along with you. The Examination Papers to be put into the hands of the Competitors will be forwarded to you in due time, and they will be accompanied with suggestions as to the mode of conducting the examination. I am, Rev. dear Sir, yours faithfully, JOHN GIBSON. IV. SECOND CIRCULAR TO MINISTERS WITH EXAMINATION PAPERS. REV. DEAR SIR, EDUCATION OFFICE, 38 YORK PLACE, You will receive along with this sets of the Printed Examination Papers to be used by the Teachers competing for higher rates of salary. Instead of request ing you and your brethren to undertake the onerous, and, in some respects, disagreeable duty, of examining the competitors, either orally or otherwise, on the various branches of study contained in the vidimus, it has been thought desirable that the examination on all the branches of secular knowledge should be by written answers to printed questions, prepared by eminent professional men. The advantages of this arrangement are obvious. It enables us to apply precisely the same standard to all competing Teachers, in whatever district of the country they may be resident. These printed Examination Papers having been drawn up by men intimately conversant with the respective subjects, and well acquainted with the opportunities and facilities that Teachers have for prosecuting private study, there is a guarantee provided, both that the questions put are fair and pertinent, and that tolerably satisfactory answers, at least, to most of them, may be expected from those who present themselves as competitors. I beg to solicit your attention to the following suggestions as to the manner of conducting the examination : 1. The candidates having been arranged in their respective classes, should be furnished with the requisite writing materials, and the examination papers should be put into their hands in the following order, and the following portions of time should be allowed them to return written answers to the questions contained in each paper : 2. Only one paper, at a time, should be put into the hands of the competitors. 3. A new sheet of paper should be furnished for each separate subject. 4. Competitors should have no books with them; they should use no notes, and should not consult one another. The answers given by each gentleman should be, bona fide, his own. 5. A slate, or an additional sheet of paper for jottings, should be furnished to each candidate, when engaged with the papers on Arithmetic, Algebra, and Geometry; but the whole calculations, &c., in their correct and revised form, should be written out at length, and presented to the Examinators. 6. All intelligible abbreviations may be made use of in writing out the answers to the questions on the various subjects. 7. One Examinator, at least, should be present during the whole examination. When the examination is over, and the written answers of each of the Competitors have been received, you will have the goodress to forward them to me at your earliest convenience, along with any remarks that may appear to you fitted to assist or guide the gentlemen who drew up the papers in determining the precise value to be attached to each. I have also been desired by the Committee to solicit from you, and those of your brethren who may co-operate with you, a statement of your opinion in regard to the amount of religious knowledge possessed by each Competitor. The Examination on this subject will, of course, be conducted by you in whatever manner you may deem most expedient and best. I am, Rev. dear Sir, faithfully yours, JOHN GIBSON. The suggestions contained in the last of these circulars were strictly adhered to by all the Examinators. Only five gentlemen competed for the highest rate of salary. The shortness of the period elapsing between the appearance of the advertisement in the newspapers and the Examination prevented our teachers from making anything like an elaborate preparation, or even revision of the work prescribed in the vidimus. To this circumstance mainly is to be ascribed the smallness of the number of competitors for the highest rate. When the extent and variety of the subjects prescribed for examination are considered, we cannot think it at all surprising that very many men, in reality far more than equal to grapple with all the subjects indicated in the vidimus, should have hesitated to subject themselves to an ordeal, in the circumstances, severe and trying. The five gentlemen who did appear acquitted themselves admirably. The subjects of examination were seven :-1. English literature and Grammar; 2. Geography; 3. History; 4. Arithmetic; 5. Algebra; 6. Geometry; 7. Latin and Greek. Each paper was valued at 200; i. e., perfect answers to all the questions on each subject, valued 200. Perfect answers to all the questions on all the subjects, value 1400. The real values attached to the complete sets of answers, as given by each of these gentlemen, were as follows: All these five gentlemen have been declared entitled to a salary of £45 per annum. Twenty-four gentlemen competed for the second rate of salary (£30.) The papers being valued as above, the Examinators found that only twelve of these gentlemen should be held entitled to the rate of salary for which they had competed. And in consideration of the general merits of the papers of the other twelve, the Committee resolved to hold them entitled to the lowest rate of salary, £20 per annum. The real values attached to the complete sets of answers, as given by the twelve successful competitors, we annex. Perfect answers to every question would have valued 1400. Eighty-two gentlemen competed for the lowest rate of salary, £20; and such was the general excellence of their papers, that they have been all declared entitled to the rate of salary for which they competed. We give a Perfect answers to all the questions being valued as before, at 1400, the real value of the answers given by these gentlemen were as follows. tolerably large specimen : 1st Set of Answers. Value 1143 26th Set of Answers. Value 788 The result of this first Examination for higher rates of salary is :— Five gentlemen declared entitled to the highest rate, or £45 per annum. second rate, or 30 third and lowest, or 20 We cannot but congratulate all concerned on this auspicious commencement to the working of this part of the machinery of our Educational system. The result just announced is most gratifying to the Education Committee-most creditable to the gentlemen who so readily, and at so short a notice, subjected D |