pounds, (£125,) per annum, and of Mr. John H. Sangster, the Assistant Master, from Seventyfive pounds per annum (£75,) to One Hundred pounds, (£100,) per annum, -the increase of Salary to commence on the first day of October, One Thousand, Eight hundred and Fifty, (1850) October 1st, 1850. There being no quorum present, no business was transacted.

October 3rd, 1850. Ordered, That the modified plan of the internal arrangements of the Normal School, prepared and now submitted by the Architects, (Messieurs Cumberland and Ridout,) be adopted, and, that those Gentlemen be instructed to prepare forthwith Working Drawings of the Building, and take the necessary steps to procure Tenders for its erection;which Tenders are to be sent in to the Education Office.

Ordered, That the Normal and Model School and Education Office Building be erected on the Square purchased from the Honourable Peter McGill, with its front elevation to the South facing the Bay; and that the Building be placed at such a distance from Goold Street as to admit of a parallelogram of four acres, clear from its North line.

Ordered, That, if agreeable to the Government, Warrants for the Fifteen Thousand pounds, (£15,000), granted by the Legislature to procure a Site and erect Buildings for a Normal and Model School and Education Office, be made out in the name of the Cashier of the Bank of Upper Canada, and, when received by him, placed in that Bank to the credit of the Council of Public Instruction for Upper Canada.-such moneys to be checked out, from time to time, by cheques signed by the Chief Superintendent of Education, under the order of the Council, and that the Chief Superintendent communicate this Order to the Government, and to the Bank of Upper Canada.

Ordered, That the Chief Superintendent of Education be authorized to pay the premiums awarded by the Council to the successful competing Architects for the Plans of the Education Buildings, as soon as the money is placed in the Bank of Upper Canada, and at the disposal of the Council.

The Chief Superintendent of Education, having intimated that he was about to visit Europe, on business connected with School Libraries, the Council deem it advisable to place at his disposal the sum of One Hundred and Fifty, (£150,) to Two hundred pounds, (£200,) to be expended in School Apparatus, Maps, or Models, for the Normal and Model Schools, in case the Chief Superintendent should meet with any of an appropriate and useful character.

The further consideration of the Programme for the Examination and Classification of Teachers of Common Schools by the new County Boards of Public Instruction in Upper Canada was resumed from a previous Meeting of the Council. (Page 159). The Programme as amended was adopted. (For this Programme, see a subsequent Chapter of this Volume).

Ordered, That Students of the various professions be admitted to attend the General Lectures of the Normal School, and that the fee for such attendance be One pound Five shillings per Session.

October 18th, 1850. A Letter was received from Mr. Thomas G. Ridout, Cashier of the Bank of Upper Canada, stating the terms upon which the Bank would receive the money deposits of the Council.

A Letter was also received from the Honourable James Leslie, Secretary of the Province, dated the 14th instant, stating that, upon the requisition of the Council of Public Instruction, His Excellency the Governor General would be prepared to issue Warrants for any sums required by the Council of Public Instruction for Upper Canada, pending the negotiations of the remainder of the Debentures for the Fifteen Thousand pounds, (£15,000), granted to erect a Normal School and Education Buildings in Toronto.

Letters were received from Messieurs Robertson and Hind, Masters of the Normal School, reporting their proceedings in establishing preliminary Teachers Institutes in the different Counties of Upper Canada.

The following Documents, containing the official appointments of the Recording Clerk as Deputy Superintendent of Schools for Upper Canada during the absence of the Chief Superintendent of Education were submitted to the Council and acknowledged. The Documents were as follows:

(Seal) As authorized by the Common School Act of Upper Canada for 1850, 13th and 14th Victoria, Chapter 48, Section 48, Clause 6 ;* I hereby appoint John George Hodgins, Esquire, Senior Clerk in my Office, as my Deputy, to perform my Duties during my absence on an Official Tour in the United States.

EDUCATION OFFICE,

TORONTO, August 24th, 1850.

* This Act is printed on page 46 of this Volume.

EGERTON RYERSON,

Chief Superintendent of Education for Upper Canada.

(NOTE.-Another similar Document was signed by Doctor Ryerson on the 8th of October, 1850, when he left Canada, (on that day,) for an "Official Tour in the United States and Europe)"

The Recording Clerk submitted an abstract of the Standing Rules and Orders and of the late Board of Public Education for Upper Canada, in accordance with a Minute passed by the Council on the 5th of August last.*

The Letter of the Honourable James Leslie, Provincial Secretary, of the 14th October, 1850, relating to the appropriation of Fifteen Thousand pounds, (£15,000), for the procuring of a Site and the erection of Buildings for a Normal and Model School and Education Offices, having been submitted to the Council, it was,

Ordered, That the Deputy Superintendent of Education communicate with the Government, and request a Warrant to issue, in favour of the Cashier of the Bank of Upper Canada, for Seven Thousand Five hundred pounds (£7,500), the amount of the Debentures already negotiated for the purpose contemplated, as intimated to this Council on the 25th ultimo; (page 161.)

The Memorial of Messieurs Robert and Adam Miller, of Montreal, under date of the 5th of October, 1850, was laid before the Council, announcing their intention to publish the School Books, issued by the Commissioners of National Education in Ireland, and being desirous of promoting their circulation in Western Canada, request permission to use the words "Authorized by the Board of Education for Upper Canada," it was,

Ordered. That the required permission be granted to those Gentlemen, upon the conditions which they have proposed, and that the Deputy Superintendent of Education communicate this Order to the Messieurs Miller, substituting the words: "Authorized by the Council of Public Instruction for Upper Canada," for: "Authorized by the Board of Education for Upper Canada."

November 15th. 1850. A Letter was read from the Honourable Robert Baldwin, the Attorney General, West, dated the 26th ultimo, stating that he had been in communication with the Honourable Peter McGill's Solicitor on the subject of the title to the new Normal School and Education Premises, and that he had reported to the Honourable Sir Francis Hincks, Inspector General, thereon.t

A Letter from Miss A. M. Wallace, Woodstock, dated the 11th instant, was read, also an application by the Honourable Francis Hincks, on behalf of a young Woman, requesting that she be admitted to the Normal School.

The Deputy Superintendent of Education laid before the Council a Document drawn up by the Masters of the Normal School, containing a sketch of the Course of Instruction pursued in the Normal School and also a Syllabus of the hours and subjects of Lecture.

Ordered, That Miss A. M. Wallace, of Woodstock be admitted for the remainder of the Session, provided that, upon examination, she be deemed qualified to enter the advanced classes of the Institution; also, that the young Woman, on whose behalf the Honourable Mr. Hincks, had applied, be received upon the same conditions.

November 18th, 1850. The following Communications were laid before the Board :—

(1) From the Honourable Francis Hincks, Inspector General, authorizing the Chief Superintendent, upon the delivery of the Deed of the Normal School and Education Offices Site, to pay to the Honourable Peter McGill or his Attorney, the consideration money of Four Thousand Five hundred pounds, (£4,500,) the sum named in the Deed of Surrender of this Property to the Crown by the Honourable Mr. McGill. (2) From Messieurs Cumberland and Ridout, Architects, dated the 18th instant, explaining the cause of delay in giving notice for Tenders for the erection of the Normal School and Education Office Building.

The Deed surrendering the Site of the new Normal and Model Schools, and Education Offices, to the Crown, with the Documents relating thereto, together with the Letters of the Attorney and Inspector General, approving of the same, having been submitted to Council, it

was,

Ordered, That payment of the consideration money named in the Deed, amounting to Four Thousand Five hundred pounds, currency, (£4,500,) be made by the Deputy Superintendent of Schools to Mr James McCutcheon Agent of the Honourable Peter McGill of Montreal, on the Power of Attorney given to Mr. McCutcheon by Mr. McGill, and handed in by Mr.

* These Standing Rules and Orders, being local, and somewhat temporary in their character, are not inserted in this Volume.

+ In a private Letter to Doctor Ryerson, then in England, dated the 31st of October, 1850, I said:

"I have sent a copy of the Minute of the Council referring to the title of the Normal School Site to the Honourable Mr. Baldwin, as I understood that he wished to have some official intimation of the wishes of the Council on the subject. He replied, stating that he had been in communication with Mr. Clarke Gamble, the Honourable Mr. McGill's Solicitor, and had reported to the Inspector General thereon."

McCutcheon to the Council;--and the Deputy Superintendent of Schools take the necessary steps for the County and Provincial Registry and safe custody of the Deed *

The following Letter was sent, with the "Deed of Surrender," to the Assistant Provincial Secretary :

I have the honour to transmit herewith, for record to the Provincial Register's Office, a Deed of Surrender from the Honourable Peter McGill of Montreal to Her Majesty the Queen, of the property recently purchased by the Council of Public Instruction for Upper Canada; for a Site of the Normal and Model Schools and Education Office.

The consideration money specified in the Instrument was Four Thousand five hundred pounds, (£4,500). It has been paid by me, as authorized by the Council, and the Deed has been recorded in the Office of the Registrar of the County of York.

TORONTO, 22nd November, 1850.

J. GEORGE HODGINS, Deputy Superintendent of Education.

December, 4th, 1850. The following Communications were laid before the Council :-From the Honourable James Leslie, Provincial Secretary, acknowledging the receipt of the Deed of Surrender of the Normal and Model Schools and Education; also from sundry persons, asking the permission of the Council to use Olney's Geography and Adam's Arithmetic.

The Architects, Messieurs Cumberland and Ridout, submitted the Working Drawings of the New Education Building, as improved and enlarged. A discussion having taken place as to the advantages of an extension of time, for the finishing of the work, in was,

Ordered That the following advertisement for Building Tenders be inserted in The British Colonist and The Globe, Toronto The Spectator, Hamilton, and The Pilot, Montreal, and that the whole Building be completed by the first of December, 1851.

TENDERS FOR BUILDING THE NEW NORMAL AND MODEL SCHOOLS AND EDUCATION OFFICE TORONTO.

Tenders are required for erecting the new Education Building in the City of Toronto, in accordance with certain Plans and Specifications prepared by Messieurs Cumberland and Ridout, Architects, to be seen at their Offices on and after the first day of January, next.

Sealed Tenders, endorsed, "Tenders for Normal and Model Schools, and Education Office," addressed to Mr. J. George Hodgins, Deputy Superintendent of Education, to be delivered at the Education Office, Toronto, on, or before, the 15th day of January, 1851, at 10, o'Clock A. M. after which no Tender will be received. The Council of Public Instruction for Upper Canada will not be pledged to accept the lowest Tender, unless it is in all other respects satisfactory.

TORONTO 4th of December, 1850.

J. GEORGE HODGINS, Deputy Superintendent of Education.

Ordered, That the Students of previous Sessions of the Normal School, applying for admission during the present Session, shall be received and allowed five shillings per week, until the end of the Session, provided that, upon examination, they be found qualified to take their place in the classes of the Institution formed last September,

Ordered, That from the 24th December, 1850, until the 2nd of January, 1851, be allowed as a Vacation in the Normal School, and that the Students have their usual weekly payment continued for that period.

*In my Letter to Doctor Ryerson, then in England, dated the 21st of November, 1850, I said." The arrangements with Mr. McCutcheon as to the Site has been completed. He called a few days ago, and I went up with him to the Office of the Inspector General, to see if all was right. Mr. Hincks examined the Deed, which was made out to Her Majesty, as I had suggested, He pronounced everything correct. The Attorney General had already done so, when he examined the Deed itself. I asked Mr. Hincks to address a Letter to the Department authorizing you to pay the Four Thousand Five Hundred pounds (£4,500,) for the Normal School and Education Office Site, on the delivery of the Deed at the Office.

I then called a Council Meeting, and laid all the documents before them. They were approved, and I was directed to pay the consideration money, I therefore gave Mr. McCutcheon a cheque for the Four Thousand Five hundred) pounds, (£4,500), Mr. McCutcheon had a printed form of Power of Attorney filled in by the Hononrable Peter McGill, (exactly like the one that you gave me,) which I submitted to Mr. Hincks, before paying the money, Mr. Hincks approved of it, and I signed the Cheque. On payment of the amount, Mr. Joseph C. Morrison wrote a receipt on the back of the Power of Attorney which Mr. McCutcheon signed and I witnessed.

After the Board Meeting, I took the Deed to the County of York Registry Office, and left it for Registration. After registering it there I intend to take it to the Secretary's Office for registration, under the Great Seal of the Province, and then to deposit it in the Crown Lands Office.

CHAPTER XIII.

THE CHIEF SUPERINTENDENT'S SCHOOL REPORT FOR 1850.

In the fulfilment of one of the duties, which the law imposes upon me, I have the honour to submit to Your Excellency a Report of the actual state of the Normal, Model and Common Schools throughout Upper Canada in 1850; showing the amount of moneys expended in connexion with each, and from what sources derived, with such statements and suggestions for improving the Common Schools and promoting Education generally, as appear to me useful and expedient.

The public mind was in a state of suspense as to the (Cameron) School Law during the first six months of the last year. The present School Act became law in July 1850; but it was near the close of the year before the Act, with the requisite Forms and Instructions, could be generally distributed. The last school year was, therefore, one of uncertainty and transition. Though the general provisions and principles of the present Act are the same as those which have been in operation for several years,-only rendering their details more simple, comprehensive and complete; yet the introduc ion of a new Act, under the most favourable circumstances, during the latter part of a school year, must necessarily interfere with the efficient operations of such year, and render its returns somewhat imperfect. But, with this deduction, I am happy to be able to say, that the results of the past year's School operations compare favourably with those of preceding years.

Before proceeding to notice some of those results, as exhibited in the subjoined Statistical Tables, I desire to observe, that the copious extracts from local School Reports, which will be found in the Appendix to this Report,* reflect fully the sentiments and feelings of the Country at large, and the actual workings of the School Law, ; and I am also relieved from the necessity of remarking upon the general features of the School System, by the several Documents given in the Appendix, which includes the new School Act itself,+ and a practical exposition of its principles and provisions, as well as the Regulations and Forms, which have been prepared for carrying it into effect by all parties concerned in its administration.

I. RURAL SCHOOL SECTIONS AND SCHOOLS IN UPPER CANADA, 1850.

A School Section is an area of country of from three to five square miles, intended for one School, but, in which, under certain restrictions. both a male and female School may be established. Each Section is constituted into a School municipality, the inhabitants of which elect three Trustees, and support their School in the manner they think best. From table A, (in the Appendix). it appears that there were 3,407 School Sections reported in 1850, being ncrease of 371 over the returns of the preceding year. Each of these School Sections inclles, on an average, 76 children between the ages of 5 and 16 years. Schools are reported to have been in operation in 3,059 of these School Sections, being an increase of 188 over the number of Schools reported last year; but leaving 371 Sections in which no Schools were in operation in 1850, or from which no reports have been received.

an

The average number of pupils attending each School was 49, the average time of keeping open the Schools during the year was a fraction over nine months. The average period, during which the Schools were kept open in the State of New York, during the last year was eight months, and the average number of children between 5 and 16 years of age resident in each School Section there was 65, but the average attendance of pupils of all ages at each School was reported as 71, though nearly one-third of that number was reported to have attended the Schools less than two months.

The smallness of School Sections is a common and serious evil complained of in the neighbouring States. The desire of each head of a family to get the School as near as possible to his own door, has operated extensively to create small School Sections, thereby causing a large increase of expenses, or, which is commonly the case, causing small and feeble and badly furnished Schools, low salaries, and therefore inferior Teachers. With us, there has been a tendency in the same direction, and much evil has arisen from frequent changes in the boundaries of School Sections, and from reducing them to too narrow limits. The present Act of 1850

These Reports are too voluminous to be inserted in this Volume. They extend to over forty printed pages, and are inserted in the Appendix to the Journals of the House of Assembly for 1850.

+ This Act is published separately in Chapter II of this Volume, pages 31-49.

opposes an obstacle to this evil, by preventing changes from being made without full notice to all the parties affected by such changes, and without their consent, in case of the union of School Sections, and by not permitting them to take effect in any instance except at the commencement of the year.

It is a result, established by a large investigation of facts, that pupils residing at the greatest distance from their School make, on an average, the greatest improvement. It is quaintly, but justly, remarked, in the last Massachusetts Report :

"We think the judicious course is to have large School Houses-large Teachers, long School terms; and, in order to this, there must be large districts, for what we, in Upper Canada, designate Sections]. We insist that unskilful, inefficient, Teachers are a nuisance in any School district. They do vastly more hurt than good; and where a School is put up to the lowest bidder, it will soon morally and intellectually resemble the field wisely described as all grown over with thorns."

II. RECEIPT AND EXPENDITURE OF SCHOOL MONEYS

Table A shows that the total amount received and available for Teachers' salaries last year, wa £88,478, and that the sums paid for the erection and repairs of School Houses, (an item not heretofore reported,) amounted to £14,189 making a total of £102,725 (or $410,900. The same Table shows the manner in which these sums have been provided. They are a little in advance of the receipts of the preceding year.

III. NUMBER OF CHILDREN OF SCHOOL AGE ATTENDING THE SCHOOLS.

Table B shows that the number of children, between the age of 5 and 16 years, reported last year, was 259,258,-being an increase on the returns of 1849 of only 5,894. The number reported as attending the schools in 1850 was 151,891, being an increase of 14,258 on the number reported as attending the Schools in 1849. The increase in the number attending the Schools in 1850 is highly gratifying; but, after making a liberal allowance for the numbers attending Private and Grammar Schools and Colleges, and, therefore, not included in the Common School Reports, these Returns present us with the painful and sta tling fact, of nearly one hundred thousand (100,000,) children of School age in Upper Canada, not attending any school! This awful fact furnishes a hundred thousand arguments to urge each friend of Canada, each friend of virtue, of knowledge and of civilization, to exert himself to his utmost, until the number of children attending our Schools shall equal the number of children of school age.

The whole number of boys attending the Schools was 85,718, the whole number of girls was 66,173. The total average attendance of pupils during the Summer, was 76,824 ; during the Winter months. 81,469. The average attendance of boys during the Summer was 41,178; during the Winter, 48,308. The average attendance of girls during the Summer was 35,040; during the Winter, 33,161.

These Returns show an increase of some thousands over the average attendance of the preceding year. There are doubtless many more girls attending Private Schools than boys. This will probably account for the disparity between the number of boys and girls attending the Public Schools. These Returns show that there is very little difference in the average attendance of girls during Winter and Summer. They also show that the avera e attendance of pupils, as compared with the whole number of pupils, is little more than one-half; it is less than one-half in the State of New York. I doubt not but the provision of the present Act to distribute the School Fund to the several School Sections according to the average attendance of pupils in each School, (and not according to school population, as heretofore),-the mean attendance of Summer and Winter being taken, -will contribute very much to increase the regular attendance at the Schools, and to prolong the period of their duration each year.

IV. CLASSIFICATION OF PUPILS, AND SUBJECTS TAUGHT, IN THE SCHOOLS.

The statistics under these heads will be found in Table B. In Reading, the pupils are divided into five classes according to the five National Readers. Table B shows that in the first, or lowest, reading class there were 24,551 pupils,-an increase of 2,967 over the returns of 1849; in the second reading class 27,537,—an increase of 3,312; in the third, 31,805,—an increase of 3,349; in the fourth, 27,874-an increase of 1.930; in the fifth, or highest, class 13,268,-a decrease of 356. In Arithmetic, there were in the first four rules 25,963 pupils, - -an increase of 3,811; in Compound Rules and Reduction, 18,540,—an increase of 2,137; in Proportion and above, 16,325,-an increase of 1,803; in Grammar, 19,741-an increase of 2,001; in Geography, 21,534-an increase of 4,789-a large and gratifying increase; in History, 5,078-an increase of 879; in Writing, 63,267—an increase of 5,058; in Book keeping, 768-showing a decrease; in Mensuration, 888-an increase of 88; in Algebra, 904—an increase of 316; in Geometry, 618an increase of 449; in the Elements of Natural Philosophy 2,551-an increase of 2,116; in Vocal Music, 5,745 – -an increase of 4,563; in Linear Drawing 1,176-an increase of 838. The increase under these several heads illustrates very clearly the progress of the Schools. Several of the Branches last mentioned, are, to a great extent, the creation of the Normal School.