The following Gentlemen examined on this occasion :

Mathematics. Rev. J. W. L. Heaviside, M.A., Canon of Norwich, and late Professor at Haileybury College.-Rev. W. N. Griffin, M.A., late Fellow and Tutor of St. John's College, Cambridge.

Classics.-Rev. G. Rawlinson, M.A., Camden Professor of Ancient History in the University of Oxford.-Rev. O. Gordon, B.D., late Censor of Christ's Church, Oxford.

English and History.-G. W. Dasent, Esq., D.C.L.W. Stebbing, Esq., M.A., Fellow of Worcester College, Oxford.

French.-A. Esquiros, Esq.-C. J. Savoye, Esq.

German.-Professor Max Müller, M.A., late Fellow of All Souls' College, Oxford.-Rev. C. Schöll, Ph. D.

Experimental Sciences.-Professor Liveing, M.A.-F. A. Abel, Esq., F.R.S.

Natural Sciences.-Warington Smyth, Esq., M.A., F.R.S.— S. P. Woodward, Esq., F.G.S.

Geometrical Drawing - Lieutenant-Colonel Scott, Royal Engineers, Establishment for Field Instruction, Chatham.

Landscape Drawing.-Rev. W. Kingsley, B.D., late Fellow of Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge.

Hindustani.-Professor J. Dowson.-Rev. W. D. Maclagan,

M.A.

The following Extracts from the Examiners' Reports will show the character of the Examination, and may also prove a useful guide to future Candidates.

Mathematics.-Rev. Canon Heaviside, M.A.

The result goes to confirm the remarks I have made on a former occasion to the effect that our Examinations for Woolwich have reached an average, from which there will be, probably, no material departure in future, unless the mode of Examination be changed.

In January, 1864, the average of marks obtained by each Candidate in Pure Mathematics was 460;* in July, 1864, the average is 461. In January, 1864, the average of marks obtained by each Candidate who took up the Voluntary Subjects was 173; in July, 1864, it is 162. I speak, of course, of my own marks.

Some high marks were obtained on this occasion in the Obligatory Papers, one Candidate reaching 900, and two Candidates obtaining more than 800. I did not mean to make my papers more difficult than usual, but perhaps my first paper was slightly so; for one question that I set, a deduction from the sixth book of Euclid, was not done by any Candidate, and I cannot rememler in any previous Examination a question being set by me in Pure Mathematics which was not completely solved in the course of the Examination.

*The marks referred to in this letter are those awarded by Canon Heaviside alone, and are proportionate, therefore, to a maximum of 1,000 marks, instead of 2,000, for the 1st or Obligatory Section.

There appears to be a slight falling off in the average of the marks obtained in the Voluntary portion; if this indicates, as I believe, increased attention to the elementary subjects, it is a deficiency not to be regretted.

I have often animadverted on previous occasions to the want of good grounding, even in the Candidates who obtain fair marks; this fault is rapidly disappearing, and of the Candidates generally who have obtained 600 marks and upwards, I should say that they have a very firm and substantial hold of the elementary subjects, and are perfectly qualified to proceed to a high standard of Mathematics. Such Candidates escape from all imputation of "cram." I hold it to be impossible that by any false and fictitious system of instruction any competitor could obtain 600 marks out of the papers I set in Pure Mathematics. Objections are sometimes taken that our papers are too difficult for youths of 16 or 17; the answer is, the questions are done, and done well by Candidates of that age, and when failures are attributed to the difficulty of the papers, it must be remembered that where only 25 Candidates are to be selected out of 120 competitors, those that are unsuccessful might make the same complaint if we only examined in the first four rules of Arithmetic. Our Examination must be greatly disappointing to many, when only a few can be chosen. So far as Mathematics are concerned, I believe a large class of the Candidates are thoroughly well grounded and educated, and on this occasion the cases were few in which any Candidates seemed to obtain telling marks in the Voluntary Subjects, who had not laid a good foundation in the Obligatory. At the same time, I take this opportunity of stating that, in my opinion, it would contribute still more to encourage the Candidates in mastering the elementary subjects before they advance prematurely, if the same rule were applied to the Voluntary Mathematical subjects that holds now with regard to other subjects, namely, that onesixth of the marks, at least, must be obtained, in order that those marks may be "counted" in the aggregate result.

Upon the whole, I think this Examination has been satisfactory; many will be elected (many, indeed, rejected for want of vacancies) who are quite competent to proceed to the highest studies of their professional career at the Academy.

Mathematics. Rev. W. N. Griffin, M.A.

Comparing this Examination with those for a similar purpose, in which I have heretofore taken part, I trace improvement in the quality of the papers sent in upon Section I, and very little advancement in the subjects of Section II, and in the

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