92 PROCEEDINGS OF THE SCIENTIFIC ASSOCIATION.* 
are of a different order to those met with in Europe and 
America. 
But this brings ns to another question of great impor- 
tance ; I mean education. 
In 1858 the number of Scholars was 2300 
„ 1859 
n 
if 
3461 
„ 1860 
u 
n 
3408 
„ 1863 
n 
ii 
3627 
,-, 1864 
n 
ii 
3060 
,, 1865 
n 
ii 
3500 
These figures exhibit but moderate fluctuations ; although 
it would appear that the returns are not accurate and do 
not always include the same schools. As for the Ward- 
Schools it appears that their scholars have been falling off, 
and the explanation can only be that in the country the 
attendance is becoming more lax, whilst in the towns the 
schools are somewhat better kept up. These figures, how- 
ever, show us that only about 4 in 100 of the population 
attend school. I!; is to be feared, therefore, that a consi- 
derable number of children, especially those of Asiatics, are 
growing up without that training which is requisite to make 
them good subjects, while at the same time we have no such 
social system as obtains in India or in most countries. 
There is a deficiency of means of binding together the hete- 
rogeneous elements of our population, and in consequence 
the problems presented to us here are of the graves c and 
most important kind, if we would seek to forecast the future 
of our island. I believe, however, that more than one of 
our proprietors have felt the magnitude of this subject and 
have endeavored to meet it by the establishment of schools. 
But some such measure must be general and not sporadic. 
Considering the number of medical practitioners in the 
