PETERSFIELD.
Agent—Mr. G. DUPLOCK.
NATIONAL SCHOOLS.—The annual treat to the children of these large and well-conducted schools, came off on Thursday last. The children assembled at the school rooms at two o’clock and went in procession to the church, where an excellent sermon was preached by the rector, the Rev. J. M. Sumner, from that text ‟Suffer little children to come unto me.” On leaving the church the children were again arranged in marching order and proceeding down the High-street and Dragon-street, returned to the school rooms. The procession was interspersed with a number of banners and flags, and was headed by the juvenile fife and drum band of the 12th Hants Rifle Volunteer Corps. At five o’clock the boys, girls and infants, to the number of about 300, were supplied with tea and cake, &c., in the school rooms, after which the parents of the children and visitors, numbering together 250 partook of tea in the boys’ school room. The weather throughout the day was most unpropitious and prevented to some extent the enjoyment of out-door sports, for which extensive preparations had been made, and for which Mr. Baker, of the Grange, had, as usual, kindly lent his spacious field, and Mr. Small the lawn. The children of these schools had undergone a classical examination a few days previous, conducted by the Rev. J. M. Sumner and the Rev. H. Haigh, both orally and in writing, and sundry prizes were awarded the most deserving. The prizes were distributed by the rector, on the day of the treat, accompanied a suitable address, and were as follows :—In the Classical and Commercial Class—Latin: F. M. Duplock,—Geometry: A. Newman,—Arithmetic: A. Newman and W. Newman, equal:—grammar: W. Newman,— Drawing and Writing: C. Harris,—Mapping: F. Martin,—Reading: J. Butler, Rufus Carter, F. Nichols. In Ordinary School—Boys, W. Patrick 2, E. Gregson, D. Green, J. Head,—Girls, E. Wright, H. Mekeln, Alice Etherington 2, H. Etherington, H. Pearson, A. Wilkes, C. Holden, C. Flipp.