For various reasons, among them the sickness of yellow fever, our work here commenced under very unfavorable circumstances. Our school opened the 20th of November, almost two months after the regular time, with only 17 scholars the first week, and with but little prospect of any considerable increase. The teachers were all new except Miss Stephenson, and hence they did not know what to expect, and therefore not enough about the work to be discouraged. Ignorance, sometimes at least, is bliss. If it did not give us faith, it saved us from being faithless. There are some things that are food in a negative way by preventing the usual waste in the system. Knowledge is power. Ignorance is somewhere along there when it saves us from the need of power. We accepted what we found as being all that we had any right in our simplicity to expect, and carefully hid it as leaven in the meal. The leaven, however, seemed wonderfully “little,” and the meal a great deal more than three measures; but God has blessed our work beyond our expectation and faith. The measure, “according to our faith,” was pressed down and running over. Our numbers rapidly increased so that by Christmas we had about 75 scholars, and after the holidays our numbers came up to more than 150. We still have accessions every week, and the prospect is that before the close of the year we shall have more scholars than we have room for. Already the primary room is filled beyond its seating capacity. The school has at present four departments: the primary, which numbers about 60; the intermediate, which numbers between 40 and 50; the normal, which numbers about the same, and the higher normal, which at present is only a small class studying Latin, geometry and natural philosophy. The “A” class of the normal, which is quite large, will soon be in this department. We feel that we are having the confidence and co-operation of the colored people. The last few weeks has encouraged us very much. We recently had a literary, musical and social entertainment for the pupils and patrons of the school. It was held in the normal room of our building, which we also use as an assembly room, where we provided extra seats somewhat beyond rather than according to our faith; but not only was every seat filled, many went away because they could not even find standing room. At the close of the literary exercises the pupils brought forward their parents and friends and introduced them to the teachers, when sociability and “the shaking of the hands” became the order for the remainder of the evening.