A.—No. 6,

4

EHRTHER EAPERS RELATIVE

But you had to pay £50 to Mr. McMullen for his farming labours, especially, I suppose, on the diocesan glebe of twenty acres round the college, and it remains then £21 that must have been used for the benefit in one manner or another of the inmates of the college. Now your statement to Mr. Taylor, or his statement (supposed) from your own conversation with him, is, that no portion of the rents of the glebe in trust of 373 acres are applied to the pupils. If you said so to him, it would have been a great omission or incompleteness of exposition, or a real distraction on your part on account perhaps of a sudden and too short oral visit of Mr. Taylor, for it is evident that besides £50 paid to the farming labourer, Mr. McMullen, it remains the £21 of the rents of the glebe of 373 acres that you have employed of course for the good of the college. But at all events it is quite untrue to say that the rents have been employed to reimburse myself with the money advanced to the college administration, for that money advanced is to bo returned not to my individuality but to my diocesan treasury, which is very poor, for co-operating in the support of the clergy in this country of depression. Now by stating that the rents were employed to reimburse myself with money which I have advanced it would induce one to think that I am a rude speculator, obliging severely to return to me a loan, which by its very name of loan, shows a paternal devotedness on the part of the Bishop towards the pupils inmates of St. Mary's College, and inspires gratitude on the part of the Educational Institution and of the Government with the public, instead of causing critical remarks on the part of the Inspector Mr. Taylor, in his sophistical report seeming to be grounded on your conversation with him; a report which unfortunately has opened a vast field of disgusting controversy, and could draw the curses of Heaven upon many persons, who were ashamed of their own work, by the only fact that they did sign their articles in the newspapers with fictitious names. Moreover besides the above errors pointed out in this letter about the report of Mr. Taylor, supposed grounded on your conversation with him, there is a great omission of exposition : it is twenty acres of land round the College employed really for the food of the pupils and inmates of it, consisting, viz.:—in potatoes and vegetables of various kinds, poultry, eggs, and from the cattle, milk and butter. Now all these resources in supplies came by cultivation from the glebe of twenty acres through the work of a labourer paid at the rate of £50 for one year with the money coming from the rents of the glebe of 373 acres. Therefore again it would not be true to say that no portion of the rents of the glebe in trust, has been applied to the pupils or inmates of the College of St. Mary, North Shore ; for, if with the money of the rents supplies are got from the market through merchants, is it not the same as to get them from cultivation through a labourer paid for that purpose ? Is it not in both cases to apply to the pupils a portion of the rents ? But all these reflections may escape the attention of an upright manager when suddenly surprised by a short and oral visit of inspection, and even by the accident of misrepresentations and mistakes on the part of the Inspector himself, who in such cases makes an exposition of misrepresentation or falsehood, and judges wrongly. May God who judges the justice of men settle everything right! As soon as you can, after mature reflections on your part, I will be thankful to you for your usual straightforwardness and Christian manner of writing to me. I want your reply not indeed for the columns of some newspaper, which contains articles contrary to good education, often, by the only fact that they are contrary to the respect due to the teachers of pupils, to pastoral authorities and religion, to politeness and Christian humility. But your reply will enable me to make a clear exposition of our affairs of Native education and college to our lawful and competent superiors in the Native department, and in the Colonial Government, to which I have to make applications for the benefit of our educational institutions. May the blessing of God be upon you and your family, and upon the dear pupils of St. Mary's College not excepting of course the Ileverend and dear Father O'Brien, whose spiritual labours are so valuable. With great affection and gratitude, My dear Mr. Mcllhone, Tour most devoted Bishop, To Hugh Mcllhone, Esq., Manager of St. Mary's t J- Bst. Ess. Pompalliee, College, North Shore, Auckland. Bishop of Auckland.

Enclosure 3 in No. 1. Mr. Mcllhone, to the Eight Key. Bishop Pomtalliee. My Loed,-— St. Mary's College, 20th December, 1867. In compliance with your Lordship's letter of the 17th instant, I have much pleasure indeed in forwarding the following as an explanation or rather a contradiction of a portion of Mr. Taylor's report in connection with the rent of the glebe belonging to this institution. It is stated in Mr. Taylor's report to the Government that the rents are not applied to the maintenance of the school! That report seems to have been made and grounded on a conversation between myself and the gentleman in question. What I did say to Mr. Taylor as far as I can recollect was " that the proceeds of the glebe were not applied to the maintenance of the children" (meaning food and clothing) but that was far from affirming that none of it was applied to the institution ; for instance, servants have to be paid, books and school apparatus have to be provided, school buildings have to be kept in repair, all of which I consider quite different from food and clothing. I understood Mr. Taylor to ask me if the rent was applied for the support of the pupils, to which I replied in the negative, and if he took my answer as affirming that none of the rent was applied in any way to the benefit of the institution, then he has put a construction on my statement which is contrary to fact and for which he alone is responsible. My Lord, it would be much more satisfactory if Inspectors were not permitted to ask any information on such subjects except by letter. When Inspectors ground their reports on conversations, such unpleasant consequences must be expected.