EDUCATIONAL RESERVES.

A.—No. 3,

41

Martin, Hon. W. Swafnson, Rev. J. T. Lloyd. Resolved, That as to the specific appropriation of the land, the Standing Commission have already given their assent.) On a portion of the above-mentioned ten acres my house stands. The local trustees, viz., David Jennings, Esquire, Henry Alexander Tarrant, Esquire, and James Roger Dutton, Esquire, hold a site for a parsonage house, which has not yet been built upon. It is very near to the church, and affords space for the horses and carriages of members of the church who live at a distance. I trust the above information may be of service to the Commission. It seems to me that your letter of the 16th instant was written under a misconception, inasmuch as you mention my residence as built upon land containing " 2 roods and 10 perches." In our local trusts Schedule A. speaks of " 2 roods and 10 perches " more or less, being part of section 155 —Trust for Religious and Charitable purposes ; and then, " church, parsonage house, and school," of Schedule B. Church, parsonage house, and school, relate to Schedule B. that follows, not Schedule A., which relates to a piece of land which Captain Fearon gave for a church and burialground, held now by the local body for " religious and charitable purposes," now specifically appropriated as a cemetery for the interment of the dead in accordance with the rite of the United Church of England and Ireland. I have, &o, Samuel Poole, M.A., Incumbent of St. Thomas's Church, Motueka. To F. Wakefield, Esq., Secretary to the Trust Inquiry Commission.

Copy of a Letter from Mr. Wm. Gibbs to Mr. F. Wakefield. Sir,— Totaranui, Nelson, 4th March, 1870. I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of the 18th ult, asking information as to the state of certain Church trust lands in Collingwood. In reply I have to express my regret that I. am unable to furnish the information required, for although one of the trustees of some of the trust lands in that place, neither those I and my co-trustees have in trust, or those referred to in your letter, are likely at present to produce any revenues towards carrying out the object of the trust. Under these circumstances I have not deemed it necessry to inspect the deeds, which are not in the possession of the trustees. I would respectfully suggest that Donald Sinclair, Esq., of Nelson, Solicitor and Registrar to the Diocese, would be most likely to supply all the information required. There is in the district one piece of trust property conveyed to the Bishop of New Zealand and his successors, as a site for a church and parsonage house, being lots No. 33, 52, 53, in that part of Collingwood known as Gibbsfiat, upon which a parsonage house is built. I have, &c, F. Wakefield, Esq., Secretary to Commission Wm. Gibbs. on Religious and Charitable Trusts.

Koman Catholic Grants.

The Rev. Father Garin, having been duly sworn, states: lam a Roman Catholic clergyman resident at Nelson. Section 498, 3 acres. —One acre only was granted by the Crown. Two other adjoining acres are attached to this property, but were not given by the Crown, being acquired by private purchase, viz., Sections 491 and 494. I do not remember that anything has been done in compliance with the requirements of the grant, that three-fourths of the heads of Roman Catholic families in. Nelson shall declare the purposes of the trust in writing. I was not aware till now that this was required. What was done was this i I called a meeting of all the congregation, who selected a committee for the purpose of erecting a church, school, and convent. A chairman was elected, and resolutions carried, and minutes taken, which are in my possession. From time to time, when anything was required to be done respecting building a church or making addition to buildings, I have called general meetings in order to select committees to consider the object in view. I think this course should be held as fulfilling the requirements of the Crown Grant, —• if not literally, at least according to the spirit and intention of the trust. No. 498. —We have a church and school on this section. The boys' school and residence of the pastor are on one of the acres bought with our own funds. There have never been any complaints as to the mode of settling the trust purposes. The deeds were left, I think, at Mr. Sinclair's for several years, and we began to act before we knew what they contained. The boys' school has always been successfully carried on, and we have admitted boys of all denominations. At one time our school was the best, as we taught higher branches of education than w 7as done in any other school at that time existing, and consequently boys of a superior class attended. Section No. 13, 3 roods. —The deed gives it for a cemetery. The cemetery is fenced in, but it is only used for the burial of the relatives of persons buried therein previous to an Act of the Provincial Council passed in 18 , which required that ground to be given up as a cemetery, except in the cases mentioned. I caused one burial to take place in this cemetery, because it was of a priest, and I considered that the clergyman, being the father of his congregation, should be buried there. I was fined for this breach of the Act, but only 10s., in order that it might not be taken as a precedent. Section No. 14, 2 roods 4 perches. —This was given as a site for a church. When I came here in 1850, this was used as the only cemetery. There was a public cemetery adjoining this. There was a 11