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A.—No. 6,

6

FURTHER PAPERS RELATIVE

of the Government, and from His Excellency the Governor, through your impartiality and benevolence, the application or extension of the above measure to my Diocesan Colleges and Schools for Natives, half-castes, white orphans, and other destitute white children. This favour or act of a just impartiality towards the civil and religious instruction and education would inspire with gratitude the Roman Catholic Bishop and flock of the Diocese of Auckland, which is composed of very numerous immigrants either for the Colony or in the army. In finishing, I beg again to state that if I have taken with confidence the liberty to make the above request, it is not only because the nature of it speaks for itself, but also because I have received encouragements for making it, from very wise persons high situated in this Colony, and the best wishers for the success of its work of civilization and social welfare. If my frank and humble request is kindly complied with, I could, if the Government please, propose a good member of my flock who would, with great loyalty and faithfulness towards the temporal authorities, discharge the duties of Inspector or visitor of the Roman Catholic Schools and Colleges of both sexes for the Natives, half-castes, white orphans, and other destitute white children. May God direct and protect all your undertakings for the prosperity of the Colony! I have, &c., t J. Bst. Fes. Pojipalliee, To the Hon. Mr. W. Fox, Colonial Secretary. Roman Catholic Bishop of Auckland.

No. 2. Copt of a Letter from Me. Rolleston to the Hon. J. C. Richmond. Sic, —■ Native Secretary's Office, "Wellington, 15th February, 1868. Understanding from you that Bishop Pompallier has been promised that his letter of 21th December, 18G7, upon the subject of certain statements in my reports affecting the administration of the Catholic schools at Rangiaohia, and St. Mary's, will bo published by way of defence, I trust I may be permitted to make a few remarks which may have similar publicity. I do not propose to advert to the personal question affecting my own integrity and the accuracy of my reports at any length. I am willing to believe that the Bishop's words have stronger meaning than he himself intended them to convey. I would only observe what appears to have escaped his notice, that the statement as to the school at Eangiaohia having been dependent upon Father Vinay, and that no proportion of the Government grant had been handed over to him, was not my own, but Father Vinay's statement; that I wrote it down in his presence and that of the Resident Magistrate of the district —that ho repeated the assertion once or twice, and further, that Father Vinay requested mo to make no use of the statement, as it would complicate his relations with his superior officer. My reply was to the effect, that I should not be justified in withholding a fact of such importance. Mr. Mcllhono's letter would require no comment were it not that it is an enclosure to that of Bishop Pompallier, and as such may be presumed to receive a certain amount of approval from His Lordship, who speaks in his letter of 17th December, of the " usual straightforwardness and Christian manner of Mr. Mcllhone's writing to him." My position, however, in relation to the Government and the schools receiving aid from the public funds, makes it incumbent on mo to call the attention of the Government to this letter and another letter of which I enclose a copy, and which appeared in the columns of the Southern Cross, and which, as its authorship has never been denied, may fairly be presumed to bo written by Mr. Mcllhone, whose signature it bears. That letter states that my report is "a tissue of falsehoods founded on bigotry and ignorance of what an orphan school ought to be expected to know." 1 am quite content that the question of my veracity should be left to be determined on the documents ; as also that of Mr. Mcllhone's Christian manner of writing, and his general fitness for the important position of manager of an orphan institution. I would submit, however, for consideration, the anomalous position in which the Inspector, as the servant of the State, would be placed if those whose work he is called upon to examine and report on are permitted to make statements of the character made by Mr. Mcllhone, without the dismissal either of the Inspector or of the schoolmaster who accuses him of falsehood and incompetence. I have nothing further to say on this point. The particular question relating to myself as Inspector, or to the individual schools to which the present correspondence refers, is, I conceive, of minor importance compared with the general principle involved in the proposal of the Bishop, that an Inspector of the Roman Catholic persuasion should be appointed to inspect Roman Catholic schools in the Colony. As the Government has thought lit to place me in a very responsible position in respect of the Native schools in the Colony, and as 1 conceive that the office of Inspector is one on which the success of an educational system must very much depend, 1 think the present is not an unfitting occasion to state what 1 conceive to be the leading features and principles of the system embodied in the Native Schools Act of last session, and which should be kept in view in the working of the Act. I think it the more necessary to form a clear notion of the principles which guided the Legislature in the passing of an Act of this kind, as it is not difficult to foresee how modification in its details may from time to time be attempted from motives of temporary expediency, which would seriously infringe, if not entirely mar the general scope and principle of the Act. The proposal of Bishop Pompallier suggests an illustration of my meaning, to which I will advert hereafter. It may be objected that the present Act is of a temporary character and of partial application, and that it cannot bo taken as a definite expression of any principle which would hereafter in any way bind the Legislature, or stereotype its opinion on the general question of education. I cannot so regard it.

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