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frayed the first cost of them, maintains, and keeps thew. We have bad out of our poverty to build our own schools, provide thera with books and appliances, get out teachers from Europe, and pay them. If any help is to be had from the Government, it is only in aid of current expeu- see and does not pay interest ou capital.
"If our denominational schools were put in a position to hold out equal educational advantages to the pupils as do the Government schools, the fact that we give a religious education also, would not prevent Chinese coming to us. So at least the Bevd. Mr. Hutchinson testified with refer- ence to the Baxter Schools under his supervision, which are strictly Church of England schools. The same would hold good for us.
Hongkong is not only largely supplied with Roman Catholic Schools and Charitable Institutions, but it is also of inportauce as the only European possession on the Coast of China, and as the "centre of all mail and telegraphic communication. This determined as to establish here all the Procurations or agencies for the Missious throughent China.
Hongkong is territorially extremely small; but com- mercially it is one of the most important and valuable of the possessions of the British Gown. From a Roman Catholic point of view it is the most important for its size of any place cut of Europe, and we think that a larger educational development for Catholics ought to be fa- voured."
With regard to the expenses incurred by the Roman Catholics in carrying on their Educational and Charitable Institutions during this last period, we take the sum of $16,000 a year as certainly less than the real amount ma- king in five years the sum of $80,000, to which wo must add the expenses for enlarging the Convent, for buy- ing the building for St. Joseph's College and for the prs- sage of six Christian Brothers for St. Joseph's and three for the Reformatory, amounting to $20,000, which added to the former, makes a total of $100,000.
The Government aided them with a grant of $2,400
a year for the orphans in the four Charitalde Institutions making in five years $12,000 to which we have to add $418 as a grants-in-aid to St. Saviour's School during the years 1873-74-75 amounting to a total of $12,418.
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J
Here we stop having reached the year 1877, in which we are writing.
Hongkong December 1977.
J. T.