His Excellency to induce him to grant us a sum of money from the Treasury towards the construction of our new buildings.
The sisters of St Paul de Chartres have been established in the Colony since 1849. They have during the whole of that time maintained a foundling house and orphanage for the Chinese and a School for the female children. Blind children are brought to them in every stage of disease and destitution; over 10,000 children have been brought to the house since its formation. There are now in the house 41 blinds, 130 orphans and foundlings. There are at present out of the house 160 infants.
A greater number, of course, of the children brought to the house die. They are moribund's when taken in and many of them are not expected to live, but they are not left to die in darkness and misery with no one to care or tend them. The skill that can be lavished on them is done so.
The buildings the sisters have occupied for over thirty years are not their property, are very old, almost falling to pieces. They were originally small private dwelling houses quite unsuited for the purpose of a school.