Colonial Despatches

In compliance with the Oral instructions received from you, we took the necessary steps for having the Deed of Endowment of Christ Church in Van Couvers Island duly engrossed and executed by the Hudsons Bay Co, and by His Grace the Archbishop of Canterbury and the Bishop of Columbia.

2. We have just received back the Deed from the Bishop, which I enclose herewith in order that it may be forwarded to the Colony to be executed by the Governor, after which I presume it will be delivered over to the Custody of the Bishop, a copy being of course retained by the Governor.

3. By the 3rd Geo 4th Cap 72 Sec 28 all Deeds made for any of the purposes of the Church Building Acts are exempt from Stamp duties. But feeling some doubt whether the present Deed came within the purview of those Acts we submitted the point to the Commissioners of Inland Revenue, when it was decided that the Deed was subject to the ordinary Deed Stamp of £7.15 with the usual progressive Duty. The proper Stamps have accordingly been affixed, and the Solicitor to the Bishop has proposed to remit to me the amount.