212

THE NEW ZEALAND GAZETTE.

[No. 9

opinion of the Governor, be expedient to change the purpose
of such reserves or any part thereof from the purpose or pre-
sumed purpose for which it was set apart to any other pur-
pose, or if it shall, in the opinion of the Governor, be expe-
dient to exchange any of the land comprised in such reserve
for other land of equal value, to be dedicated to one or more
purposes named in the said Class II., the Governor may, by
notice in the Gazette, declare his intention to make such
change, exchange, or dedication, as the case may be, and in
such notice declare the manner and terms in which the same
is intended to be so made :

Now, therefore, I, William Francis Drummond Jervois,
the Governor of the Colony of New Zealand, do hereby, in
exercise and pursuance of the powers and authorities vested
in me by "The Public Reserves Act, 1881," aforesaid, declare
my intention to change the specific purpose of the reserve
described in the first column of the Schedule hereto to the
specific purpose set opposite such description in the second
column of the said Schedule.

SCHEDULE.

As witness the hand of His Excellency the Governor,
this twelfth day of January, one thousand eight
hundred and eighty-eight.

G. F. RICHARDSON,
Minister of Lands.

Revocation of Notice classifying Pastoral Lands in the
Canterbury Land District.

Wm. F. DRUMMOND JERVOIS, Governor,
By his Deputy,
JAMES PRENDERGAST.

IN pursuance of the sixth section of "The Land Act,
1885," I, James Prendergast, in the name and on behalf
of His Excellency the Governor of the Colony of New Zea-
land, and as his duly-appointed Deputy, do hereby revoke so
much of a certain notification published at page six hundred
and eighty-five of the New Zealand Gazette No. 44, dated
the twenty-fifth day of May, one thousand eight hundred
and eighty-three, as relates to the blocks of land described
in the Schedule hereto.

SCHEDULE.

As witness the hand of His Excellency Sir James
Prendergast, Knight, Chief Justice, as such
Deputy of the said Governor as aforesaid, this
twenty-seventh day of January, one thousand
eight hundred and eighty-eight.

G. F. RICHARDSON,
Minister of Lands.

Appointing Commissioners to inquire into the Condition of
the Seacliff Lunatic Asylum Building.

To all to whom these presents shall come, and to HARRY
PASLEY HIGGINSON, of Wellington, in the Colony of
New Zealand, a Member of the Institute of Civil En-
gineers; WILLIAM HENRY SKINNER, of Auckland, in the
said colony, Esquire; and BENJAMIN WOOLFIELD MOUNT-
FORT, of Christchurch, in the said colony, Esquire—
Greeting.

WHEREAS a certain building has been erected for the
purposes of a lunatic asylum, and the use and con-
venience thereof, known as the Seacliff Lunatic Asylum, in
the Blueskin District, in the Provincial District of Otago :
And whereas the said building was erected or purported to
be erected under a certain contract bearing date on or about
the eleventh day of September, 1879, made between Her
Majesty the Queen and James Gore, contractor, of Dunedin,
in the Provincial District of Otago : And whereas allega-
tions have been made that the said building so erected as
aforesaid, or a part thereof, is in an unsatisfactory condition
owing to defects in the preparation of the site, or in the con-
struction of the said building itself or a part thereof, and
otherwise ; and it is also alleged that, by reason of the
premises, the said building is or may become dangerous to
the lives of the persons resident therein, or otherwise unfit
for occupation : And whereas it is expedient that inquiry
should be made as to the truth or otherwise of the said
allegations :

Now, therefore, I, James Prendergast, for and on behalf of
His Excellency the Governor of the Colony of New Zealand,
and as his duly-appointed Deputy, in pursuance and exercise
of every power and authority enabling me in this behalf,
having confidence in your knowledge, ability, and integrity,
do hereby, by and with the advice and consent of the Exe-
cutive Council of the said colony, appoint you, the said

HARRY PASLEY HIGGINSON,
WILLIAM HENRY SKINNER, and
BENJAMIN WOOLFIELD MOUNTFORT,

to be Commissioners, by all lawful ways and means, to in-
quire into all and singular the allegations hereinbefore men-
tioned, and each of them, and in particular to inquire as to
the present state and condition of the said asylum-building,
and to ascertain whether there are any good grounds for the
above-mentioned allegations ; and, if so, to ascertain as far
as possible the cause or causes of the unsatisfactory state
and condition of the said building, or any part of it, and par-
ticularly as to whether the same arises either partly or
wholly from the character or formation of the ground upon
which the said building is erected, or partly or wholly from
defective construction, or from bad or defective materials or
workmanship having been employed therein, or from the
architect's plans and specifications not having been adhered
to in the execution of the works ; and if it shall appear to
you that the plans and specifications aforesaid have not been
adhered to and complied with either in the damaged part of
the building or any other part thereof, then you are as far as
possible to ascertain whether the responsibility for the diver-
gence from the provisions and requirements of the contract
entered into for the erection of the said building rests with
the architect under whose supervision and control the same
was erected, or with the inspector of works who acted under
him, or with both of them, or with some other person or per-
sons. And I do direct that such inquiry shall be held at
Dunedin, in the said provincial district, or at such other
place or places within the Provincial District of Otago as
may be found convenient and as you may appoint, and on
such day or days and at such time and place as you may
think suitable ; and that before you commence the said in-
quiry at least three days' notice in writing of the day, place,
and time on and at which you will be prepared to enter upon
or proceed with the said inquiry shall be given to such per-
son or persons as may in your opinion be affected by or con-
cerned in the said inquiry. And I also direct that you may
from time to time fix such days or times for hearing evidence
and proceeding in the matter of the said inquiry as you may
think fit, subject, however, to the terms of these presents ;
and also that you may from time to time adjourn, alter, or
vary the days or times aforesaid, in such manner as you may
judge desirable for the purpose of giving full effect to the
said inquiry And I hereby empower you to call before you
and examine on oath, or otherwise as may be allowed by law,
all such person or persons as you may think capable of
affording you information in the premises, and that all such
evidence shall be fully and fairly taken down and transcribed
in writing, and shall be signed by the person or persons
giving such evidence. And I declare that this Commission
shall continue in full force and virtue, and you, the said
Commissioners, may from time to time, and at any place or
places in Otago aforesaid, proceed in the execution thereof,
although the inquiry be not regularly continued from time to
time by adjournment ; and, further, that all the powers,
duties, and authorities by these presents vested in you, the
said Commissioners, may be exercised and performed by any
two of you sitting and acting together. And I do hereby re-
quire you, or any two of you, with as little delay as possible,
and not later than the first day of March next ensuing, to
report to me, under your hands and seals, your opinion re-
sulting from the said inquiry in respect of the several matters
and things inquired into by you under or by virtue of these
presents, and that you shall state in your report aforesaid
what measures you would recommend for adoption in order
to place the building herein referred to, or any part thereof,
in a satisfactory condition, and to prevent further damage
occurring to it. And, lastly, I do hereby declare that this