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The occupants of these huts could show no title deed or other document empowering them to make use of the land, and at once freely admitted that they had no right to remain other than that acquired by several years of undisputed occupation but besought me if I insisted on their removal to bestow some slight compensation upon them to enable them to find quarter elsewhere. It would have been possible perhaps to have obtained their eviction without compensation by applying to the local authority but it appeared to me that this would have been an injustice to these unfortunate people who had built their huts in apparent ignorance of the want of a right to do so. Indeed it would have been difficult to establish any claim on our own part to the land as no title deeds are to be found in this Consulate or anywhere in support of our right.
Having no authority from the Foreign Office to do more than report upon the condition of the monument, I was somewhat at a loss to know what answer to make to these people. Had I contented myself with a simple notice to them to quit they would certainly have disregarded it, and had I applied to the local authority he might have questioned our title to the land and even in the event of his consenting to evict them they would have been the victims of extortion on the part of his underlings and my object would have been secured at the expense of an injustice. On the other hand the question of their right of occupation having once been raised their eviction at a future date, if it became necessary would be rendered much more difficult had the matter been left in abeyance. I at length came to the conclusion therefore in view of the strong personal interest displayed in the matter by Lieut Gen Daubeny and the Officers of the 55th Regt to take upon myself to expend a small sum and after some discussion induced the occupants of the cottages to pull them down and remove the débris for the sum of ten dollars, or roughly two pounds sterling, it being understood that the money should be paid only on condition that the demolition was completed within a fortnight's time. A native resident of the place who is known to me having at the same time undertaken to repair both the monument to the non-commissioned officers and men of the 55th Regt and that of Capt Colin Campbell for 10 dollars more. I also agreed to pay that sum on completion of the repairs. The hire of the boat cost me 10 dollars which will be accounted for separately.
It will be for Lieut General Daubeny of course to decide whether he is prepared to reimburse the whole or a portion of this amount as I fully recognise that in expending the money on the repairs to the monument and eviction of the squatters I have acted without authority.