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not at all surprised, that the question of Barracks had escaped my memory." I reiterate admit the correctness
of the gratuitous imputation as regards Barracks, or
as regards any other matter, be it ever so trifling,
ever connected with duties in all their branches,
and it is my intention to show by this letter, and by those to which I shall specially refer in it, that the neglect which Your Lordship has been pleased to attribute to the failure of my memory, has
its origin in the inefficiency and supineness of parties which I have had no control over;
and likewise, that the recorded and real measures have not been assigned in Your Lordship's letter now under reply, for my opinions and measures.
It is, I presume, unnecessary to remind Your Lordship, that up to the day on which this Island became a British Colony, by the ratifications of the Treaty, I considered everything connected with the Military details and Expenditure solely under my guidance and authority.
At the same time, I was always most willing, as is amply demonstrated by the voluminous correspondence, to give my every advice and opinions, and to sanction every measure and Expense as far as they rested with me. I thought fit to refer to one, and there explicitly ask Your Lordship to adduce a single instance, however trivial, in which I have either waived or delayed replying to any questions brought to my notice.
I may add, that when some of those questions related directly to arrangements which had been made by Lieut-General Sir Hugh Gough in opposition to my ideas and wishes,