254
Her Majesty's Government above alluded to, would appear expectation that our property should be held on the terms and conditions which we were first led to expect would mean, either on the principle named by Captain Elliot, or at any rate on as favorable terms and conditions as those to which Land-holders in other British Colonies are subject.
With reference to your remark that perhaps more than three-fourths of the money laid out in this Colony has been expended since the publication of the Notifications already quoted, or in other words since the Island became a bona fide possession of the British Crown. We beg leave to observe that we cannot subscribe to the correctness of this statement - The notification named was published on 26 June, 1843, but on 10 April 1843 a Government notification was published in which there was the following clause: "The Land Officer has been authorized and instructed to prevent the commencement of any further buildings or clearing away of locations until final arrangements can be made" and this restriction has never been removed, until the sale of land on 25 January, 1846.
We submit therefore that on inquiry it will appear, although many buildings previously commenced may have been finished in the interval, that no Private buildings have been undertaken during the period in which you seem to suppose nearly