31th March 1844, in order that a Parliamentary Vote might be obtained to cover it. He was further instructed (in the same Despatch) to transmit Estimates of the Expenditure for the two ensuing Financial Years ending 31th March 1845, and 31th March 1846, respectively, for the purpose of procuring further Parliamentary Grants to meet the outlay during these years.
At this period the Financial Year ending 31st March 1845 was considerably advanced, and Lord Stanley in a subsequent Despatch, Nr 25 of 1st August 1844, informed Governor Davis that Her Majesty's Government had not thought it convenient to delay any longer the application to Parliament, and had consequently obtained a vote of £30,000 to meet the expenses up to 31st March 1845; in this estimate, which His Lordship states to be necessarily conjectural, I perceive that the sum of £16,000 is included as Expenditure previous to 1st April 1844.
In fact, for the whole period from 1st September 1843 to 31st March 1845, the sum of £30,000 is intended to suffice in addition to the Revenue of the Colony; that Revenue being during the period £14,834. A total sum of £44,834 was thus allowed for a year and a half, during which the expenditure was £78,928. I am ignorant what steps, if any, were taken by Sir John Davis finding the expenses of the Colony up to 31st March 1845 so far exceed what Lord Stanley had calculated; but from his Despatch Nr 78 of 19th July 1847, I am led to conclude that he (partly perhaps from its palpable inadequacy, and partly from supposition of independence of Parliamentary Grants at that time, arising from the control then possessed over the Chinese Indemnity Fund – drafts from which account of the Colony might have been finally