to my acquiring the commission to which, in the opinion of the Trustees and others, I am justly entitled, by the decision of the Government, at the periods when I first applied for it.
I may here be permitted to remark that mine is not a singular case; no public officer is ever called upon to undertake special services in other Departments, in general, without receiving special payment; one officer performs the duty of another during his absence, and receives his half pay in addition to his own; the Military officer receives additional pay for executing Civil works; and all Government professional men are paid extra for any services not exclusively belonging to their Department.
In conclusion, I beg to submit to Your Excellency, to determine, after the perusal of the several letters to which I have alluded, whether the service executed can strictly be considered a Government work or, as in the opinion of the Trustees, it should be esteemed a separate and distinct service: in the former I should be sorry to advance a claim to which Your Excellency may not think me justly entitled, in the latter, I trust you will kindly recommend the application to the favourable consideration of Her Majesty's Government.
I have, &c.,
(Signed) G. St. J. (Leveson) Surveyor General.
Queen's College,
Copy to Colonial Secretary's Office.