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rejected; immediately afterwards Mr Caldwell called on him and stated that if the rate were not paid before stated day, few days from that date, he should distrain on Lieutenant Colonel Hyde's property, treating him as a Common Defaulter; and he refused to receive the summons on notice he should paste it on his door.
It is but just to state that there was nothing offensive in Mr Caldwell's manner, however much there might have been in a proceeding so unusual and so unexpected.
Thus situated, without any prospect of redress being held out to us, it may perhaps not be considered that we should have expressed ourselves strongly on the occasion, but we repeat that we had no intention whatever of offending persons in authority and that we wrote our opinions as the only means in our power of expressing what a totally unexpected a communication demanded.
We have, &c...
(Signed) J. Hyde, Lt Colt. Comg. Royal Arty.
S. A. St. John, Lt. Comd. Royal Arty.
Henry St Hill
Arty Storekeeper.
True Copy
(Signed) F. W. Staveley, Captain
Asst. Milly. Secy.
(True Copy)
Colonial Secretary.