of Mr Riscector, who enjoyed the good opinion of the whole community and who had received tempting Offers from Messrs Bell and Legge to superintend the bookkeeping of their large concern.
From the impossibility of finding an efficient locum tenens I put the Accountant General's office into Commission – and I directed a thorough enquiry into the state of the accounts, the result of which
Report that though the accounts had not been satisfactorily kept, there was no defalcation in the public revenues.
On Mr. Forth's arrival my instructions were that he should religiously adhere to the orders of the Treasury as regards the mode of keeping the public accounts; I beg however to state that though Mr. Forth has many merits as a public Officer, and has always exhibited the most commendable Zeal and devotion to Her Majesty's service, I have had occasion to discover that a knowledge of the science of Book Keeping was not among his recommendations, and that his earlier duties had been discharged in a portion of the field of civil and military employment not intimately associated with financial records.