303
assessment
occasion
and that I was upon every informed by the Acting Colonial Secretary that nothing could be done till the Valuators had sent in their Tables.
16.
The Rates for 1864 were not therefore Assessed by the Acting Governor in Council till the 20th of February in that year when they were notified to the Public in Gazette No 8 of that month; the Rates being made payable for the first quarter between the 22nd February and the 5th of March - there being only thirteen days - inclusive of Sundays - allowed the Treasury to have Forms printed to recast the whole of the Rates for 1864 - to prepare and serve 4,900 Notices and to fill up 4,900 Receipts and to secure one quarter's Revenue. A gigantic task, more especially where the numerical insufficiency of the Staff of the Treasury was entirely comprised of Young Portuguese.
17.
It was not therefore till the latter end of March (1864) that notices could be served for the quarter ending in that Month.
18.
Thus the Treasury was unavoidably thrown one quarter in arrear of the work required from that Department in 1864.
19.
It was in that year 1864 that, to use the words of the Commissioners: "The Colonial Treasurer represented