accounts might be in arrear and not with the intention of transferring to the accountant any portion of the responsibility which I was always attached to myself.
The affidavits called for were incomplete, had to be returned to the Clerk at the request of the Clerk and were not finally obtained until June 1865.
The Clerk was threatened with a suspension of his Salary. Four of my letters applying for the affidavits and dating respectively 7th, 20th, 21st, and 26th June 1865, had been left unnoticed.
In September 1865 and at my request the Acting Colonial Secretary produced a Document entitled "A List of Letters forming enclosure in Colonial Secretary's letter No. 579 of 27th July 1865, to the Commission of Enquiry into the arrears of Lighting Rates." I then casually discovered that my letter No. 21 of the 12th June 1865 had been struck out of the category of the letters accompanying the instructions addressed to the Commissioners for their information and guidance - a pen having been used.
30
31
310