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the Commissariat here as a remittance of certain Postal Revenue due to the Imperial Government.
2. I had ascertained that Mr Long, the Officer then in charge of the Commissariat, seemed reluctant to give a Bill for that particular service except at the rate of 4/3- whilst in reality the current rate of exchange was higher. As however for reasons which I shall presently state more fully the Course pursued by Mr King, I desired the Colonial Secretary to ask for a Bill in favor of the Crown Agents of sufficient amount to cover the remittance.
3. It now appears from Mr Hunt's letter No 13 of 28 March 1867, that the Lords of the Treasury are dissatisfied with the above procedure. Nevertheless I respectfully submit that their reasons are insufficient.
4. They appear to think that the usual mode of making remittances on account of the Imperial Post Office had previously been by payments into the Commissariat chest here in dollars at the rate of 4/3. On the contrary, the usage here has been the reverse of that supposed by Her Majesty's Treasury, because there never has been any usage for this Government to pay expenditure on account of the general service due to Her Majesty's Government in dollars at the rate of 4/3. Also the remittance required for the Imperial Post Office was made by payments into the Commissariat chest here in dollars at the rate of 4/5, since the Post Office was established.
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