It was only on Saturday the 7th instant that the long expected residue of the matériel for starting the new Stamp Ordinance was received and it will be fully a month before any Revenue can be expected from this source, whilst the arrangements connected with it have been rendered much more complicated and difficult by the loss of W. Rennie's valuable co-operation.
31. In the event of the Mint being still maintained at the expense of the Colony and remaining unproductive, the Stamp Ordinance will not raise the Revenue sufficiently to defray the ordinary expenditure and pay the Military Contribution, whilst in the present state of the Colony I cannot advise increased taxation beyond the stamp duty. And your Lordship not forbidding the receipt of any Revenue from the Licenses for gaming houses it might have been possible to have made both ends meet.
32. Those houses will open in a few days, in accordance with arrangements completed so far as to render it unfair to the Licensees to forbid it.