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Colonial Secretary's Department, a subject alluded to in the Duke of Buckingham's despatch of the 30th August 1867, and originally brought before Her Majesty's Government in my own despatch No. 214 of the 14th February of that year.
2. His Grace's despatch of August 1867 would have earlier received a definite reply had I seen my way on the arrival of Mr. Austin to making any further changes in the arrangements of the office - a subject which has from time to time occupied my attention, and I cannot better illustrate the position in which that question remains than by enclosing a copy of the minute which I placed on Your Lordship's despatch when received, and also of Mr. Austin's Memo. when I referred it to him.
3. The substance of those Memos. is to the effect that the reforms required in the Colonial Secretary's Office, which practically is in this Colony the Governor's Office, were the correction of abuses of omission, and a general incompetency of the system for its work which I had found here on my arrival in March 1866. The correction of those details at once occupied my attention, and I consider the Office to be now in good working order. It is kept well in hand and is without cases of unreasonable arrears, whilst for occasions of emergency it possesses a reserve of expansive force to get through a sudden influx of...