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the whole period of His Excellency's recent sojourn from the Colony.for absence 20 months.
"The subject came immediately under his notice, when on returning here he was endeavouring to learn the state of Public Expenditure in the Survey Department, and had for that purpose called for the monthly Returns in question. He was then informed that one giving every month the state and progress of Public Works had been entirely discontinued during his absence, and that the other had never been ready.
*till the Expenditure, for which sanction was asked in the form of the Return, had been not merely commenced but in the majority of cases, hopelessly and inextricably incurred.
Since His Excellency's return, this state of things had been, if possible, aggravated, because when Mr. Monson persisted in sending Returns which were impossible to be made out in Forms which were illegible and unintelligible, he was told that if he did not comply with the orders given, his conduct should be made the subject of inquiry in Executive Council.
The Council would therefore...