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enjoyed by my predecessor, indeed the "inadvertence appears to have been discovered some months after my arrival in this Colony. Hitherto it has been understood that it was a general rule of the Imperial Government that every Colonial Governor and Judge is entitled to retain during his term of office the same allowances, and privileges, in short, the same emoluments of every kind, with his predecessor, unless he should have been warned, when the offer of the Government or judgeship was made to him, and before leaving England, that such emoluments were liable to reduction.
It has always been considered that a rule of this nature is absolutely necessary to preserve the independence of Governors and Judges; for, in the absence of a regulation, or honourable understanding, of this kind, those Officers would be liable to the reduction of their emoluments so as to interfere with the performance of their duty.