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(ex: 21) having been brought before a deceased for a petty offence. I ordered his removal from the tailor shop after the 24th as it seemed probable that he was the ringleader; that the fire would be raised on that evening, the last on which he would have access to the shop. I therefore determined to have a minute search on the afternoon of the 24th, as soon as the convicts were locked up, instead of waiting till Christmas night.
On searching, the prisoner clothing had been piled up in a corner. I ordered it to be removed. Underneath this clothing was found about 100 lbs of picked oakum; 20 lbs of rattan shavings (used for filling mattresses) and in the midst of this a slow match about a foot long, at the further end inside a canvas haversack, of which were tied about 50 or 60 matches with powder enclosed, close to the matches it was possible the slow match might have been lighted unobserved.
A little after 3 p.m. on the 24th, I proceeded to the tailor shop with one or two Office officers and a few European prisoners. On that morning, the prisoner clothing had been changed, and a suit of clothes destined for the wash house, or for repair, had been brought into the shop, and as usual, there being no storage room, had been piled up. There was also a quantity of tinder and a bottle containing about half a pint of petroleum. The fuse had not been ignited. I afterwards lit it, and it burnt about 20 minutes, exploding powder which was close to the hand of the chief warder. Some sawdust was also found close to the fuse.
The Colonial Secretary happened by accident to visit the Gaol at this time and witnessed the discovery of the slow match or fuse.