his absence there would have been no officer in the Department conversant with the current work of the office.
6. Under the circumstances I adopted the course (which I may mention was suggested to me by Dir G. William Des Vœux, who foresaw the contingency of Mr Deane's retirement) of appointing the Attorney General to act as Colonial Secretary and Mr. A.J. Leach (who has on various occasions acted as Attorney General) to act for Mr Goodman.
7. In expressing hope that Your Lordship will approve the course which I have pursued, I wish to add that I trust the apparent passing of Mr. Lockhart may not in any way militate against his future advancement. He has most loyally accepted...
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