little surprise, and that he feels himself precluded by that refusal from making any further attempt to constitute a Committee. You point out, however, that the abandonment of the Committee does not necessarily involve the abandonment of all enquiry into the expenditure of the Colony. You proceed to review the circumstances which led up to the attempts that have been made to appoint a Committee, and that have followed them, and conclude by asking for permission to publish the whole of correspondence on the subject, and by requesting at an early date.
I regret that I have not been able to disentangle your very long and very complicated statement, and to prepare a reply to the very serious charges there brought against me, within the week you were good enough to allot me. I have taken time to reperuse all correspondence on the subject, and all my utterances about retrenchment, and the Retrenchment Committee, and I thank you. I shall now be able to satisfy the public, and also to satisfy the Secretary of State.
Your very personal and direct attack on me is wholly without justification, and it is not wise to let you have any representation I may desire to make to the Right Honourable the Secretary of State for the Colonies. I am the one who ought to be held responsible for the failure on the part of the Government to carry out the instructions of the Colonial Office.
I have no desire to address Her...