(3)
77
The rights of the Colonial Government in this matter appear to have been lost sight of.
It has just occurred to me that a sort of verbal quibble might be raised by somebody on the words "required by Her Majesty's Government" in Lord Ripon's Despatch, and some ingenious person might contend that the land in question was now required by His Majesty's Government for the use of the Navy. In my opinion, however, such a contention is absolutely unsound, because the whole tenour of Lord Ripon's Despatch shows that it was intended to apply to all cases where lands and buildings are no longer required for Military purposes.
Lord Knutsford's Circular Despatch of the 9th June 1890 (see pages 89 and 90 of the Blue Book) which is referred to in paragraph 1 of Lord Ripon's Despatch is equally clear upon this point.
(sd.) H.B. Pollock.
Acting Attorney General.
4/10/'01.