PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE
Reference :-
C.O. 882
5 PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE, LONDON
ALLY WITHOUT PERMISSION OF THE BE REPRODUCED PHOTOGRAPHIC-
COPYRIGHT PHOTOGRAPH-NOT TO
80
"Mr. Gibson sent on the Despatch noting that the enclosures would follow. The
papers are still with you."
But if you look again at the telegram attached to your Minute, you will see that the private secretary telegraphed to the chief Despatch clerk in your office, early on the 12th, to get ready copies of the Procureur General's Report and of the further charges against Mr. C. Stewart, that is, certain documents in Minute paper 1743/86.
I could not have had the contents of that Minute paper 1743/86 copied for the De- spatch on the 12th, or sent to your office, for the obvious reason that the Minute paper 1743/86 was not in my possession hut in yours on the 12th.
The fact that the papers could not be with me at the time was noted on the telegram by Mr. Gibson, the chief Despatch clerk, who on the 12th wrote: "These papers can- "not be with the Governor and copies are required for the mail."
The Despatch having gone on the evening of the 12th, without the enclosures, the question arises why the copies were not prepared the following day ?
The Minute you now send to me, signed by Mr. Crétin, says:—
"Minute paper 1743/86 was, the day after the departure of the mail, the 13th, sent by the Lieutenant-Governor to Mr. Escott, with an order to keep back the letter to Mr. Stewart, preferring these charges, until he was better and in a position to reply to them." "On the 15th instant, while these papers were still in abeyance, a telegram was received from Réduit to the effect that his Excellency wished all the papers respecting these charges to be sent immediately to him by carriole. This was accordingly done.'
I had not seen you for some days until the 14th, when, referring to the Despatch that had left on the 12th you told me, for the first time, that the charges against Mr. Stewart had not gone to him, but had been kept back on your own responsibility as you heard he was extremely ill. I thereupon drafted a Despatch to Lord Granville, reporting this fact, and I sent you the draft to peruse, and to return to me to be copied for that day's mail.
You did not, however, tell me then that the mail of the 12th had actually left without the copies of the charges.
On the 15th I sent for the papers to consult the Procureur General as to the effect of the delay in keeping back the charges, and as you were not at your office, and the matter was urgent, I sent them to him. They are not with me, but with the Procureur General.
Under such circumstances please inquire why the enclosures were not copied on the 12th, the day the mail by the " Yarra " left, and also why they were not copied on the 13th, the day you gave the Minute paper 1743/86 to Mr. Escott, the Acting Junior Assistant Colonial Secretary.
21st April 1886.
MR. ESCOTT,
(Signed) J. POPE HENNESSY.
PLEASE inquire from the Despatch and record why the documents referred to by the Governor were not copied and forwarded.
CLIFFORD LLOYD.
22/4/86.
To the LIEGTENant-Governor,
(Signed)
I. THE enclosures required by the Governor, contained in Minute paper 1748/86, were not copied on the 12th April because this Minute paper was believed to be with his Excellency as it was charged to him on 7/4/86 and had not since been received at this office. The statement written on the telegrani, which was sent by the private secretary to the Despatch clerk, Mr. Gibson, on 12/4/86, that "these papers cannot be with the Governor," was made, I have ascertained from Mr. Gibson himself, because he could not understand why his Excellency applied for copies of documents contained in Minute paper 1743/86 when that Minute paper was supposed to be at Réduit.
II. The papers were not copied on the 13th because, though I received Minute paper 1743/96 on that day, no instructions had been issued to me in the matter except from the Lieutenant-Governor, who had directed that no papers should be forwarded to Mr. C. Stewart whilst he was seriously ill.
On the 15th instant, in accordance with instructions received at the office from the private secretary, Minute paper 1743/86 was sent to his Excellency at Réduit by carriole.
31
When Mr. Gibson was informed that a mail was to be despatched by the "Rivers- dale "
on the same day, he asked Mr. Crétin for Minute paper 1743/86, but found that the paper in question had already been sent to Réduit earlier in the day. It was, therefore, impossible for him to have the copies made.
E. B. SWEET ESCOTT.
22/4/86.
HIS EXCELLENCy the Governor,
(Signed)
I HAVE made the inquiry directed in that portion of your Minute marked A. The result will be found in the assistant secretary's Minute of 22/4/86. You had given me no instruction, written or verbal, as to having the charges against Mr. Stewart copied and enclosed to Lord Granville, but your private secretary bad communicated direct on the subject with one of my clerks.
As I had occasion once before to ask, if your Excellency will be good enough to communicate your wishes or orders in writing to me at my office, or verbally to me when we meet, the responsibility will rest with me, and such mistakes could not occur.
I do not clearly understand your Excellency's views or desires as expressed in the other portions of your Minute, except as regards those I have marked as C. and D. As to the former (C.) I think your Excellency is under a misapprehension, and as to (D.), I communicated the fact alluded to the moment I was aware of it.
(Signed) CLIFFORD LLOYD.
24/4/86.
I will now see that the copies of the further charges against Mr. C. Stewart are forwarded to the Secretary of State by the next mail in accordance with your instructions on this file to my clerk.
27/4/86.
OFFICE DESPATCH CLERK.
To note.
27/4/86.
Seen.
Vide annexed memo.
30/4/86.
Instruction of Lieutenant-Governor noted.
(Signed) CLIFFORD LLOYD.
(Signed)
CLIFFORD LLOYD.
(Signed)
F. GIBSON.
On the 28th instant a Minute was sent to his Excellency the Governor, with the file of papers in Mr. Stewart's case, asking him to particularise the further enclosures* referred to in the Despatch forwarded to the Secretary of State by the last French mail.
On the following day the file was received back with a reference to the Procureur General. From this file was detached the Minute above referred to.
A telegram, as per annexed copy, was sent to the Governor to-day, calling attention to this fact.
(Signed) F. GIBSON.
30th April 1886.
TELEGRAM.
Sent at noon.—C. L.
LIEUTENANT-GOVERNOR to HIS EXCELLENCY THE GOVERNOR, Reduit.
The Minute sent up on the 28th, asking "what further charges against Mr. Stewart "' . should be sent to the Secretary of State, did not return with the file of papers yesterday,
• Charges ?—C. L.
D 4
C.
D.
A