60
3. The principal poin, upon which Mr. Lloyd invites my decision appears to be as to his right to regulate the mode of doing business in the Colonial Secretary's office, and he appears to me to take a mistaken view of his position, in supposing that no local rule to which he is not a party could, without the sanction of the Secretary of State, deprive him of the complete control of his own office staff and internal administration conferred upon him by Her Majesty's Commission. The Colonial Secretary is bound to obey the orders of the Governor, though it is at the same time desirable that he should not be too strictly tied by rules in the management of the work of his office. The rules established by Sir G. Bowen should therefore not have been departed from without your previous sanction; but I am of opinion that since the changes introduced by Mr. Lloyd appear to have facilitated the work of the department, which had become unmanageable, those changes should be adopted; and I especially think that the change introduced in 1884, by which the Colonial Secretary has the direct control of the business of the Despatch branch, should be adhered to, and that the practice of the Governor giving orders through his private secretary or otherwise direct to subordinate officers in the department should be discontinued.
4. With regard to the circumstances connected with the address in reply to your speech opening the Council of Government, I am addressing you in separate Despatches; and I need not now further refer to these matters.
81
Mr. Basset, as your Excellency is aware, is a very intelligent and able gentleman who knows this Colony and the several classes of its inhabitants well. As the lists of signatures bear the signature, the address, and the profession, of each signer, and as Mr. Basset has classified them and summed up the respective classes with care, the figures ascertained by him are reliable.
Those figures warrant the belief expressed at the time, by the deputation, that the address had been, in a few days, sigued by the majority of the educated and independent classes. In the absence of any attempt to get up a counter manifestation, they prove that your Excellency enjoys the confidence and affection of a large majority of the people.
You will observe that the address was only signed by 288 members of the Civil Service and by 172 members of the Police force, making together only 460 Government servants, and leaving 6,401 signatures of people independent from your Excellency.
I entrust to the special messenger the parcel of the lists of signatures which he will return to your Excellency.
I have, &c. (Signed)
V. NAZ.
PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE
Reference :-
TILIC.O. 882
5 PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE, LONDON
ALLY WITHOUT PERMISSION OF THE BE REPRODUCED PHOTOGRAPHIC- COPYRIGHT PHOTOGRAPH-NOT TO
Sir J. Pope Hennessy.
No. 21.
I have, &c.
(Signed)
GRANVILLE.
GOVERNOR SIR J. POPE HENNESSY, K.C.M.G., to the RIGHT HON. THE EARL GRANVILLE, K.G. (Received August 25, 1886.)
(No. 277.)
MY LORD,
Government House, Mauritius, August 2, 1886.
WITH reference to my despatch of the 10th of May, transmitting a letter from Messrs. Beaugeard, de Coriolis, Antelme senior, and Planel, and a minute from Mr. Clifford Lloyd, objecting to the way a complimentary address to me was signed, I have the honour to lay before your Lordship the parcel containing the original signatures with the address and profession of each signer, together with a classification of the signatures and a letter on the subject from the Honourable Sir Virgile Naz, K.C.M.G.
2. I have made careful inquiry into the allegation that pressure was put upon subordinate officials to sign the address, but I cannot find a single instance to justify it. The suggestion of the memorialists, that the greater number of signatures was so obtained, is not supported by the fact that, out of the total number (6,861), it is now established that only 460 are Government employés, the remaining 6,401 being entirely independent of the Government.
I have, &c.
The Right Hon. Earl Granville, K.G.,
&c.
&c.
&c.
(Signed)
J. POPE HENNESSY.
Enclosure 2 in No. 21.
CLASSIFICATION by MR. E. Basset.
1, the undersigned, secretary to the Initiative Committee for drawing up the Address which was presented to his Excellency the Governor on the 7th of May last, and for issuing and receiving back the list of signatures to that Address, do hereby certify that I have carefully examined and classified those signatures, and that I have ascertained the following numbers :—
Planters, householders, and landowners Merchants
Traders
Barristers-at-law
Notaries
Doctors of medicine
Attorneys-at-law Pharmacists
-
1,090
79
747
826
21
13
Out of 170, being the total num-
27
ber given by the Mauritius
-
33
Almanack for this year.
19
5
Editors of newspapers
Brokers and auctioneers Teachers
Managers of sugar estates, overseers, clerks, and other
'employés "
Accountants
Other professions
·
Workmen and artizans
Professions unknown
Enclosure I in No. 21.
LETTER from the HON. SIR VIROILe Naz, K.C.M.G., to bis
DEAR SIR,
EXCELLEncy the Governor. Port Louis, Mauritius, August 2, 1886.
In compliance with your Excellency's request that, as President of the deputation by whom an address signed by 6,861 persons was presented to your Excellency on the 7th May last, I should have the signatures to that address classified and the professions and occupations of the signers ascertained, I have the honour to inform your Excellency that Mr. Emilien Basset, who acted as Secretary to the initiative Committee for drawing up the address and for receiving the lists of signatures to it, has been good enough to undertake that work, and I enclose the result signed and certified by him.
• No. 10.
Government servants And policemen
Grand total
(Signed)
H 8
118
84
92
1,417
144
1,139
- 1,264
277
4,367
6,401
288
172
460
6,861
EMN. BASSET,
Secretary to the Initiative Committee.