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been and am opposed to the appointment of a Commission of Enquiry, and they did not hesitate to add that the official vote given on the 23rd of April last in the Legislature was due to the pressure or influence which I had brought to bear on the Government Members. I have no reason to doubt that they are the instigators of these ideas, and that the constant references thereto in the papers mentioned above, which they practically control, emanate from, or are inspired by, them. Mr. de Boucherville's connexion with the Press, when he was a Member of the Public Service of the Colony, can be found on record in your Lordship's Department, and he is now a regular contributor to the "Petit Journal," and Editor of the "Croix du Dimanche.'
8 I feel constrained to allude to these matters, for such constant diffusion of error in regard to matters of fact increases the difficulties of Administration, is calculated to lead to a misconception of my conduct, and may tend to more untoward results.
9. In Secret despatches of the 13th and 27th of April,* I have submitted my views on Lord Elgin's proposal, and I have explained my action when the question was laid before, and discussed in, the Council. I beg now to repeat that neither by any expression or action have I given cause for such ideas and statements, and that I have maintained a strictly neutral attitude throughout the consideration of the matter. I would here, moreover, add that, but for the question of expense, and for the opinion maintained by a large majority of the Unofficial Members of the Council, your predecessor, who had been previously consulted in accordance with the wish of I should have requested the Official Members to give their votes in favour of a resolution inviting the appointment of the Commission, and that I should have personally welcomed its advent to the Colony.
10. For facility of reference I append a copy of the printed correspondencet relating to the four meetings under consideration, and whilst I am loth to burden this communication with such matter, I consider it necessary to invite attention to the enclosed extractst from two of the newspapers mentioned, the more especially as, on the appearance of the second of them, the Procureur-General asked my permis- sion to take proceedings against the editor of the paper in which it appeared, expressing his opinion that the publication of the article is distinctly actionable under the provisions of Ordinance 22 of 1901, Article 2 (283 of the Penal Code). I have, however, informed Mr. Herchenroder that I do not think that any useful purpose would be served by such action; and that if it be found advisable to put a stop to the practices which have long been pursued by a portion of the local Press, the effective remedy would seem to lie in taking power to visit the offence by suppression of the newspaper in addition to punishment of the offender.
I have, &c.,
Enclosure 1 in No. 72.
CAVENDISH BOYLE.
EXTRACT from the Minutes of the Executive Council of Mauritius.
(Meeting held on Friday, 2nd July, 1908.)
III. The Governor made a statement in regard to what had taken place in reference to the public meeting held in the Champ de Mars on the 28th ultimo in support of the movement urging the appointment of a Commission of Enquiry.
His Excellency said that on the 22nd June last a letter was addressed by Mr. A. de Boucherville to the Colonial Secretary asking on behalf of the "Comité de l'Action Libérale" for permission to hold a public meeting in Port Louis, to which a reply was sent on the 24th, after the police had been consulted, stating that there was no objection to the meeting taking place as proposed on Sunday, the 28th of June.
In the meantime the Governor had received a communication from the same gentleman stating that the leaders of the movement wished to present the resolutions they intended to propose at the meeting to him on Sunday, the 28th, and asking whether he would receive that communication. Further, in the letter, His Excel- lency said, there was an involved sentence, which, as he discovered afterwards, was intended to convey a request that he would receive a delegation from the same Com- mittee who desired to make the same proposal which was already contained in the
↑ Not reprinted.
• Nos. 54 and 58.
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first part of the letter. He caused the writer to be informed in reply that he would be prepared to receive any communication which he might wish to make on Monday, the 29th, at 11 o'clock. Subsequently the Governor, having understood from observa tions which appeared in certain papers what was the intention of the writer, Mr. de Boucherville, namely, that he and another of his colleagues, Dr. Laurent, should see the Governor prior to the meeting, His Excellency at once proceeded to Port Louis on Saturday, the 27th of June, and invited these two gentlemen to see him. They came at a quarter to one and he received them, the Procureur-General being present.
He showed Mr. de Boucherville's letter to Dr. Laurent, who said Undoubtedly, this is not what we wished; it is Mr. de Boucherville's unfortunate way of expressing himself; but it was intended to convey our wish to see Your Excellency before the meeting."
At that interview, His Excellency added, he was asked to receive a deputation of the organisers of the meeting on Sunday. He replied that he thought that in the interest of quiet and good order it was not advisable that the Governor should be in town on a Sunday to receive that representation, inasmuch as he thought it would be impossible for them to prevent the crowd which had assembled in the Champ de Mars from following the deputation. He asked them if they could guarantee that only the deputation would come to him and that the whole assembly would not accompany them. As they replied that they could not give such guarantee, he said that in those circumstances he could not receive their resolutions in Port Louis immediately after the meeting on Sunday, but that as they seemed to be anxious that the resolutions should be promptly presented to him he would be prepared to receive their delegation at Réduit. To this their answer was that they could not go to Réduit, having other things to do. It was then understood and agreed by them than the resolutions should be presented here on Monday, the 29th.
Mr. de Boucherville at the same interview said that the idea was prevalent that he, the Governor, was strongly opposed to any enquiry. He replied that that was not true, and that neither by word, deed, nor implication had he ever given cause for such an idea or expressed any opinion on the subject which would justify it. Mr. de Boucherville's answer was that he was very glad to hear it.
Another question was raised by Dr. Laurent, who said that his desire was that either he, the Governor, or some leading official of the Government should be present in Port Louis on the next day; and the suggestion was made that the Colonial Secretary should be in town and place himself at the corner of one of the streets to watch the crowd going up to the Champ de Mars. This proposal, His Excellency replied, he was unable to accept, as he did not see what useful purpose would result from adopting such a course, and he added that he had taken steps to obtain official and reliable accounts from the police, and, in addition, the magistrates of the town Dr. Laurent then would be able to give him the fullest possible information. remarked that it was impossible to get any truth from what was said in the papers; that the papers told lies about these meetings. The Governor called the attention of Dr. Laurent to what he had said before, adding that he would take no notice of what were called lies, and that he would rely on the official reports which would be made to him.
The interview then closed.
The public meeting took place on the Sunday and was orderly throughout. On Monday fast, the 29th, he received the deputation in Port Louis at 11 o'clock, as Dr. Laurent said he was very sorry that arranged. The same two gentlemen came.
he had no document to present to the Governor, that it was not ready, but that his The Governor then secretary was typing it and he would get it very shortly. listened to a short description of the meeting by Dr. Laurent, who thereupon said : these are the resolutions which I propose to telegraph to the Secretary of State, inasmuch as Your Excellency has said that you would not telegraph.
His Excellency said he would like the Council to know that on the occasion of one of the previous meetings, when he refused to telegraph the resolutions to the His Secretary of State, he distinctly informed Dr. Laurent that he did so simply because he did not see how any useful purpose could be served by taking that course. Excellency further stated that there was never any mention as to the cost of any such messages, and what he said on both occasions was solely that he did not think it would be useful to send the resolutions by telegraph, inasmuch as he could not give the information which the Secretary of State would naturally require, until he had received official and full accounts of the meeting.
He recalled another occurrence at the interview on the 29th June; it was with
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