CO882-(1-2) — Page 169

PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE

Reference :-

C.O. 882

ALLY WITHOUT PERMISSION OF THE BE REPRODUCED PHOTOGRAPHIC-

COPYRIGHT PHOTOGRAPH—NOT TO

PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE, LONDON

4746a.*

Papers, 1849. Page 208.

Page 39.

Page 307.

69

Lord Torrington to himself of the dates of June July 7, and August 4, 1849. These are the letters which Mr. Hume inquired for. (Page 67)

It is perhaps not worth while to speculate further upon the relations of Lord Torrington with Mr. Wodehouse, for the elucidation of which the pri- vate letters were produced in the first instance. Indeed, the letters themselves seem to furnish almost the only light upon the subject. In his letter of the 13th April, 1849, to Sir E. Tennent, Lord Torring- ton says, "Mr. Wodehouse will do nothing wrong by you or I."

This would be rather a cold phrase

in reference to a declared partisan. In his letter of the 3rd May to Mr. Wodehouse, Lord Torrington requests him to watch the evidence of a person if he should be called before the Committee; and this would seem a very delicate mission to a person who was himself supposed to be a hostile witness. Both letters, however, might well be written under the impression that in some respects Mr. Wode- house's evidence would be unfavourable, but that in all respects it would be just. Mr. Wodehouse had told him to consult his Council oftener, and had opposed the shop ordinance at least, and procured its repeal, so that he could hardly be reckoned upon as an unqualified approver of all Lord Torrington's policy. Mr. Wodehouse assigns the interval between the passing of some of the tax ordinances and the interview of the 6th of November, 1848, as the period during which there was some estrangement between himself and Lord Torrington. The last of these ordinances passed on the 13th April, 1848. One

of the most important of these ordinances was Mr. Wodehouse's own road ordinance. Lord Torring- ton himself attached the greatest importance to it, and unless he had expected that great relief to the revenue would have resulted from its operation,

he would not have given up the export dues. In his despatch of December 13, 1847, he announces the road ordinance thus, that he has "nearly ready to be laid before the Legislative Council (with the assistance of Mr. Wodehouse), a measure for intro- ducing throughout the colony a comprehensive scheme of local taxation for local purposes," &c. On December 13, 1848, Lord Torrington transmits to Earl Grey a report by Mr. Wodehouse of his tour which he had made with a view to explain to U