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PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE

Reference :-

LTTIC.O. 882

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ALLY WITHOUT PERMISSION OF THE BE REPRODUCED PHOTOGRAPHIC- COPYRIGHT PHOTOGRAPH-NOT TO

PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE, LONDON

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2. Registers in a book title-deeds of concessions and leases of Crown lands.

3. Prepares copies of the decrees of Land Court for delivery to the parties concerned. 4. Furnishes information required by the public on documents deposited in the Registry of the Land Court.

5. Prepares certificates for naturalization of aliens.

This gentleman has been twenty-five years in the service is regular in his attendance, and attentive to his duties; from his imperfect knowledge of the English language, however, he is unable to render that assistance to the Secretary to Council which is expected of the First Clerk. In justification of this opinion, I should add that the financial officers of Government, in considering the estimates for 1857, recommended that the salary of the First Clerk be increased from 150%, to 2001. per annum, with a view to the appointment of a person competent to take the Secretary's place in case of his absence from sickness or other causes. The Secretary of State bas sanctioned the higher salary, but I have been unable to recommend that Mr. Častellan be allowed to draw it consistently with the views the financial officers entertained when they recommended the same. I do not consider Mr. Castellan com- petent to fill a higher office than the one he now holds.

F. M. Sinnatambow, Second Clerk.-1. Dutics: Copies, in duplicate, all documents read in Council, and those connected with different Reports of Council for Secretary of State.

2. Copies manuscripts of Ordinances passed in Council for Governor's signature, and deposited in Council Office.

3. Convokes the Members of Council for meetings of Council and of Committees. 4. Forwards to the Members of Council Minutes, Reports, drafts of Ordinances. 5. Keeps a book of all documents sent to the Presidents of Committees and heads of Departments.

6. Is charged with the preparation of the pay abstract and accounts.

entire This young gentleman is regular in his attendance, and performs his duties to my satisfaction. He is much underpaid, and well deserving of promotion; he is quite competent to fill a place of greater trust, that of a junior accountant, for instance.

(Signed) R. Y. CUMMINS,

Secretary to the Council.

No. 30.-Civil Status Office.

[By C. H. Higginson, Esq.]

P. P. Monty, First Clerk-Duties: Receiving declarations of deaths; delivering permits for the same; registering marriages and different rectifications; preparing the diffe- rent monthly and quarterly statements required by Government and the Registration Dues' Office; checking the cash-book; looking over all the office, and making, at the end of each year, the necessary statements for the Blue Book,

Mr. Monty is a man of strict integrity and considerable ability. He possesses a per- fect knowledge of that portion of the "Code Civile" relating to the Acts of the Civil Status, and since my appointment I have been ably and zealously assisted by him.

J. Amedte.-Duties: Receiving publications of marriages; entering the same in the marriage publications book; making searches for the late slave population, delivering their extracts, and preparing the monthly statement of births for the Chief Medical Officer.

I.. Rouge. Duties: Receiving declarations of births, delivering extracts of same, and preparing the index.

L. Savrimouton.-Duties: Making searches in the different registers of the Civil Status; delivering extracts; copying marriages in the duplicate book; making certificates of marriages, and registering all Judge's Orders and notarial deeds.

The second, third, and fourth clerks respectively, are men of intelligence and industry; they get through their daily work with rapidity and unrivalled accuracy, and give, I believe, satisfaction to the public, who collect at this office in large numbers each day of the week.

As a general observation, I should say that the public servants in this department have faithfully, diligently, and cheerfully discharged the duties confided to them during the past

year.

(Signed)

No. 31.-General Post Office.

[By W. H. Rawstorne.]

C. H. HIGGINSON, Officer of the Civil Status.

Mr. Gebert, Chief Clerk.-The ordinary duties at present devolving on this officer consist in keeping the office accounts, and paying over the office collections to the Postmaster for deposit by him into the Treasury.

On mail days the Chief Clerk has important duties to perform. His conduct and qualifications are without fault, but his bad state of health unfits him for the close applica-

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tion required in an office like this, I should, therefore, recommend him for a situation in another department where the duties are less harassing and fatiguing than in a Post-office.

Mr. Appavon, Second Clerk (a Native of India).-Has charge of the Inland branch, which he is required to attend to from six in the morning until the office closes at five, with an interval of two hours for breakfast. His duties are very important, having to receive and dispatch the daily mails to the districts, and as they are fast increasing on him, he requires a clerk to assist him in his duties. His conduct and qualifications are unexception- able, having had charge of this branch of the service several years. This officer is also actively employed on mail days.

Mr. Guillard, Third Clerk.-His duties are to receive letters for dispatch by ship and steamers: he is also charged with the sale of inland letter stamps to the public, which he accounts for to the Postmaster on the 25th of every month. This officer has also his respec tive duties to attend to on mail days. His general conduct and qualifications for the office be fills are satisfactory.

Mr. Gagan, Fourth Clerk.-Is attached to the Delivery Department; is also charged with the Dead Letter Branch; and on mail days has sole charge of the merchants' letters connected with the private box account. I have no reason to complain of his general con- duct and qualifications.

Mr. Rose, Fifth Clerk. Has charge of the Mail Branch, that is, of all mails received and dispatched; a very important duty, and one which requires great care and knowledge; has also his particular duties allotted him on the arrival and departure of the overland mails.

His general conduct and qualifications I have no particular reason to be dissatisfied with.

Mr. Danon, Sixth Clerk. Has charge of pay abstracts and correspondence, for which he is well fitted; has likewise particular duties to attend to on mail days. His conduct and qualifications are unexceptionable.

Mr. Arakin, Seventh Clerk (a Native of India)-Has charge of the Penny Post Branch, which he has conducted with tolerable care and attention during the past year; he has also his duties to attend to on mail days.

Mr. Condassammy, Eighth Clerk (a Native of India).—Has sole charge of the News- paper branch, with one paid volunteer to assist him in his ordinary duties.

His conduct is good, and well fitted for the office he holds.

I hope I may be permitted to add that all the officers under me do their best to assist me in carrying on the duties of this department, but such has been the increase of work since

I took charge in 1853, that more strength is absolutely necessary on the arrival and depar- ture of the overland mails, as our utmost efforts to expedite the work is wholly unavailable with the present staff of officers. I, therefore, most respectfully entreat that early measures be taken to put the department on a better footing, both as regards increase of salary and additional assistance on the mail days, which can be fully borne out by facts if his Excellency would be pleased to appoint a Committee to revise the whole establishment.

(Signed) W. H. RAWSTORNE,

No. 32.-Government Schools.

[By B. Hussey Walsh, Esq.]

Colonial Postmaster.

E. Bergicourt, Clerk.-The Superintendent of Government Schools being also Secre- tary to the Education Committee, and Inspector of Elementary Schools under Ordinance 6, 1856, the duties of his clerk are to assist in the business connected with these three depart- ments, He enters and registers letters, copies documents, prepares monthly abstracts, keeps office and school accounts, accounts of school stores, and performs a great deal of miscella- neous business besides, amongst which may be noticed, entering the Minutes of the Education Committee, and such reports as may arise in connection with that department.

These duties the Clerk performs very well. His writing is good; he copies with extreme accuracy; and nothing can exceed the neatness of the books he keeps, and the tables and other returns he fills up. His conduct, under my observation, is extremely good, and quite in accordance with his general character. He is hardworking and obliging, and remains unasked after office hours, whenever, as is usually the case, there is business still to be done. His qualifications for any other office may best be judged of from what precedes. His present duties do not involve the composition of letters, or, more generally, the perform- ance of work of an original character. The accounts which he keeps, and the tables he prepares, do not present much variety or difficulty. I believe he has not had much expe- rience in English composition, or conducting arithmetical operations of a laborious or compli-

cated character.

Piron, Servant.-Duties as office servant and messenger performed mtisfactorily so far, But he shows symptoms of inefficiency from physical incapacity.

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