CO882-(2-3) — Page 401

87 to 92.

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Police Clerk, both reliable witnesses, to be untrue and the man's complaint, as to distance, is shown to be an exaggeration (ride Mr. Antelme's report, para. 87 to 92). The Commission, however, say, "they have difficulty in arriving at the truth." Surely the difficulty seems to be in not finding an accusation against the police substantiated.

48. Far be it from me to impute unworthy motives to any one, but I submit it cannot, from the above as also the tenor of the whole document, but strike an impartial reader that the colour of the accuser (vide Colonial Secretary's letter of instructions), possibly most unintentionally pervades much of the examination, and I fear may unwittingly be felt in the judgment of a Commission which allowed itself to publish the opinion of a single member in the report submitted us the work of the whole (vide Honourable the Protector of immigrants' Protest, para. 10).

19. I have to regret the delay that has occurred in sending this report, arriving but a month ago in the Colony, in addition to taking over my duties, getting settled at my work, I found I had the whole Police Report to go into, and that I had in consequence to be examined on laws, &c., which for the last year and a-half, I had during my absence in Europe necessarily ceased to follow.

50. If I have written strongly it is that I feel strongly, as I submit must any honourable man at being thus attacked when absent, for it is a remarkable coincidence that though the Acting Inspector-General of Police, a member of the Commission, was fully aware of all orders in the force, and that copies were in his hands or those of another Commissioner (vide D), yet no evidence of any kind that could throw credit on the Department, or its administration prior to the last few months, seems to have been brought forward or elicited by him, and I contend that any one acquainted with the force must say that the police was in no worse order when under Colonel Anson, Mr. Prince, myself, and Captain Gordon, than it was during the last six months; a short period to inspire fresh life, discipline, and organization to a corps of nearly 1,000 men; a transformation that I confess I have not, in any one particular, as yet observed.

•

51. In conclusion, I beg you will make allowances for any short-coming there may be in the report, taking into consideration the position I am placed in at suddenly finding myself in presence of two such inquiries, as that on the police and the one I have the honour of addressing, and of the necessity of vindicating myself against the accusations made by the former against myself and Department.

I have, &c.

(Signed) J. T. N. O'BRIEN, Lieutenant-Colonel. General Police Office, August 24, 1872.

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Commission, and which has since been returned to me, with the accompanying note from Captain Blunt.

I beg also to state, for your information, that General Order No. 28 of 1870, page 31, hereunto annexed, which was in the book when I handed it in, was missing when the book was returned to me.

I have, &o.

To the Inspector-General of Police.

(Signed) J. A. SPENCER, Superindendent.

(C.)

General Order No. 28.

The object of the new Labour Law (Ordinance 31 of 1867) being to stop vagrancy and diminish the erratic tendencies of the Indian population, the exertions of the police should in no way be relaxed in carrying out the spirit of the Ordinance; at the same time it should be carried out in such a manner as will prevent its action being vexatious to the honest man and legitimate trader.

Thus, in case of a respectable Indian found for a day or so out of his district, possessing both retail license and pass, en règle, with photograph, numbers, &c., all corresponding, and being able to give a satisfactory account of himself, it would be evidently an act of injustice to arrest such a man-possible to his great pecuniary detriment-when, perhaps, he left his district to collect money owing, purchase goods, &c., especially when the law only authorizes Inspectors to grant migratory permission to lawkers,-a permission that was not extended to other trades, as its necessity was not foreseen at the time.

J. T. N. O'BRIEN,

Inspector-General of Police.

(Signed)

General Police Office, April 23, 1870.

(Copy.)

My dear Spencer,

(D.)

I send them back, but the Commissioners want a copy of all of them.

July 10, 1872. Yours truly,

(Signed) F. T. BLUNT.

Annexures.

(Copy.)

(E.)

(A.)

Port Louis, Mauritius, General Police Office, July 22, 1872.

(Copy.) Sir,

In compliance with your request, I put on paper, as far as I can remember, the verbal order given to me by the Acting Inspector-General, relative to the General Orders, signed as true copies by me, and handed to the Police Commission, "That I should pick out the Orders directly referring to the fact that the Inspector-General drew the attention of the officers to the fact that few vagrants had been arrested, in comparison with the number going about the Colony, and requesting the officers not to relax their efforts to arrest them.'

Yours, &c.

Lieutenant-Colonel O'Brien,

(Copy.) Bir,

(Signed)

WM. SEED.

(B.)

General Police Office, August 20, 1872.

I have the honour herewith to forward to you a book of General Orders, which was handed in by me to Mr. Judge Gorrie, when I was heard on the Police Inquiry

My dear Colonel,

August 19, 1872.

You ask me whether I recollect having seen at the Police Inquiry Commission the Police General Orders No. 88 of 1869, and No. 28 of 1870, one of which you showed to me, and which you said had been cut out from a set of such Orders stitched up together after they had been submitted to the Police Inquiry Commission; in reply, I have to state, that I had not seen or read Orders No. 88 and 28, until I saw them in your hands.

Colonel O'Brien,

Inspector-General,

(Copy.)

J. A. ROBERTSON.

Yours very truly, (Signed)

(F.)

Military Garrison Order.

1. To prevent the entering of all coloured persons, except those having passes signed by the Garrison Adjutant, or servants with passos signed by their employers, those employed as military labourers in barracks, and all messengers with letters, &c., addressed to officers and others residing in barracks, will be admitted at all times.

2. Orderlies from the different Staff Officers are to be allowed in and out of barracks at any time of day. [184]

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