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I cannot but regret that, although I have for six weeks been in daily com- munication with you on matters of duty, yet you have not once alluded to the file of orders or missing page.-Had you done so, I would have at once given you the above explanation.

In conclusion, I have the honour to request that you will be good enough to withdraw the accusations and insinuations concerning me that are contained in the above paras.

of your letter to the Royal Commissioners.

(General Branch. Registered No. A/1730.) Sir,

I have, &c. (Signed) F. T. BLUNT, Captain,

Acting Inspector of Immigrants.

Mauritius, Colonial Secretary's Office, September 26, 1872. I am directed to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of the 18th instant, inclosing copies of one from Captain Blunt to yourself, and of your reply dated respectively 14th and 16th instant.

It is more than implied in your letter to the Royal Commissioners of Enquiry of the 21th ultimo, that Captain Blunt improperly kept from the knowledge of his colleagues on the Police Commission, or from the greater part of them, certain General Orders of the Police Force, and that a page from a collection of these orders was cut out and removed by him with a view to the concealment of its contents.

Captain Blunt's answer shows that the whole of the file of police general orders was before the Commission, and on its table during its whole sitting; that the order to which you more especially refer (No. 28 of 1870) was read to Mr. Beyts by Captain Blunt at a meeting of the Commission; that page 31 was removed from the file with a view to the publication of this very order (No. 28 of 1870) in the annual report on the police, and that this latter report, including the general order in question, had been laid before the Council of Government, and published in the local newspapers before the Report of the Police Commission was drawn up.

This reply appears to the Governor to afford conclusive disproof of any attempt to conceal or suppress the papers referred to, and his Excellency cannot doubt that on reflection your own sense of justice will prompt you at once to withdraw those portions of your letter which appear to censure Captain Blunt, and to express your concern at having cast undeserved imputations on an officer who, during a considerable portion of your absence from the Colony, efficiently discharged the duties of your post.

His Excellency directs me to add the expression of his extreme surprise that, not- withstanding the frequent and almost daily personal intercourse which must necessarily have taken place between yourself and Captain Blunt on official matters, you should have thought proper to make so grave a charge against that officer, without first asking him for any explanation of the circumstances which had attracted your attention.

His Excellency is of opinion that the consideration which a subordinate officer has a right to expect from his chief, and the courtesy which one gentleman is entitled to anticipate from another, alike demanded the adoption of this course.

Had it been followed, the simple and complete explanation afforded would have probably prevented you from suggesting an unfounded charge, and would have saved you from the mortification of that retraction and apology which Captain Blunt is now entitled to demand, and which are manifestly his due.

I have, &c.

(Signed) EDWARD NEWTON, Colonial Secretary. To Lieutenant-Colonel O'Brien,

Inspector-General of Police.

(Registered No. 226.) Sir,

General Police Office, September 30, 1872.

In reply to your letter No. A-1780 of 26th instant, I have the honour to submit for the consideration of his Excellency the Governor, that in my report. I expressed that it was "far from me to impute unworthy motives to any one," and I can only again repeat the assertion with my assurance that I had no intention that such a construction should be placed on any portion of that document. I was already on oath when called upon to furnish my report on the Police Enquiry Commission by the Royal Commis- sioners. I considered myself so when I drew up my report, it being part of my testimony,

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and I claim the privilege of a witness in regard to it and its contents; of the good or bad faith of others I can constitute myself no judge, and I had and have no desire to make any imputations on any one, for the truth of the facts submitted by me I am responsible to Her Majesty's Commissioners; of their correctness, or of any collateral issue that may depend on them, they will be the judges.

Finding printed, and annexed to the Police Enquiry Report, but such documents as could reflect unfavourably on me and my department, I asked Mr. Seed how this came to be the case; receiving his reply, I enquired of Mr. Spencer, who gave me his answer; on which I made further enquiry from Mr. Robertson, and subsequently from the Honourable Mr. Antelme; their answers fully showed that they had no cognizance of the existence of any orders that could exculpate the police, and Captain Blunt now fully accounts for this, as he says he took away the file when the sittings for taking oral evidence (February 5) were over, therefore, from that date to the 9th April (over two months), when the Commission was drawing up its reports, and had most need of documentary eyidence, the file was not in their possession.

I would take the liberty of remarking that when drawing up my report, I was under the impression that it was to be considered a confidential document till handed in by me in evidence.

Of the fact that one of my orders in favour of Indians had been published some time before by Captain Blunt in a report on a totally different subject, I was not aware, nor do I see that thereby he vindicated me or the police before the Police Enquiry Commission, whose report has gone forth with only such annexures as were condemna- tory of the department attached to it, resulting in undeserved obloquy being cast upon the force in the eyes of the world. Copies of all orders are printed, and are generally available, I therefore conceive, had one been required, a copy, even in manuscript, could have been made.

That I should not have noticed that Mr. Beyte was shown the order is sufficiently explained by the misprint. In conclusion, I would remark that having for over twenty- five

years had the high privilege of serving Her Majesty in many responsible positions, both faithfully and honourably, and having hitherto to the satisfaction of my superiors performed my duty conscientiously towards this island, I find myself attacked when absent, and myself for the first time, much against my will, forced into unpleasant conflict with other public servants of the Colony, in order to defend myself. I am not the accuser, but the accused, and must claim the latitude allowed to the defence.

Finally, I cannot but feel myself deeply aggrieved by your letters No. A/1730, A/1729, and the course adopted towards me, a witness under examination by the highest Tribunal in the island; and I have the honour to express a hope that his Excellency will perceive that the retraction of any of the facts of my Report would be to admit my testimony to be untrue, and my concurrence in the Report of the Police Inquiry Commission, a conclusion that my conscience and honour alike render impossible.

I have, &c. (Signed) J. T. N. O'BRIEN,

Inspector-General of Police.

To the Hon. the Colonial Secretary.

(General Branch. Registered No. A/1885.)

Sir,

Mauritius, Colonial Secretary's Office, October 16, 1872.

I have received and laid before the Governor your letter No. 226, of the 30th ultimo.

His Excellency regrets to perceive that you have failed to recognise the error into which you have fallen, or to take that course with respect to it which his Excellency had anticipated you would voluntarily have hastened to adopt.

On the 7th ultimo you forwarded to me, for his Excellency's information, the copy of a letter addressed by you, on the 24th of August, to the Royal Commissioners of Inquiry. It it impossible seriously to contend that in this, letter grave charges (especially that of having kept from the knowledge of all but one of his colleagues on the Police Inquiry Commission documents then in his possession), are not more than implied against an officer holding an important post in the Police Force, and by whom, during a part of your absence from the island that Force was commanded.

In my letter No. A/1730 of the 26th ultimo, I pointed out to you that the proper course for you to have adopted before writing a letter of this description, would have been to call for such explanations of the circumstances which had attracted your atten-

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