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C.O. 882

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16. A special export duty on sugar, that pressed upon the planters, was abolished, whilst all the licenses on the hawking of bread, fish, vegetables, and fruit, that had pressed severely on the Indians and poorer classes were also abolished.

17. Numerous trade licenses which harassed the Creole artizans were abolished. 18. Though the depression of the sugar industry affected the revenue, taxation was reduced.

19. The needlessly severe penalties under the forest laws that had caused such suffering to the Indian population, were repealed.

20. Increased facilities were given to Indian immigrants to return with their families to India.

21. Duly qualified medical men instead of unqualified practitioners were employed in the ships conveying Indian immigrants.

22. An excise law which prevented the cultivation of tobacco was repealed.

23. Steps have been taken to encourage the production of tobacco, tea, cinchona and

silk.

24. A first attempt at the reafforestation of the northern part of the island has been made.

25. The vote for Public Instruction was increased.

26. The site for a central gaol was selected, the building, on the separate cellular plan, has been constructed, and the mark system of rewards for good conduct has been introduced.

27. A scheme for supplying the chief centres of population with pure water from the upland springs has been begun and is far advanced."

28. One or two of the higher appointments that had hitherto been reserved for strangers have been filled by Mauritians.

29. An arrangement was made with Lord Derby which conferred Local Government on the Mauritians. Though, unfortunately, this arrangement was superseded by his successor, some slight redress of political grievances was still secured.

30. The relations between the planters and the Indian immigrants have never been more satisfactory. Complaints by Indians of ill-treatment have diminished.

31. Though the neighbouring governments of France and Madagascar have been at war, the Government of Mauritius has maintained friendly relations with both.

32. Sir Virgile Naz pointed out that the vote of 55,000. last year, for defences, suggested by the Imperial Government, was passed unanimously owing to my policy.

33. The majority of the unofficial members of the Council of Government, in their letter to you of the 24th September 1886, are good enough to say that I had gained the sympathy of the vast majority of the inhabitants of Mauritius, that I had done more than any previous Governor to endear to the Mauritians the ties which unite the Colony to the British Empire.

34. As I bave been driven to refer to such facts, I will only say that I am not unwilling to have my character as an administrator determined by them.

35. But what has been the result of Sir Hercules Robinson's proceedings on these improved relations between Mauritius and England? You have received by telegramf the protest of the majority of the unofficial members of Council against Sir Hercules Robinson's act.

36. All the organs of real Mauritian opinion declare that Bir Hercules Robinson's proceedings have done more to alienate the Mauritian population from British rule than any event since the conquest of the island.

37. By this mail, a delegate, the President of the Chamber of Agriculture, is proceeding to England, appointed by the most influential meeting of Mauritians that has assembled for many years, to convey the sentiments of the community to Her Majesty's Government, and to protest against what has been done by the Royal Commissioner.

Such is the main result of the inquiry up to this,

I

The Right Hon. Edward Stanhope, M.P.

• Enclosure in No. 32.

I have, &c.

(Signed)

J. POPE HENNESSY.

↑ No. 89.

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No. 59.

THE RIGHT HON. SIR HERCULES ROBINSON, G.C.M.G., to the RIGHT HON. EDWARD STANHOPE, M.P. (Received February 9, 1887.)

Government House, Cape Town, January 17, 1887.

(No. 42.)

SIR,

IN Sir John Hennessy's cablegram to you, a copy of which you telegraphed to me on the 7th instant, he states "I have 34 official witnesses for defence to be examined." I have already referred in my report to a similar statement made to me by Sir John Hennessy; but it may be convenient for me to place on record here, in a connected form, all that passed between us on this subject.

2. On the 10th December 1886 Messrs. Round and Solomon called, by my desire,' on Sir John Hennessy, at Réduit, to endeavour to get him to make some definite promise as to the date upon which he would furnish his defence. Up to that time 21 witnesses had given evidence before the Royal Commission upon Sir John Hennessy's

■ide, some of them at great length. Sir John Hennessy, in the course of conversation, mentioned to Mr. Round that there were some English officials he wished to have examined to rebut the adverse evidence given by the 23 English officials who had already been examined. He specified the names of five or six officers to Mr. Round, amongst them being those of Mr. de Joux, Mr. Connal, Dr. Meldrum, and Captain Childs. When Mr. Round mentioned this conversation to me, I at once requested him to summon all the gentlemen named by Sir John Hennessy.

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3. On the 12th December Sir John Hennessy wrote to me that it would take him

at least three weeks from that day to complete his defence, adding, " Meanwhile, as I suggested to Mr. Round on Friday, the majority of the English heads of depart- ments and the majority of the other English officials can, I presume, be examined. I "understand they are prepared to negative the four charges laid against me by the "minority of the English officials."

4. This was the first intimation I received that Sir John Hennessy claimed to have the majority of the English officials on his side. Mr. Round had merely stated to me that Sir John Hennessy had mentioned to him certain names, which he repeated to me, in all five or six, as far as I can remember.

5. On the 13th December I wrote to Sir John Hennessy, telling him he could take the three further weeks he desired, and send his defence after me to the Cape. I added, that

up to the 18th December, when I proposed to leave, I would be ready to examine any witnesses he produced.

6. On the morning of the 14th December my private secretary, Mr. Newton, visited Réduit, and handed to Sir John Hennessy my communication of the 13th. In the course of conversation, Sir John Hennessy said that Mr. Beyts and Mr. de Joux had told him that a large number of English officials, he believed between 30 and 40, were prepared to come forward and give evidence negativing the charges brought against him by the English officials already examined.

7. On the 15th December, in accordance with the wish expressed to Mr. Round, verbally, by Sir John Hennessy, 1 examined Mr. de Joux, Mr. Connal, Dr. Meldrum, and Captain Childs; and I telegraphed to Sir John Hennessy that, if he would give me the names of any other officials he wished to be examined, they would be summoned for the following day.

8. On the same day, 15th December, he replied by telegraph that he had been about to send me a list of 34 witnesses when he received my communication suspending him from office. In consequence, he had refrained from sending the list, and declined to be a party to any further proceedings.

9. I replied the same day that I had already examined four witnesses on his behalf, and had summoned six officers for the following day, who had been asked by Mr. de Joux to give evidence.

10. On the 16th December Sir John Hennessy telegraphed, in reply to mine of the previous day, that from the moment he was suspended from office, "he had not been a party to my examining any of the 34 witnesses he had intended calling `to rebut the testimony of the minority of the English officials."

11. Upon the same day, 16th December, 11 witnesses, whose names were on lists handed in by Messrs. Beyts and de Joux, were examined on behalf of Sir John Hennessy. One official, whose name was also on one of the lists, Mr. Green, the postmaster, had been examined some days earlier.

• No. 88. T4