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PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE

Reference :-

سلسل

C.O. 882

5 PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE, LONDON

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

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about two years ago. Having reached Mauritius I remained there for nearly seven weeks, during which time I examined orally on oath 80 witnesses, of whom 36 were in favour of Sir John Pope Hennessy, 36 were against him, and 8 were neutral. I also received written statements, from 19 persons who volunteered to give evidence; but whom, for one reason or another, I did not consider it necessary to examine on oath. Of these 11 were for the Governor, and 8 opposed to him.

5. Upon my return here I forwarded to Her Majesty's Government, as I had been requested to do, my "conclusions and recommendations " upon the questions submitted to me, together with the evidence and written statements in original, upon which they were based; and I returned at the same time the whole of the original correspondence relating to the subject, which accompanied Mr. Stanhope's despatch of the 29th September last.

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6. I had hoped that my connexion with this disagreeable duty would then have been brought to a close, and that Her Majesty's Government would have been enabled to deal in any manner that might have appeared to them to be just and proper with my "conclusions and recommendations." Since then, however, I have had referred to me observations letters from Sir John Pope Hennessy and his friends, which deal my not with the matter of my "conclusions," but with the manner in which the inquiry was conducted. I am quite ready to give Her Majesty's Government any further informa tion and assistance in reference to this case, which they may desire; but I would beg of you to remember that having sent home all the original correspondence, and the whole of the evidence and written statements in connexion with it, I have now no docu. ments here to refer to, and that my observations are therefore based upon recollection alone, which, as time passes away, necessarily becomes weak.

7. I would also observe that objections based upon the manner in which I conducted the inquiry appear to me to be matters of secondary importance compared to the ❝ conclusions at which I arrived. The mode of conducting the inquiry was, as I have before said, left entirely to my judgment, and although it is only natural that Sir John Pope Hennessy and his friends should now find fault with my proceedings, I may point out that these objections were apparently not entertained until after may adverse decision became known.

8. During the course of the inquiry neither Sir John Pope Hennessy nor his friends ever took any exception to the form of the investigation or to the manner in which the proceedings were conducted. I had every reason to believe that both the Governor's party and the anti-Governor's party were alike content. One of the Governor's strongest supporters, who had spoken for a whole day in his behalf before the Commission, informed the Secretary and the Law Adviser to the Commission, that both sides were fully satisfied with the manner in which they had been treated. He added that it was remarked by the witnesses generally that they had been unable to gather from my manner, or mode of examination, upon which side my opinion inclined.

9. I may mention also a somewhat singular public expression of opinion to the same effect. The inquiry had practically closed. I was about to leave in four days. The community were, as it were, "waiting for the verdict." This was the position on the morning of the 14th December, when, a few hours before Sir John Pope Hennessy's suspension was notified to him, a leading article appeared in the "Merchants and Planters' Gazette," which is a strong supporter of Sir Johu Pope Hennessy's policy and party. I have not a copy of the paper, and can only quote from. it from recollection, but it is probably filed in your office, and if so, I would beg a reference to it. The article contrasted most favourably the manner in which the inquiry, then drawing to a close, had been carried on, as compared with that of 1874. It stated that the pro- ceedings of the Commission had been marked by courtesy, industry, and an evident desire to arrive at the whole truth upon every issue raised; and it concluded with the assertion that, whatever the decision might be, it would be entitled to be received by both sides as that of a thoroughly impartial and painstaking tribunal.

10. The verdict having been adverse to Sir John Pope Hennessy, he and bis friends appear no longer to look upon the manner in which the inquiry was conducted in so favourable a light. This, as I have said, is perhaps only natural. But for all practical purposes it appears to me to be a side issue of comparative unimportance. The soundness of my "conclusions," and not the manner of my arriving at them, is the real point for consideration, and I would advise that instead of wasting further time in beating about comparatively irrelevant points, the "conclusions" arrived at by me on Mr. Clifford Lloyd's case, (2) Mr. Ferguson's case, (3) Mr. Cockburn Stewart's case, (4) the memorial of the five unofficial Members of Council, (5) the exercise of the prerogative of pardon, (6) the charges advanced by certain English officials, and (7) the

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general" conclusions" at the close of my report, should be communicated to Sir John Pope Hennessy, and that he be called on to make his defence upon them. The evidence upon which these "conclusions" have been based is already in his possession.

11. If Her Majesty's Government should desire my report upon Sir John Pope Hennessy's defence I shall of course be prepared to furnish it. If, on the other hand, Her Majesty's Government should prefer to allow Sir John Pope Hennessy to have what I consider he has, in delaying his defence, all along been striving for namely, the last word, and to dispose of his case without further reference to me, I shall raise no objection to such a course, provided my proceedings are not impugned. I use the word

proceedings' as distinguished from "conclusions," for of course it would not be likely that Sir John Pope Hennessy would concur with me in my adverse opinion as to his conduct.

TO SECRETARY OF STATE. 7th January 1887.

8th

8th

17th

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(Telegraphic). 1887.

1887.

15th February (Telegraphic).

19th

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12. I would also ask that whatever may be the final decision of Her Majesty's Government upon the case, the whole of my official communications to the Secretary of State upon it, as quoted in the margin, may, in justice to myself, be published; as misleading extracts from my correspondence with Sir John Pope 15th Hennessy, have, I observe, already found their way into a London Roman Catholic newspaper, and been copied by the English and Colonial press.

I have, &c. (Signed) HERCULES ROBINSON, The Right Hon. Sir H. T. Holland, Bart., G.C.M.G., Royal Commissioner.

&rc.

&c.

&c.

No. 87.

THE RIGHT HON. SIR H. T. HOLLAND, BART., G.C.M.G., M.P., to ADMINISTRATOR MAJOR-GENERAL W. H. HAWLEY.

(No. 86.)

SIR,

Downing Street, April 11, 1887. I HAVE the honour to acknowledge the receipt of your despatch of the 10th March, reporting that as the Council of Government was not sitting you had been unable to submit a vote for the purpose of granting the half sulary of Governor to Sir J. P. Hennessy from the date of his suspension until a final decision is taken in his case, but that you had given instructions for the payment of the said half salary.

I have to instruct you to ask the Council to sanction this payment as soon as it

meets.

The Officer Administering the Government.

No. 88.

I have, &c. (Signed)

H. T. HOLLAND.

THE RIGHT HON. SIR H. T. HOLLAND, Bart., G.C.M.G., M.P., to the RIGHT HON. SIR HERCULES ROBINSON, G.C.M.G.

Downing Street, April 13, 1887.

SIR,

I HAVE the honour to acknowledge the receipt of your despatch of the 14th of Marcht relative to the inquiry held by you into the affairs of Mauritius, and to refer you in reply to my despatch of the 26th of March,‡ transmitting copy of a letter of the same date to Sir J. P. Hennessy.

Sir H. Robinson.

I have, &c.

(Signed)

H. T. HOLLAND.

• No. 83.

↑ No. 85.

‡ Not printed.

Y 4