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PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE

TITT

Reference :-

C.O. 882

5 PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE, LONDON

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

MR. ESCOTT,

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Enclosure C

I REGRET to see that you still address Minutes to me not on the Minute

paper, though I have pointed out to you more than once that we must all adhere to the revised regulations for the conduct of official business.

I not only invited your attention to the regulations generally, and requested you to follow them, but I pointed out to you Regulations Nos. 26 and 63, the first to the effect that Minutes should be written on the Minute paper and never on original documents, and the second, that the Colonial Secretary should submit a recommendation.

In this particular case you have departed from both these regulations.

As you have addressed your Minutes to me direct, and have persisted in not complying with my instructions, I must ask you to put on record your reasons for the course you are following.

5th May 1886.

HIS EXCELLENCY THE GOVERNOR,

(Signed) J. POPE HENNESSY.

I HAVE the honour to state, with reference to your Excellency's Minute of 5th May 1886, that I was informed by the Licutenant-Governor that he was intending to lay before you a full report upon the new arrangement of filing Minute papers in the Colonial Secretary's office, for which purpose he retained all papers on which were recorded your instructions on the subject, and that pending your Excellency's decision on the report proposed to be submitted to you, I was directed by him to continue to write Minutes in accordance with previous instructions.

5th May 1886.

HIS EXCELLENCY THE GOVERNOR,

(Signed) E. B. SWEET ESCOTT.

I VERY much regret that your Excellency should have seen cause to express dis- approval to me personally of Mr. Escott's conduct, accusing him of "having and pursuing a policy opposed" to your own, and also that you should have addressed to him the Minute hercin recorded.

Six weeks ago I established the system now in force in my office of

filing documents. Your Excellency has during the last few days written several Minutes on the subject, referring me and my assistants to certain rules framed by a previous secretary, and adapted to a different organisation and condition of affairs.

To ease the itamense labour of the office, to utilise the distinguished attainments of those serving under me in it (and especially of Mr. Escott), and for purposes of general convenience, I have made divisions of the work, and requested each assistant secretary to prepare, Minute, and submit to you the work in these departments assigned to him. This is done, however, in consultation with me, when necessary, and I am of course responsible for all that is done by these officers. This being the case, I hope your Excellency will see that if you think it necessary at all to record such Minutes of censure, the censure should be addressed to or, at least, through me. In this matter I am entirely responsible for the manner in which papers have been placed before you. A certain system of putting papers together and of minuting them is in force in my office. Your Excellency has raised general objections to it, but your Excellency aware that a system cannot be changed suddenly in a large office. I intended to submit to you a reply to the observations you have made within the last few days on several papers, and, pending the receipt of this by you, I gave instructions that no change should take place. Had I adopted the rules you refer to, my office would have been thrown into the most complete confusion. I have (yesterday) written you a full report on the subject explaining the system, I trust, entirely to your satisfaction.

I must record my regret that these records are rendered necessary.

My object is to serve your Excellency to the best of my ability, and this feeling animates every one of my subordinates. Had your Excellency given me the opportunity of transacting business with you personally, as in writing I have requested, the work in my office would be halved, and what was done would be of a much more satisfactory nature, while such communications as are to be found on this file would be avoided.

I take the opportunity of recording my opinion that since Mr. Escort has entered upon his duties in my office he has shown an aptitude, a diligence, and an intelligenge

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which might have been expected in an officer of his acquirements specially selected by the Secretary of State.

I trust your Excellency is fully satisfied with this explanation, and that you will believe that my one object is to assist you to the full extent of my power in your administration, and to meet your wishes in every way possible to me.

CLIFFORD LLOYD.

6/5/86.

Enclosure D.

(Signed)

MEMO. for the LIEUTENANT-Governor.

On the 12th instant, the day the mail left for Europe, Mr. Gibson sent me the telegram marked A. to furnish the papers therein asked for.

I understood by "further charges against H. C. Stewart" mentioned in the telegram, the last charges registered under Minute paper 1743/86 then charged to his Excellency the Governor, I put a note to that effect on the telegram.

Minute paper 1743/86 was, the day after the 13th, sent by the Lieutenant-Governor to Mr. Escott, with an order to keep back the letter to Mr. Stewart, preferring these charges against him, until he was better and in a position to reply to them.

On the 15th instant, while these papers were still in abeyance, a telegram was received from Réduit to the effect that his Excellency wished all the papers respecting these charges to be sent immediately to him by carriole. This was accordingly done.

On the same day Mr. Gibson again asked for the same papers in order, he said, to have the necessary copies made, as he stated the Governor was sending a bag to the Secretary of State by the "Riversdale," and that the documents not forwarded by the mail on the 12th instant might be sent.

As the papers had left for Réduit I was unable to let him have them.

(Signed)

20th April 1886.

The Private Secretary, Réduit,

To F. A. Gibson, Esq., C. S. O.

TELEGRAM.

You had better get ready the following enclosures- Abbé Cox's letter reporting bishop's arrival.

G. CRÉTIN,

Registrar.

Report of Procureur General, and copies of further charges against H. C. Stewart.

HIS EXCELLENCy the Governor,

It seems the enclosures regarding Mr. Stewart did not go in the Despatch you sent to Secretary of State. You neither put them in or sent them to the office. So Mr. Gibson sent on the Despatch and noting that the "enclosures" would follow.

The papers are still with

20/4/86.

you.

(Signed) C. LI.

From His EXCELLENCY THE GOVERNOR to the HONOURABLE THE LIEUTEnant-Governor and COLONIAL SECKETARY.

From your Minute of yesterday's date I now learn for the first time that the enclo- Bures in my Despatch to Lord Granville of the 12th of April, that went' away by the mail of the 12th, did not go with the Despatch, and that the subsequent mail by S.S. "Riversdale" that left on the 15th was also allowed to go away without the enclosures in question, though I had sent to you the draft of my Despatch of the 14th referring to those enclosures and to the delay in sending the charges to Mr. Stewart.

In your Minute of the 20th instant, on the subject, you say: "You neither put them "(the enclosures) in or sent them to this office (the Colonial Secretary's office). So D 3