CO885(3-4) — Page 140

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No. 7.

Translation.

PROTEST against some STATEMENTS made by the so-called BÜRGER COMMITTEE with reference to the

levying of taxes.

The so-called Bürger Committee having thought fit to state that not only did they on a late occasion

■ubmit to the fine or imprisonment imposed by the Police Court, but by their exhortations induced the inhabitants to remain quiet and cause no breach of the peace, the said Bürger Committee also adding that but for their exhortations the public peace would have been disturbed.

And as this so-called Bürger Committee have further stated that if they, the members of said Committee, had not collected the outstanding taxes, such never would have been paid, and that the levying of the same by the authorities would have led to the disturbance of the public peace.

We the undersigned Public Officers do hereby protest most decidedly against the above false and slanderous statements which are of perfectly the same character as many other statements arising from the same quarter.

There was never for a single moment the slightest reason to suppose that, either through the levying of taxes or the imprisonment of the members of the Bürger Committee, any disturbance of the public peace would have been caused.

The plots and the impudence of P. A. Heikens go so far that it will perhaps not be considered out of place to mention that the person in question visited a few days since the policeman in charge of the prison rooms, and requested to be allowed to examine the same for the purpose, as he afterwards in a state of drunkenness explained, of seeing if the prisons contained sufficient room for the incarceration of the different officials, as the Bürger Committee had decided to imprison them.

Town Hall,

Heligoland, 18th July 1866,

(Signed)

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P. Š. BOTTER, KRÖGER FRANZ,

BEIMER OELRICHS,

Judges of Court of Sessions.

C. PAYENS,

KRÖGER FRANZ,

PAUL J. BOTTER.

Police Court.

MICHEL JASPERS,

Island Treasurer.

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No. 8.

•

Lieutenant-Governor J. HINDMARSH to the Quarterman P. A. HIEKS.

Heligoland, 1st July 1842.

•

TAR evidence taken by the Court of Magistrates in May last upon the charge preferred against you of having whilst in a state of intoxication fired off a pistol in the early part of the present year, having been taken into consideration, it has become my duty to warn you as to your general conduct in that respect, and that habitual drunkenness cannot be tolerated in the situation which you hold.

(Signed) J. HINDMARSH.

Lieutenant-Governor J. HINDMARSH to the Quarterman P. A. HEIKENS,

18th April 1843.

h

$13,

THX Right Honourable the Secretary of State has directed me to inform you, in reply to your memorial of the 21st January last, that his Lordship considers that it would be inexpedient to restore to you the employment of carrying the mails between this island and Cuxhaven.

His Lordship therefore declines acceding to the prayer of your memorial.

SIR,

No. 9.

(Signed) J. HINDMARSH.

Heligoland, 14th July 1866.

I HAVE the honour to enclose a protocol of the sitting of the Combined Court on the 12th July,

and whilst requesting that your Excellency will be kind enough to give a favourable attention to the

Baine,

His Excellency

Lieutenant-Colonel Maxse, Governor, &c. &c. &c., Heligoland.

I beg, &c.

(Signed)

K. N. MICHELS.

PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE

Reference :-

PETCO. 885

PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE, LONDON

ALLY WITHOUT PERMISSION OF THE BE REPRODUCED PHOTOGRAPHIC-

COPYRIGHT PHOTOGRAPH-NOT TO

No. 7.

Original Document.

PROTEST gegen die BEHAUPTUNG des sogenannten Bürger-Comitées, Cetreff Eincassirung der Steuer. Da das sogenannte Bürger-Comité es sich hat beikommen lassen zu sagen, dasz die Mitglieder desselben sich die ihnen vom Polizei Gericht zuerkannte Gefängnisstrafe, nicht blosz mit Unterwerfung gefügt, sondern dasz dieselben nach auszerdem, die Einwohnerschaft der Insel zu gleichem Gehorsam ermahnt, weil sonst eine Störung der öffentlichen Ruhe stattgefunden haben würde.

Und da dasz sogenannte Bürger-Comité weiter angegeben hat, dasz wenn die Mitglieder desselben die austehenden Steuern nicht eincassirt hätten, dieselben nicht bezahlt worden wären, und dasz eine Eintreibung derselben durch die behörden öffentlichen Scandal herbeigeführt haben würde.

So protestiren die Unterzeichneten hiermit auf das entschiechenste gegen obige unwahre und verläumderichen Angaben, welche in Ubereinstimmung mit den meisten andern Angaben der selben Herrn vom Bürger-Comité.

Es ist nie und nicht für einen Augenblick der geringste grund gewesen zu vermuthen, dasz eine Störung der öffentlichen Rube, weder durch Erhebung der Steuern, noch gefängliche Festsetzung der Mitglieder des sogenannten Bürger-Comités, stattfinden werde.

Die Umtriebe der P. A. Heikens und die Trechkeit desselben artet der Art aus, dasz es hier nicht unnöthig erscheint zu erwähhen dasz derselbe vor einigen Tagen bei dem hiesigen Gefangenwärter erschien um die Gefängnisse in Augenschein zu nehmen und zwar zu dem Zweck, wie er sich nachher im betrunkenen Zustände geäusrert, ob dieselben auch Raum genug haben um sämtliche Beamte zu fassen, welche die Bürger-Comité einzu sperren die Absicht habe.

Town Hail,

Heligoland, den 13 Juli 1866.

(Signed)

P. S. BOTTER,

KRÖGER FRanz,

"

R. OELRICHS,

Richter des halbjährigen Gericht.

C. PAYENS,

"

ต

KRÖGER FRANZ,

PAUL J. BOTTER,

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Polizei Gericht.

MICHEL JASPERS,

Landes Schatrmeister.

Sitting of the Combined Court of the 12th of July 1866.

In to-day's sitting of the Combined Court the chairman read the copy of a petition which a

so-called Bürger Committee has forwarded to Her Majesty's Goverment to the effect that:

That Her Majesty's Government would be pleased to re-establish the old constitution of Heligoland

as the same existed previous to the year 1864.

To the above-named document was attached a paper by which a number of the inhabitants bound N.B.-In solidam is themselves by their signatures to support the expenses of the said petition in "solidum."

taken bere as meaning:

With reference to the subject matter of the petition the Combined Court feels itself called upon to all worldly goods and make the following statement.

That there are certainly an amount of the inhabitants of the island who are dissatisfied with the present Constitution.

This dissatisfaction, however, arises simply and entirely from the following cause, viz. that under

the present state of things taxation has been introduced into the island,

It will not be digressive to remark beforehand that it appears to be hardly known to the inhabitants that under the old Constitutions laws enacting taxation existed which under Danish rule were very much heavier than the present enactments, because not only was there a property tax but also a head tax and a tax for protection against fire, &c. &c.

property whatever.

H. B. B. M.

N.B. Previous to

The levying of the taxes, however, full into disuse more particularly from 1829 to 1840 partly on the bathing wason, account of the then extreme poverty and the very inefficient state of the executive. Viewing the above it is hereby placed on record.

H. 8. B. M. N.B.-It would have been imposible That taxation was not originally introduced by the Constitution of 1864, but on the contrary that to levy taxes ander taxation laws existed under the former state of things, and that therefore on this head there is no cause the powers possessed

by the Government for complaint.

previous to 1864. From the contents of the petition in question it is made manifest that the petitioners were not so xation enact much interested in the good of the island, whilst transmitting to H.M.'s Government the said petition, ments under the Da- but that on the contrary it appears from the whole paper, that they were actuated by personal spite nish Crown existed

but were obsolete d against bis Excellency the Governor, and against the local authorities.

impracticable, whilst One proof of the above is that four of the same persons (Bürger Committee) who have signed the

no legislative power above-named petition have on a previous occasion, in conjunction with several other petitioners, prayed existed to improve for exactly the same Constitution as at prosent accorded, and appear now to have totally and completely them or enact fresh changed their opinions.

་

ones. H. 8. 1. M

N.B.—This alludes to the 12 legislative counsellors who are

Another proof of the malignity of the petitioners appears from the fact that the most slanderous calumnies are uttered against men who are filling a post of honour. They are termed hirelings.

Had the petitioners been really actuated by a desire to advance the true interest and welfare of the termed in the memo- island they would simply have kept to the subject matter and endeavoured to show the advantage of rial the 1t hirelings another form of Government.

of the Governor.

H. B. B. M.

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