No. 7. Governor Sir J. F. Davis to Lord Stanley. 8 July 1845.
8 July, No. 1.
8 July, No. 2.
Encl. 1, in No. 7.
CORRESPONDENCE RELATIVE TO THE RESIGNATION
(No. 93.)
No. 7.
COPY of a DESPATCH from Governor Sir J. F. Davis, Bart. to Lord Stanley.
My Lord,
Victoria, Hong Kong, 8 July 1845.
I HAVE the honour to enclose, for your Lordship's information, a copy of Mr. Martin's letter tendering his resignation of the office of Treasurer; which resignation I have accepted according to your Lordship's authority before conveyed to me.
In my reply, also enclosed, I have informed Mr. Martin that, although I could not sanction his proceeding home without a sick certificate, nor recognize those pleas which he had advanced for leave of absence on points which had no concern whatever with his official duties, I was at liberty to accept his resignation, by which he quits his office on his own responsibility.
Mr. Martin has been directed to deliver the cash in his charge to a Committee of Survey, composed of the Auditor, Mr. Mercer and Mr. D'Almada. There is no person to whom I can entrust the office of Treasurer, thus vacated, except Mr. Mercer, who will hold it pending Mr. Stewart's arrival, or your Lordship's further commands, having produced abundant security as I before had the honour to report. Mr. Martin proceeds home immediately overland.
I have, &c. (signed) J. F. Davis.
P. S.-I beg to draw your Lordship's attention to the concluding paragraph of my reply to Mr. Martin, in which I inform that gentleman that I cannot, without authority from home, comply with his request to be furnished with copies of voluminous public documents, and I accordingly await your Lordship's instructions for my guidance on this and other similar occasions.
J. F. D.
Enclosure 1, in No. 7.
Sir,
Colonial Treasury, Hong Kong, 8 July 1845.
THE decision of his Excellency the Governor on my letters of 18th and 24th ultimo, refusing me leave of absence for six months on public business, and with a view to what I deem the public good, compels me most reluctantly to adopt the only alternative of requesting his Excellency to receive my resignation as Her Majesty's Treasurer for the Colonial and Diplomatic services in China, until I can bring the subject, through the Secretary of State for the Colonies, under the consideration of my Sovereign, who was graciously pleased to appoint me to the important office and trust which I have now the honour to place in the hands of his Excellency.
My quarterly accounts are made up to the 30th of June 1845, declared before a magistrate, and passed by the auditor.
I beg that a Board may be appointed to receive from me the monies under my charge, and that his Excellency will state to whom I am to transfer the accounts and books of my department, and the vouchers of payments made by me since 30th day of June last.
In order that I may be enabled to pass my accounts in England, and to receive for myself and for my sureties the Exchequer quietus, I have the honour to request that a copy of Day Cash Book be furnished me from this office.
The Honourable F. W. A. Bruce,
Sir,
Colonial Secretary.
Enclosure 2, in No. 7.
I have, &c.
(signed) R. M. Martin.
Colonial Office, Victoria, Hong Kong, 8 July 1845.
In reply to your letter, tendering your resignation of the appointment of Treasurer, I am directed by his Excellency the Governor to state, that although he could not authorize your absence, without a sick certificate, from your duties (a step which would have rendered himself responsible for their performance), his Excellency has been duly empowered by Lord Stanley to accept your resignation, if tendered, (as you have already been informed,) and he accepts it accordingly.
The only person at present in the colony whom his Excellency can appoint to the office you have thus vacated is Mr. Mercer. That gentleman, together with the Auditor and Mr. D'Almada, will receive from you the monies under your charge, and to Mr. Mercer you will transfer the Colonial Accounts, with the vouchers for payments made by you since June 30th.
You must be aware that the few hours that will elapse previous to your embarkation in the "Lanrick" would, under any circumstances, be insufficient for transcribing the voluminous book of which you request a copy; but as his Excellency entertains doubts as to its being within the limits of his discretion to allow copies of public documents to be withdrawn by any officer on his departure, he will refer your request for Lord Stanley's decision by the present despatch.
(No. 95.)
I have, &c.
(signed) A. E. Shelley, Acting Colonial Secretary.
(True copy.) A. E. Shelley, Acting Colonial Secretary.
No. 8.
COPY of a DESPATCH from Governor Sir J. F. Davis, Bart. to Lord Stanley.
My Lord,
Victoria, Hong Kong, 9 July 1845.
I AM sorry to trouble your Lordship with another despatch relating to Mr. Martin, but that gentleman, after his embarkation yesterday, caused to be conveyed to me this morning the enclosed copy of a letter to your Lordship, in breach (as it appears to myself) of the following section of the Colonial Regulations (page 49) :-
"The practice which has in some instances been adopted of addressing memorials direct to this office, and only sending copies of them to the Governor on the eve of the departure of the vessel which is to convey them, will not be recognized as a proper course of communication, and must not be repeated."
The sub-enclosures in Mr. Martin's letter (which has no date of the month, and being sent from the ship is headed "Colonial Treasury,") have already been forwarded with my previous correspondence (Nos. 85 and 93) in relation to that gentleman, and your Lordship may, therefore, not wish them to be repeated in the duplicate of this despatch, as they would, in fact, constitute quadruplicate copies.
I need not occupy your Lordship's time by dwelling on the enclosed letter of Mr. Martin, as it merely repeats his previous statements as to the necessity of retaining Chusan, &c. His assertion as to having "recently ascertained that Governor Davis is proposing for your Lordship's sanction a further expenditure of half a million of dollars," is disproved by a simple reference to my despatch No. 79, of 14th June, where the following is the total amount proposed :-
Schedule 1 31,312 Schedule 2 30,937 £. 62,249I could not grant Mr. Martin leave of absence without incurring an uncalled-for degree of responsibility, as he had been only a year in the colony, enjoyed such health as precluded the possibility of obtaining a medical certificate, and had been appointed by your Lordship to an office involving pecuniary liabilities. He has had more leave of absence by far than any other member of the colony, not one of his numerous applications to proceed to the north, to Canton, &c., having been denied. His allusions, therefore, to harsh treatment are hardly justified.
I need not observe, that his resignation of office and his departure to England are the most perfect acts of free will, and that the public reasons which he assigns for quitting his post without leave, as far as they are intelligible, have no concern whatever with his proper duties as Treasurer.
I have, &c. (signed) J. F. Davis.
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429
No. 7. Governor Sir
J. F. Davis to
Lord Stanley.
8 July 1845.
8 July, No. 1.
8 July, No. 2.
Encl. 1, in No. 7.
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Encl. 2, in No. 7.
10
CORRESPONDENCE RELATIVE TO THE RESIGNATION
(No. 93.)
No. 7.
محمد
COPY of a DESPATCH from Governor Sir J. F. Davis, Bart. to Lord Stanley.
My Lord,
Victoria, Hong Kong, 8 July 1845.
I HAVE the honour to enclose, for your Lordship's information, a copy of Mr. Martin's letter tendering his resignation of the office of Treasurer; which resignation I have accepted according to your Lordship's authority before conveyed to me.
In my reply, also enclosed, I have informed Mr. Martin that, although I could not sanction his proceeding home without a sick certificate, nor recognize those pleas which he had advanced for leave of absence on points which had no concern whatever with his official duties, I was at liberty to accept his resignation, by which he quits his office on his own responsibility.
Mr. Martin has been directed to deliver the cash in his charge to a Commit- tee of Survey, composed of the Auditor, Mr. Mercer and Mr. D'Almada. There is no person to whom I can entrust the office of Treasurer, thus vacated, except Mr. Mercer, who will hold it pending Mr. Stewart's arrival, or your Lordship's further commands, having produced abundant security as I before had the honour to report. Mr. Martin proceeds home immediately over- land.
I have, &c. (signed) J. F. Davis.
P. S.-I beg to draw your Lordship's attention to the concluding paragraph of my reply to Mr. Martin, in which I inform that gentleman that I cannot, without authority from home, comply with his request to be furnished with copies of voluminous public documents, and I accordingly await your Lordship's instructions for my guidance on this and other similar occasions.
J. F. D.
Enclosure 1, in No. 7.
Sir.
Colonial Treasury, Hong Kong, 8 July 1845. THE decision of his Excellency the Governor on my letters of 18th and 24th ultimo, refusing me leave of absence for six months on public business, and with a view to what I deem the public good, compels me most reluctantly to adopt the only alternative of requesting his Excellency to receive my resignation as Her Majesty's Treasurer for the Colonial and Diplomatic services in China, until I can bring the subject, through the Secretary of State for the Colonies, under the consideration of my Sovereign, who was graciously pleased to appoint me to the important office and trust which I have now the honour to place in the hands of his Excellency.
My quarterly accounts are made up to the 30th of June 1845, declared before a magis- trate, and passed by the auditor.
I beg that a Board may be appointed to receive from me the monies under my charge, and that his Excellency will state to whom I am to transfer the accounts and books of my department, and the vouchers of payments made by me since 30th day of June last.
In order that I may be enabled to pass my accounts in England, and to receive for myself and for my sureties the Exchequer quietus, I have the honour to request that a copy of Day Cash Book be furnished me froin this office.
The Honourable F. W. A. Bruce,
Sir,
Colonial Secretary.
Enclosure 2, in No. 7.
I have, &c.
(signed)
R. M. Martin.
Colonial Office, Victoria, Hong Kong, 8 July 1845.
my
In reply to your letter, tendering your resignation of the appointment of Treasurer, I am directed by his Excellency the Governor to state, that although he could not authorize your absence, without a sick certificate, from your duties (a step which would have rendered himself responsible for their performance), his Excellency has been duly empowered by Lord Stanley to accept your resignation, if tendered, (as you have already been informed,) and he accepts it accordingly.
which
you
The only person at present in the colony whom his Excellency can appoint to the office have thus vacated is Mr. Mercer. That gentleman, together with the Auditor and Mr, D'Almada, will receive from you the monies under your charge, and to Mr. Mercer you will transfer the Colonial Accounts, with the vouchers for payments made by you since June 30th.
Yout
At the
OF MR. M. MARTIN, TREASURER OF HONG KONG.
11
You must be aware that the few hours that will elapse previous to your embarkation in the "Lanrick" would, under any circumstances, be insufficient for transeribing the voluminous book of which you request a copy; but as his Excellency entertains doubts as to its being within the limits of his discretion to allow copies of public documents to be withdrawn by any officer on his departure, he will refer your request for Lord Stanley's decision by the present despatch.
(No. 95.)
I have, &c.
A. E. Shelley, Acting Colonial Secretary.
(signed)
(True copy.) A. E. Shelley,
Acting Colonial Secretary.
No. 8.
No. 8.
J. F. Davis to
Cory of a DESPATCH from Governor Sir J. F. Davis, Bart. to Lord Stanley. Governor Sir
My Lord,
Victoria, Hong Kong, 9 July 1845, I AM Sorry to trouble your Lordship with another despatch relating to Mr. Martin, but that gentleman, after his embarkation yesterday, caused to be conveyed to me this morning the enclosed copy of a letter to your Lordship, in breach (as it appears to myself) of the following section of the Colonial Regulations (page 49) :-
*
"The practice which has in some instances been adopted of addressing memorials direct to this office, and only sending copies of them to the Governor on the eve of the departure of the vessel which is to convey them, will not be recognized as a proper course of communication, and must not be repeated."
The sub-enclosures in Mr. Martin's letter (which has no date of the month, and being sent from the ship is headed "Colonial Treasury,") have already been forwarded with my previous correspondence (Nos. 85 and 93) in relation to that gentleman, and your Lordship may, therefore, not wish them to be repeated in the duplicate of this despatch, as they would, in fact, constitute quadruplicate copies.
I need not occupy your Lordship's time by dwelling on the enclosed letter of Mr. Martin, as it merely repeats his previous statements as to the necessity of retaining Chusan, &c. His assertion as to having " recently ascertained that Governor Davis is proposing for your Lordship's sanction a further expen- diture of half a million of dollars," is disproved by a simple reference to my despatch No. 79, of 14th June, where the following is the total amount proposed :-
Schedule 1 Schedule 2
-
ved the
ச
Lord Stanley.
July, vide p. 12.
9 July 1845-
Pages 5, 10.
31,312 inates mater sent in 30,937
£. 62,249
I could not grant Mr. Martin leave of absence without incurring an uncalled- pore whatever for degree of responsibility, as he had been only a year in the colony, enjoyed such health as precluded the possibility of obtaining a medical certificate, and had been appointed by your Lordship to an office involving pecuniary liabili- ties. He has had more leave of absence by far than any other member of the colony, not one of his numerous applications to proceed to the north, to Canton, &c., having been denied. His allusions, therefore, to harsh treatment are hardly justified.
I need not observe, that his resignation of office and his departure to Eng land are the most perfect acts of free will, and that the public reasons which he assigns for quitting his post without leave, as far they are intelligible, have no concern whatever with his proper duties as Treasurer.
743.
B 2
I have, &c. (signed)
J. F. Davis.
-No. 9.-
Unfruc
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