CO129-158 - Sir Kennedy - 1872 [6-8] — Page 434

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all that I could, and stated that the marks were probably made by the Chinese Clerk or my Ally Ing him that all the men were paid, which I acknowledged to having done on several occasions in answer to his questions relative

to the teto

00

With reference to the 2nd Charge I beg leave to inform your Lordship that at all times similar irregularities are apt to occur so long as the system of advancing small amounts is continued, but this is acknowledged to have been a neglect on my part inasmuch as I failed to collect certain small sums - during Mr.

through the paying away of Govt. money - and settling with the man immediately

This neglect was occasioned by a private matter which I regret took up so much of my time and attention that I paid less attention to my Official duties than I ought.

In reference to the correspondence which passed between the Capt. Superintendent of Police, the Attorney General, and the Hon. the Acting Colonial Secretary, and which resulted in the Charges mentioned therein being brought against me; I beg to inform your Lordship that although in connection with the case I was asked officially to be allowed to peruse those documents, my request was refused.

The reason of my writing Officially and asking to be allowed to peruse these documents was that the Hon. the Acting Colonial Secretary in referring to my letters, when speaking of my explanations, spoke of them as being Answers to Audit Queries which I had never seen and which it was impossible therefore for me to Answer.

Before concluding I would wish to inform your Lordship that I believe the Captain Superintendent of Police was actuated by feelings of animosity in bringing these Charges against me, and I am inclined to think this because of his treatment to me since his return to the Colony in Nov. 1870.

One of his first acts on his return was to bring numerous serious Charges against me, one in which I was charged with neglect of duty whereby considerable loss had been sustained by Government. These were considered so serious that the Lt. Governor appointed a Commission to enquire into them; - the result of which was that the Charges were proved to be unfounded. In this, as also in the present Case, the Charges were framed and reported while I was absent on leave, although the Captain Superintendent was aware of the facts mentioned in the purport of the present Charges as early as the beginning of February, nearly four months before I went on leave.

When before the Council he states that he thought the matter had been arranged between Mahomet Tha and myself, but why he should have thought anything I cannot imagine, for the last four months there had been no such arrangement between us.