Peel to Rogers (Permanent Under-Secretary)
Treasury Chambers
3 June 1862
With reference to your letter of the 25 April last, I am directed by the Lords Commissoners of Her Majesty's Treasury to acquaint you, for the information of the Duke of Newcastle, that before giving any directions for the repayment to Naval Services of the sum of £98.10, being freight claimed by the owners of the "Thames City" forcertainManuscript image certain Hay and Oats shipped for British Columbia but landed at Gravesend under orders from Colonel Moody, Their Lordships wish to be informed whether Col Moody's proceedings in the matter have been approved of by the Department under whose instructions he was acting when making arrangements for the departure of the Party of Royal Engineers to that Colony.
My Lords would observe that at the request containedinManuscript image in Mr Elliot's letter of the 11 November 1858, They paid to Col Moody the sum of £183.3.1 the value of certain Hay and Oats purchased by him.
It now appears that the Forage was landed at Gravesend, but it is not clearly shown how it was then disposed of or whether the value, if returned to the contractor as surmised in the letter from the War Department of 12 April last, has been accounted for.MyManuscript image My Lords request that enquiries may be made into this matter, and that the value of the Forage, in whatever manner it may have been accounted for may be repaid to the Paymaster General on account of the Board.
Apart from this question it appears to Their Lordships that the sum of £98.10 is a very high charge for the freight to British Columbia of Forage of the value of £183.10, and They would wish to be furnishedwithManuscript image with an explanation from the Naval Department in regard to the fairness of the charge.
I am Sir
Your obedient Servant
F. Peel
Minutes by CO staff
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Mr Elliot
It is reported by Mr Ebden, who has searched, that this Office has not signified any approval of "Col: Moody's proceedings in this matter." I remember Col: Moody mentioning in conversation that he had been obliged to disembark some stores on acct of want of room for his men, but I cannot recall to my memory that he explained at the same time what he had done with the said stores. There was no "confusion or changes of purpose" in this Office when the Engineers started; if anything went wrong it was entirely owing to Colonel Moody's personal share who is the worst man of business I ever encountered.
2. A despatch has been sent to B.C. requiring an explanation from Col. Moody on the subject.
3. In the meanwhile I suppose we must ascertain from the Admy why the freight cost so much.
ABd 5 June
I agree that we must write to the Admiralty as proposed and I think that with reference to our recent despatch of the 23rd of April to Governor Douglas, we had better send also a copy of the present letter from the Treasury and desire that it may be communicated to Col. Moody for any additional explanations which he may have to offer. The Treasury should be told that we had already written to the Governor to call upon Coll Moody for information on this subject and that a copy of their Lordship's letter will be sent out in order to elicit any additional explanationsManuscript image which Coll Moody may have to offer.
TFE 5 June
CF 7
N 10
Other documents included in the file
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Draft reply, Newcastle to Douglas, No. 129, 12 June 1862, asking why the freight charges were so high and if Moody has any additional explanation to offer.
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Draft, Rogers to Secretary to the Admiralty, 14 June 1862, concerning the unusally high freight rates and requesting an explanation.
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Draft, Elliot to G.A. Hamilton, Treasury, 14 June 1862, advising that Douglas had been instructed to call upon Moody for information on the subject of the hay and oats disembarked at Gravesend.