Fraser to Buckingham
33 St James Square
16 August 1867
My Lord Duke,
I beg to acknowledge receipt of Mr Elliots Letter of the 13th, the contents of which I have communicated to the other Gentlemen who addressed Your Grace on the 26th ultimo, as well as to Sir Edmund Head and the Gentlemen who joined in the Memorial of that date.
2. I have also informed Mr Graves the Member for Liverpool and the other Gentlemen who intended to form a Deputation that their Services will not be required.
3. Mr Elliot remarks that it is impossible for Your Grace to adopt any conclusion on the subject until a Report on the question at issue shall have beenreceivedManuscript image received from the Governor.
4. This resolution is both reasonable and proper and my only object in adverting to it, is to state that neither myself nor any of the Gentlemen moving in the matter desired or expected that Your Grace should decide the question until full information had been received from Governor Seymour.
5. Influenced by these Statements, the Gentlemen who forwarded the Memorial desire me to suggest that your Grace would have the goodness to afford the Memorialists an opportunity of perusing Governor Seymour's Report and of Commenting upon it, if necessary, before it shall have been acted upon—should Your Grace consider such a course proper.
6. I, therefore, beg leave, with great respect, to submit this suggestionforManuscript image for your Grace's kind consideration.
I have the honour to be,
with respect
Your Grace's most obedient humble Servt
D. Fraser

The Right Hon His Grace
The Duke of Buckingham & Chandos
Her Majesty's Principal Secretary of State
for the Colonies
Minutes by CO staff
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CC 19 Aug
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The request on page 2 is singularly unreasonable, although doubtless only proceeding from want of knowledge and experience.
I should ackge the letter & with reference to that request I should state that it would be entirely contrary to the practise of the public service to refer reports made by the Governors of Colonies officially to the Secretary of State for the comments of private persons.
TFE 19 Augt
B&C 20/8
Other documents included in the file
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Elliot to Fraser, 21 August 1867, declining his request to see the papers, with explanation.