Stansfeld to Under-Secretary of State
Treasury Chambers
11th April 1870
Sir,
The Lords Commissoners of Her Majesty's Treasury have had before them Mr Herbert's letter of the 2nd instt enclosing a copy of a letter from Mr Maunsell, Private Secretary to the late Mr Seymour, Governor of British Columbia, applying to be repaid his expenses of returning to England from the Colony amounting to £110.
Their Lordships desire me to request that you will move the Earl Granville toManuscript image cause them to be informed whether it is the practice, as stated by Mr Maunsell, that the Passage of a Private Secretary should be paid out of the allowance granted to the Governor.
I am, Sir,
Your obedient Servant
James Stansfeld
Minutes by CO staff
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Mr Herbert
I do not see how it is possible to give a positive answer to this Treasury question.
The grant of passage money is personal to the Governor who of course spends it as he pleases.
The appt of [a] private Secy is also a personal one and I conclude it is a matter of arrangement as to whether the Govr pays for his P.Ss passage or not.
I believe Mr Seymour paid for the passage out of his first private Secy Capt Holmes—but on the other hand I know that Sir R Macdonnell did not—and I understand that Govr Kennedy did not pay for Mr Maunsells passage when he went out with him originally to Vancouver Isld.
I am afraid therefore we canManuscript image only give an evasive reply to the question whether it is the practice that the passage of a private Secy "should" be paid out of the allowance granted to a Governor by stating that it is a matter of arrangement but that Ld Granville has reason to believe that Mr Seymour would have paid for Mr Maunsells return passage if he had lived & returned to this Country at the expiration of his term of service as Govr of B.C.
I cannot help feeling that the case is a weak one, and that Mrs Seymour if anyone should bear the expense out of the £500 granted to her.
WR 12.4.70
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Draft at once.
RGWH Ap 12/70
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Noted (p 187).
JSL 5/5/70
Other documents included in the file
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Herbert to Secretary to the Treasury, 16 April 1870, advising that although there is no rule requiring the governor to provide passage money, it is generally understood that he will do so.