Colonial Despatches
The colonial despatches of Vancouver Island and British Columbia 1846-1871
Public Offices document
Hamilton, George Alexander to Rogers, Baron Blachford Frederic 20 February 1862, CO 60:14, no. 1948, 142.
Abstract
Hamilton, George Alexander to Rogers, Baron Blachford Frederic 20 February 1862, CO 60:14, no. 1948, 142.
Public Offices document.
Minutes (2), Enclosures (untranscribed) (1), Other documents (3).
Hamilton to Rogers (Permanent Under-Secretary)
Treasury Chambers
20 February 1862
I am directed by the Lords Commissioners of Her Majesty's
Treasury to transmit herewith copy of a letter, dated 5 Inst
No 45, from the Commissioner of Audit, relative to a sum of
£67 paid in by Captain Gosset for "repayment of his passage
money from Ceylon to England," which Item appears in the Accounts
of the Treasurer of British Columbia for 1859, and I am to request
that you will move theDuke
Duke of Newcastle to inform My Lords from
what funds the sum of £67 was issued in order that steps may be
taken for the adjustment of the account.
Duke of Newcastle to inform My Lords from
what funds the sum of £67 was issued in order that steps may be
taken for the adjustment of the account.
Minutes by CO staff
Captain Gosset came to England from Ceylon in 1858, he
was allowed a Contract passage, which was paid for in the
usual course by the Admiralty, that Dt repeatedly
requested payment of the
amount (£67), in October last the
Agents General were ordered to pay it charging the same to
Ceylon. Captain Gosset so far back as July 1859 deposited
£67 in the Treasury Chest at B. Columbia, and the Gov. of
that Colony was instructed on the 22nd Octr last
(desp. No 89) to remit that amount to the Agents General,
when Gov. Douglas does so the money will have to be placed to
the credit of Ceylon by the Agents Genl. So Inform the Treasury.
amount (£67), in October last the
Agents General were ordered to pay it charging the same to
Ceylon. Captain Gosset so far back as July 1859 deposited
£67 in the Treasury Chest at B. Columbia, and the Gov. of
that Colony was instructed on the 22nd Octr last
(desp. No 89) to remit that amount to the Agents General,
when Gov. Douglas does so the money will have to be placed to
the credit of Ceylon by the Agents Genl. So Inform the Treasury.
WCS
Feb 22
Sir F. Rogers
The course proposed by Mr Sargeaunt is quite right, altho', as will presently appear, one material step more is required. You will find that this letter illustrates one probably leading cause of the arrears of claims which have accumulated against us from the Admiralty.
The course proposed by Mr Sargeaunt is quite right, altho', as will presently appear, one material step more is required. You will find that this letter illustrates one probably leading cause of the arrears of claims which have accumulated against us from the Admiralty.
They have just sent us in a
long list of such arrears beginning
with a sum of £67 due since 1858. We were all puzzled to guess
what this sum of £67 could be, when most opportunely the present
minute by Mr Sargeaunt has come into my hands, showing that
the subject is Captn Gosset's passage. I will now trace the
history of the transaction. Captn Gosset came home from Ceylon
in May 1858 and went to B. Columbia. The moment that he heard of
the claim, he paid it into the Treasury Chest at Vancouver's Island,
as was duly reported by the Governor on the 22nd of July 1859.
If we had taken the right course at that time, we should never have
heard of the claim again. The course which we did take was simply
to forward the Governor's despatch to the Admiralty in a lithographed
form, without a word of explanation and without any step to get the
money paid to their credit. The Accountant General of the Navy has
therefore never received the money and hence for 2 1/2 years more
this claim has continued to trouble both Offices, without apparently
either the one or the other ever making out what it was all about.
At last in Oct. 1861 the Agents General were ordered to pay the money
to the Paymaster General to the credit of the Admiralty, but still the
Admiralty itself was not informed. Even now therefore this claim
might continue to harrass the two Departments for an indefinite
number of years more. What we ought to do is to tell the Admiralty
itself on every occasion that the money is paid into the hands of
some one who can place it to the credit of the Navy.
long list of such arrears beginning
with a sum of £67 due since 1858. We were all puzzled to guess
what this sum of £67 could be, when most opportunely the present
minute by Mr Sargeaunt has come into my hands, showing that
the subject is Captn Gosset's passage. I will now trace the
history of the transaction. Captn Gosset came home from Ceylon
in May 1858 and went to B. Columbia. The moment that he heard of
the claim, he paid it into the Treasury Chest at Vancouver's Island,
as was duly reported by the Governor on the 22nd of July 1859.
If we had taken the right course at that time, we should never have
heard of the claim again. The course which we did take was simply
to forward the Governor's despatch to the Admiralty in a lithographed
form, without a word of explanation and without any step to get the
money paid to their credit. The Accountant General of the Navy has
therefore never received the money and hence for 2 1/2 years more
this claim has continued to trouble both Offices, without apparently
either the one or the other ever making out what it was all about.
At last in Oct. 1861 the Agents General were ordered to pay the money
to the Paymaster General to the credit of the Admiralty, but still the
Admiralty itself was not informed. Even now therefore this claim
might continue to harrass the two Departments for an indefinite
number of years more. What we ought to do is to tell the Admiralty
itself on every occasion that the money is paid into the hands of
some one who can place it to the credit of the Navy.
I annex a draft of a letter of inquiry to the Agents General,
and when they answer we must write accordingly to the Admiralty.
I also annex an answer to the Treasury. It is a lame story and will
not redound to our credit as men of business. For of course the
money was paid into the Treasury Chest at Columbia with a view to it's
being taken out of the Treasury in this Country: ordering it to be
remitted by the Governor will probably entail a heavy loss of exchange
besides the probability of a great deal more correspondence before
this affair is finally closed. In fact I think it will be
better at once to write again to the Governor in the terms of a
draft which is annexed. This case has certainly not been
happily managed.
TFE
7 March
Other documents included in the file
Draft, Rogers to Agents General, 15 March 1862, requesting information
on whether or not the £67 had been paid to the paymaster general.
Documents enclosed with the main document (not transcribed)
Edward Romilly and W.L. Maberly, Audit Office, to Treasury, 5 February 1862, questioning where the sum of £67 was issued.