Colonial Despatches

The Mail bringing me Your Grace's Despatch of the 10th July No 34, relative to the withdrawal of the Royal Engineers, has just arrived, and I hasten to avail myself of the very short interval before its departure to address Your Grace upon one point which Iconsider consider very essential to the future well-being of the Colony, and that is, the selection of a fit and proper person to succeed Colonel Moody, as the Chief Commissioner of Lands and Works.

2. Your Grace is perhaps aware that the entire Department of Lands and Works has been conducted by the Officers and men of the Royal Engineers, no Civilian assistance having been called in for the discharge of the office duties, and that therefore when the Troops are withdrawnfrom from their Civil duties, not one single person will remain who has any knowledge of the Records, or of the system which has been pursued for the transaction of business connected with the Department. Your Grace informs me that before long you will name a Successor to Colonel Moody. From what I have stated it is very evident that the Successor should enter upon the duties of his Office at the earliest possible moment, and prior to Colonel Moody relinquishing his Civil duties; and above all it is especially desirable that the Chief Commissioner of Lands and Works should be a man thoroughlyacquainted acquainted with the character and resources of the Country from personal knowledge and experience, and cognizant of all the events that have transpired connected with its development by means of the road and land systems which have been introduced. As Your Grace may have some difficulty in selecting a person so qualified, who may in other respects be fitted for the responsible Office referred to, I trust I may be pardoned for submitting to you the names of two Gentlemen either of whom, I think, would most efficiently and satisfactorily discharge all the duties of the head of the Department.

The first is that of Captain Henry Reynolds Luard, now serving with the Detachment of Royal Engineers. Captain Luard is a gentleman who since his residence in the Colony has gained the good will and esteem of all; and he is, I believe, a person of good professional standing, and from my own knowledge, I can safely say, of excellent business habits. He has almost from the first had charge of all the office details of Colonel Moody's Department, and from the moment of his taking charge a great increase in order, method and correctness was perceptible. He is thoroughly versed in every matter of detail, and has a perfect general knowledge of all that hastranspired transpired since the erection of the Colony. I could have no better officer than Captain Luard to fill the position of Surveyor General or Chief Commissioner of Lands and Works.

3. Should however any Military difficulty arise which would prevent Captain Luard from being appointed to the office in question—even were Your Grace inclined to confer it upon him, I would take the liberty of placing before you the name of Mr Joseph William Trutch, a Civilian, now and for the past five years resident in the Colony. Mr Trutch is a Civil Engineer by profession, and has contracted for many of the works undertaken by the Government, always executinghis his Contracts in the most thorough and satisfactory manner. From the experience I have had of him I believe his general professional knowledge, the more especially as adapted to the peculiar requirements of a new country where precedent and rule cannot always be followed, to be equal to any in the Country. He is a gentleman of good social standing, and he bears a character in the place of the highest integrity. I believe him also to be a man of thorough business habits; methodical but at the same time quick and accurate, and from the close personal knowledge I have had of him I believe there are not many men who would better discharge the duties of Surveyor Generalin in a new Colony. Mr Trutch was introduced to me by Your Grace's predecessor, Sir Edward Lytton, and I annex a copy of a private letter which I received from him in addition to the official letter of introduction of the 29th October 1858. Nearly five years experience of Mr Trutch has shown that the favorable mention of Sir Edward Lytton was not undeserved.

4. With reference to the last paragraph of Your Grace's Despatch now under reply, I would beg to observe that I do not anticipate any difficulty in finding suitable persons to fulfill the Surveying and Engineering duties hitherto performed by the Royal Engineers.The The difficulty which presents itself is in immediately providing a head to carry on in the current work of the Department—a difficulty which I could have met by a provisional appointment, but I fear now to take any such step lest I might unintentionally interfere with Your Graces arrangements. I will, however, Your Grace may rest assured make the best provision I can under the circumstances for relieving Colonel Moody and his staff of their Civil duties.

5. I trust Your Grace will pardon this hurried Despatch, written to save the outgoing Mail, but I am so sensible of the up-hill taskit it would be for any person personally unacquainted with the Country to enter upon the duties of the office and hinderance that would arise in the transaction of business and the execution of public works, that I desired not to lose an instant in submitting these circumstances to Your Grace.