PETITION OF FREDERICK AND LEOPOLD YATES*.

Said Magistrate said he did not know, and appliel to the said Mr. Armitage for information 1 ," who said no form was necessary, and subsequently made the same statement to your said petitioner Frederick Yates. Thai your petitioner, the said Frederick Yates, immediately after the said judgment was given and on several subsequent occasions applied to the said Resident Magistrate, for copies of the depositions taken in the said case, who under the advice of the said Mr. Armitage refused to give them. That your petitioners severally affirm most positively that there was no collusion between them or either of them and the said Natives, and that the said guns, powder, &0., were all taken against their consent, and that they have never received any payment for any part thereof. That your petitioners consider that great wrong and injustice have been done to them by the said Resident Magistrate, and that his said judgment ought not to be enforced upon the following, amongst many other, grounds. That by reason of the short time allowed to your petitioners from the service of the summons to the time of hearing, they were unable to prepare for their defence. That the Resident Magistrate had no right to hear the charge in the absence of your petitioner Leopold Yates. That the evidence given, although elicited by leading questions, is not sufficient to sustain the charge. That your petitioners were charged with having sold and disposed of guns, and there was no evidence of any sale. That much of the testimony given, was improperly admitted as evidence. That all the Native witnesses were interested parties. That the evidence of the half-caste girl who acted as interpreter to Mr. Brewer, was most important and was not taken. Your petitioners further say that they have been put to very serious loss and cost, by reason of the circumstances above referred to. Your petitioners therefore pray that your Honorable House will cause the facts of your petitioners' case to be enquired into, and will take such other steps therein as to your Honorable House may seem meet, and for the relief of your petitioners from the great hardship and injury inflicted upon them by the course pursued by His Excellency's Government* And your petitioners will ever pray, FREDERICK YATES. LEOPOLD YATES*

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