CASE OF MR. MACANDREW.

39

D.-No. l

No. 16. Copy of a Letter from the Hon. E. W. Stafford to the Superintendent, Otago. (67-631) Sic,— Colonial Secretary's Office, Wellington, Bth March, 1867. I have honor to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of the 27th ultimo, No. 7013-1, in which you state that you had been elected Superintendent of the Province of Otago, and had that day assumed the office, and request that the Governor may be advised to delegate certain of His Excellency's powers to you. I have the honor to inform you that the subject will be brought under the consideration of the Cabinet at the earliest practicable moment. I have, &c, His Honor the Superintendent of Otago, Dunedin. E. W. Stafford.

No. 17. Copy of a Letter from the Hon. E. W. Stafford to the Auditor of Public Accounts. (No. 237.) Sir,— Colonial Secretary's Office, Wellington, Bth March, 1867. With reference to the Commission issued to you in the year 1861, to investigate and report upon the Public Accounts of the Province of Otago, and the charges brought against Mr. Macandrew by the Provincial Council, I have now the honor to request that you will proceed to Dunedin by the steamer which leaves Wellington this day, for the purpose of further examining the accounts of that Province, especially with regard to the item " Defalcations by James Macandrew, Esquire, One thousand and twelve pounds fourteen shillings and fivepence (£lOl2 14s. 5d.)" which appears in the Appropriation Ordinance of the Province for the year 1861-2, and that you will report whether, after a renewed investigation of the subjects previously inquired into, you see any reason to vary in any particular the conclusions previously reported so far as they affect Mr. Macandrew, and whether there has subsequently been any satisfactory explanation with respect to the sum stated to have been a defalcation on his part. You will take care to inform Mr. Macandrew of your investigation, and to afford him every opportunity of making explanations with respect to the subject of it. I expressly mention this, as Mr. Macandrew is reported in the public Press (I know not whether correctly or not,) to have said that he was not made acquainted with the result of your previous investigation, until it was referred to during the recent election. I have, &c., The Auditor of Public Accounts, &c. E. W. Staffobd.

No. 18. Copy of a Letter from the Superintendent, Otago, to the Hon. E. W. Stafford. (7282-2) Sir, — Superintendent's Office, Dunedin, 4th April, 1867. I do myself the honor to forward to you the enclosed copy of a Memorandum from the Provincial Secretary, respecting a breach of official etiquette, which I have no doubt has arisen from inadvertence, and which I feel assured needs only to be pointed out in order to be guarded against in future. I have, <fee, James Macandrew, The Hon. the Colonial Secretary, Wellington. Superintendent.

Enclosure in No. 18. Memorandum for His Honor the Superintendent. Tile Auditor-General applied to-day to Mr. Pyke for information regarding the collection of Gold Fields Revenue, with which Mr. Pyke at once furnished him. The Provincial Secretary would suggest that it would be more in accordance with official etiquette, if in future similar cases, such applications were, in the first instance, made to the Government rather than to subordinate officers, who, without an official knowledge of Dr. Knight's position, might feel themselves justified in refusing to afford the required information. JOIIN MOUAT.

No. 19. Copy of a Letter from the Hon. E. W. Stafford to the Superintendent, Otago. (No. 187) Sic,— Colonial Secretary's Office, "Wellington, 15th April, 1567. Referring to your letter of 27th March, I have now the honor to enclose, for your Honor's information, copies of Reports, dated respectively the 14th and 18th ultimo, and of their enclosures, from the Auditor of Public- Accounts, relative to certain transactions connected with the Public Funds in the Province of Otago, which took place in 18G0, when you were Superintendent of that Province. After a careful consideration of the facts disclosed in these Eeports, Ministers are unable to advise that the powers of the Governor under "The Gold Fields Act, 1866," should be delegated to you. The administration of the Gold Fields in the Province of Otago, will, consequently remain^with His Excellency. I have, &c, His Honor the Superintendent, Otago. E. W. Stafford.