J.—6

2

That the Education Board accepted the same, but requested your petitioner to continue in office until the 30th of April—the newly-elected Board entering on their duties on the 1st of May. That your petitioner again consented to do so. That during that month of April, while busily employed in visiting the country schools, your petitioner was so greatly beset by parents of scholars, Magistrates, old settlerB, teachers of schools, and children (pupils), to apply to tho Education Board for the office of Inspector (which was then thrown open by advertisement to applicants), that he was induced to do so, and did so ; having also been assured by members of both the old (or first) Education Board (which was still acting), and also of the new Education Board (then recently elected), that, if he would but do so, his offer would be gladly accepted. Further, the knowledge of his being about to do so kept back several private friends (eminently fit and proper persons) from applying for the said office. That the new Education Board (or those of them who happened to bo present), immediately on their sitting, appointed the present Inspector of Schools to the office (a gentleman then resident at Christchureh) at a salary of £450, with largely-increased travelling allowances, and also a Secretary at £150 per annum. That at the same time the Education Board unanimously passed and recorded a resolution speaking most favourably of your petitioner, and at the same time sent him the following letter: — " Hawke's Bay Education Board, Napier, 21st May, 1878. "Sik, —I have the honor to convey to you, on behalf of the Hawke's Bay Education Board, its sense of tho very valuable services rendered by you to the cause of education in this district during the time you held the position of Inspector of Schools, which you have just resigned. In carrying out the wish of the Board, in expressing regret at your retirement, I am glad personally to have the opportunity of thanking you for the cordial and zealous manner in which the difficult duties attached to the position of Inspector were carried out by you during the years you acted in that capacity under the late Provincial Government at the time 1 was Superintendent. I but do justice to the services you have rendered when I state my conviction that tho efficiency of the schools is largely owing to the conscientious and earnest manner in which you discharged the duties of your office Regretting the loss of your services, —I have, &c, " J. \ !. Okmond, " Chairman, Education Board of Hawke's Bay. " To William Colenso, Esq., Napier." That, under all those circumstances (herein very briefly expressed), your petitioner believes that he has a very fair claim to lay before your honorable House for some compensation, either under the head of loss of office (as hitherto commonly allowed by the Colonial Government to all Provincial Government officers on tho abolition of provinces), or under that of retirement from active public service through age. Your humble petitioner further respectfully showeth, — That, from the time of his arriving in New Zealand in 1884, down to (at least) the formation of this Province of Hawke's Bay in 1858, a period of twenty-five years, your petitioner had ever been an assiduous and ready public helper of all the several British constituted authorities in New Zealand and of (he Colonial Governments ; which many letters of thanks for such services amply show, particularly from the British Resident, Mr. Busby ; from the New South Wales Laud Commissioners, Sir M. Richmond and Colonel Godfrey; from the first Governor, Captain Ilobson ; from Mr. Willoughby Shortland ; from Sir M. Richmond, while Superintendent of the southern part of the colony ; from Lieutenant-Governor Eyre ; from Mr. Domett, Colonial Secretary ; from Dr. Peatherston, while Superintendent of Wellington; from Colonel Wyatt, commanding the 65th Regiment, while stationed here at Napier ; from Mr. (afterwards Sir Donald) McLean ; from Mr. Domett, the first Resident Magistrate here at Napier, 1854-56 ; also from many of our early settlers for help afforded them on peculiarly trying occasions between them and the Maoris (two in particular, not wholly unknown to some of the members of your honorable House, in which my own life was in jeopardy owing to my interference—I may be allowed to mention that of Mr. Barton, at the White Rocks, in 1815, and that of Mr. Guthrie, at Castlepoint, a few years later) ; for all of which help and aid, including the heavy manual labour in compositing and printing the Treaty of Waitanga, and all the first Proclamations, notices, and forms, and also the first Gazette, for the Colonial Government under Governor Hobson (all which it may be further stated —if only as a curiosity—were composited from types placed on tables and on the floor! through my not having any printers' type-cases made for the letters of the English alphabet); for all of which assistance your petitioner never received the slightest remuneration. Lastly, that your petitioner, having once had the honor of a seat in your honorable Assembly, and that for five successive years (during the trying times of the war—1861-65), and therefore practically knowing something of its high and equitable character, believes that your honorable House will be pleased to take these various matters, herein briefly advanced or mentioned, into its consideration, and grant to him, as an old and early pioneer in New Zealand (now neariug the " allotted threescore years and ten"), that compensation which, under all the circumstances, your honorable House may deem equitable. And your petitioner will ever pray. William Colenso. Bj Authority: Gbobqb Didsbfbt, Government Printer, Wellington.—1878. Price 3d.]