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petent man, as I have already stated. Here then is the only portion of authority appointed to me under the whole contract, and the responsibility attaching to that authority I am called upon to accept and do accept, and am here now ready to answer for it; but I decline to take up and to carry the responsibility of the Minister, the Engineer in Charge, the Eesident Engineer, or the Overseer — all must answer for themselves, It may be said that these individuals never came forward and took their places and their proper position. That was their fault, not mine. Their duties were appointed them under the contract, and if they have neglected their duties they dare not blame mo for it. It may be said, as I have said, that these individuals never came forward and took that position ; but we have had evidence and indications at this inquiry that there has been a good deal of underhand and behind-board interference, of which wo are only beginning to learn now. We have, at least, letters sworn to as having passed, and I do not know how many more there may have been, nor how many conferences between several of these parties; and so we can fix their identity with those described in the interpretation clause of the General Conditions, and we can see that they have been acting, often surreptitiously, in connection with this contract. Thcir's is the responsibility, therefore, and it must always remain with them. It must: I cannot take it, and I refuse to take it. If they did not discharge their duties, but allowed bad work to go on, and allowed all this that has been asserted by Mr. Blair —not by me —then upon them must be the responsibility, and not upon me. I will take what is due, the responsibility that falls upon me, and shall not shirk it either. They were placed in authority in terms of the contract, and that they neglected to exercise that authority is certainly not in their favour, and especially as to the construction of the isolating-drain sought for by myself from the first. Now, as to the plans and specifications : I desire especially to point out to the Commissioners that the inquiry is, in a large measure, to ascertain whether the plans and specifications, as prepared by me as Architect, have been faithfully carried out; whether, in other words, the damage to the building arises, as in the words of the Commission itself, "from the Architect's plans and specifications not having been adhered to in the execution of the works." Now, it is to bo distinctly understood and noted that it is not ideal plans and specifications which are to guide you in this inquiry, but those very same plans and specifications now before you —the very same —not ideal ones. If called upon to-day to prepare others, I trust that I should be able to prepare and place before you far better ones —nay, in looking over them I see many points where I should be able to improve upon them, more especially after having heard the remarks —the judicious remarks, too, in a great many instances—and the criticisms of the gentlemen of the Commission with regard to them. But that is not the point, and I desire respectfully to remind you, gentlemen, that you must shut out from your minds those ideal plans that you may have been conceiving in your own minds as to this matter, and which are apt to intrude themselves, and that you are to judge this matter from the plans and. specifications before you, and from no other. As to the design, I chose the Scotch Baronial because, for a large building of the kind, I thought it extremely suitable, and because of the fact that it can be erected in the plainest possible manner, and yet has a boldness of eifect suited to its purpose in every respect. I think from end to end of the building there are few mouldings of any kind, and only a touch here and there of anything like ornament introduced; the grouping of the parts of the building and its distinctive style, rather than any other attempt at ornament, conducing to its whole effect, and which effect, I was pleased to learn from the Commissioners themselves when on the ground, was satisfactory and pleasing to them. With regard to the angle turrets which always form a conspicuous feature in the Scotch Baronial style, it is evident that Mr. Brindleyhad previously no experience of them as I had, having the privilege of being a Scotchman and educated for my profession chiefly in the queen of cities, old Edinburgh itself, where these angle turrets are to be seen on every hand, and no Scotchman is afraid to walk under them. I never heard any one talk about them as Mr. Brindley did when he said he was afraid to walk under them. I hold in my hand here—although, of course to you, gentlemen, it is superfluous—a specimen in a book published by Eobert Kerr, F.E.1.8.A., of London. Here, at page 376, is a sketch of the Scotch Baronial style. It is only a little one, the only one I had at hand, and in it you will see these turrets exactly as they have been produced and built at Seacliff. These turrets are plentifully distributed all over Erance, Germany and the Continent. You will there see those projecting angle-turrets exactly as they are at Seacliff. And you have also mounted to the roof of the building through the spiral stone staircase of the Seacliff turrets, and you can testify it was safe to do so, for you have got back safe, even though you may not be Scotchmen. As I have previously stated, I do not profess to have produced at Seacliff a perfect building. I never did produce a perfect building. lam striving for it day after day, and am getting a little nearer to it, but do not look for perfection in that building. If I had to erect it to-day I might put more binding into it, as some have justly remarked, and I think judiciously, and I might introduce here and there a little perfection I did not notice at the time I was getting this into order. I quite admit all that, but I rely upon you, gentlemen, to bear me out in this maintenance, that the building is one which, when thoroughly completed and protected by the isolating cutting, the country will be pleased to look upon, and that, too, in the words of Dr. McGregor, the General Superintendent of Lunatic Asylums in New Zealand, when writing to me in reference to it, "with a sober satisfaction." Now, as to the evidence of Mr Ussher : I will touch very lightly upon all the evidence. Mr Ussher's evidence was given in a manner characteristic of the man ; and, like an honest man, he was careful not to commit himself unguardedly. It would have been well if his superior officer had been as guarded in his statements from first to last in this matter. From this witness we learn that he was unable to put his hand on any one point around all the foundations of the Seacliff building —in extent, as I have shown elsewhere, of fully half a mile, and erected confessedly on varying and, at parts, shifting ground—and say that a vertical settlement existed there. The department, in the person of Mr. Blair, has accused the building of having defective foundations, and does so now, openly and boldly, and Mr. Ussher does not bear him out in this—though he is his right-hand man; his chief witness in the whole concern. How are we to reconcile these things ? Mr. Ussher was brought to curse us and he has blessed us