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3593. Mr. Loughrey.] Who keeps the books in connection with the watches, &c, that come into this office ?—I keep them. We shall have a better book than that [referring to his private-jewellery-book] . 3594. Who keeps the accounts of the intestate estates in the office ? —They are divided between two Ledger-keepers. They have the Assets and Claims books. 3595. They are kept there? —Yes. 3596. Do you give the officers who keep Assets and Claims books any information as to the jewellery that comes into the office?—l generally say I have so much jewellery, watch and chain, or so-and-so, but I did not give details of all those things in Dallon's estate, because we always look at it that " Box of jewellery " is sufficient to go in the books. 3597. What is to prevent any one helping themselves if there is no inventory ?—No one can touch it except myself. I have the key of it. 3598. And there is no inventory ? —There was no inventory in this case. 3599. Do you not think it would be for your own protection that a full inventory should be made and furnished to the clerk who keeps the Assets and Claims book?— Yes, I think it would be a very good plan. I shall do so. 3600. So there is no guard at all on such articles ?—None. If Mr. Morrison says, and I have no doubt it is correct, that he handed this box of jewellery to me, he surely would have provided himself with an inventor}-. 3601. The Chairman.} He (Mr. Morrison) has a knowledge that lie got a receipt from you, but ho has sent that receipt to Mrs. Dallon's son, to show him ho delivered the casket to you. That receipt has gone to Queensland ? —lt should be a detailed receipt detailing all the articles handed to me. 3602. Have you ever been in the habit of making out detailed lists of articles handed to you? —No. 3603. Why did you not in this case ? —I am sorry I did not. 3604. Did it suit you not to do so ?—There was no suiting about it. There was the box of jewellery and the articles accounted for. 3605. Has it ever occurred to you to make out such inventories ? —Generally speaking, I got a watch or a watch and chain. They are entered. 3605. " &c." appears to comprise a great lot of articles, according to your ideas of inventories? —Certainly, in valuable things. 3507. Mr. Loughrey.] In the absence of an inventory, how do you account to relatives for these articles? —We take them from the account sales. 3608. Suppose the office does not send all the articles to an auction-sale, but that some are abstracted, what then ? —Who could possibly do that ? 3609. Who takes them to the auctioneer's ?—I have generally done so. I have generally taken them in a box. 3610. Have clerks ever taken them down?— Yes. 3611. The Chairman.} How about the packet of lace, &c. ? Who could tell it was at your house for many, many months?—l admit the force of your remarks. It ought to have been entered. 3612. What is to prevent any person, knowing that no inventory of articles exists, abstracting anything he pleased? —Nothing more than that there would bo an inventory sent to the auctioneer with them. 3613. In this case of Dallon's, was there an inventory?—l do not think there was, and that is a puzzle to me. 3614. Since you admit the force of my remarks in this one question alone, how are the public to know there are not other cases of a similar kind? —There are not. 3615. How is the public to know and judge, will you answer that ?—-You moan of things being away ? 3616. Yes. How are the public to know and judge ? — [No answer.] 3617. Mr. Loughrey.} How are they to know you have sent everything to the auctioneer's? ■—There are the account sales. 3618. The Chairman.} The account sales of what the auctioneers receive from you. How is the public to know, seeing your treatment of effects in regard to Dallon's case ? —The public could not know, of course. 3619. What suspicions would likely arise ? Would not a suspicion be likely to arise, and justly so, that there were other articles not accounted for? —Possibly it would. 3620. Did any one communicate with you the evening before you brought down this packet of lace to the office that the lace was wanted ? —No. Mr. Stanley Hamekton further examined. 3621. The Chairman.} Will you be good enough to repeat concisely before Mr. De Castro, and in his presence, the message you brought up to the Commissioners yesterday when you brought up the brown packet said to contain lace. Now, yesterday is not long ago. You can easily remember verbatim what you stated to the Commissioners when you brought in that packet of lace as having received it from Mr. De Castro ? —I stated that Mr. De Castro told me he got the parcel out of the drawer in his table. 3622. And what else did lie tell you to say, or what else did he say to you when he gave it to you ?—He said that the larger parcel was over from the first sale, and the smaller parcel was over from the second sale. 3623. Did he say whore the smaller parcel had been all this time ?—ln his drawer. I understood him to say it had been in his drawer the whole time. 21-— H. 3.