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WEDNBoDAY, TU SEPTEmBEne.
The Committee did not meet.
FRIDAY, 7TI BSEPTMBERa.
Committee met, purouant to summons, at eleven
o'clock. Present-The Colonial Secretary, Chair
mn; Mr. Gunn, Mir. Goodwin, Mr. Perry, Mr.
Douglnas, Mr. Allison, Dr. Butler, AIr. Clerke,
Dr. Crooke, Mr. Morrison.
The Committee resumed the consideration of
the Estimates, commencing with certain itemns
which stood over under Schedule C, Part 1.
2. Question put and'passed, that, in the opinion
of this Committee, tie item of £12 set down for
newspapere for the Sheriff, should be expunged
from the estimates.
3. The Colonial Secretary laid upon the table a
return of the expense for transport for the year
1854, under Schedule C, Part 1.
4. Questionput and passed, that. the conside
ration of Schetdule C, Part3, be deferred: (Mr.
Chapman.)
* Tile Committee adjourned at I o'clock.
Weekly Customs at Hobart Town and Lantu
eeston during the months of July thd August,
1855.-Ilobnrt Town, 1855.-Saturday, July 7,
£1729,4S 7d; 14, £2032 Is ld; 21, £1801 5s
8d; 28, £4200 Os 9d; August 4, £5955 19s
10d; 11, £14,230 13s 7d; 18, £9845 14e 7d;
25, £2048 17a Id; 31, £1330 12s ad. Total,
£43,264 10s ad. Lannceston, 185.5-Saturday,
July 7,"£810 3s 7d; 14, £28I25 18s 7d; 21,
£1511 Ita 3d; 28, £991 18s Id; August 4,
£1222 16s Id.; 11, £2434 12s 6d; 18, £2876
Ss 9d; 25, £957 13s Id ; 31, £794 15I ld.
Total, £14,225 14s. 9d. T. V. JEAn. 12th
August, 1861.
.,* The above comprehends Shipping Dues.
Hobart Town, 17th August, 1861.
SIR,-I have received your memoraudum of
this day's date, requesting that any statement I
have to make in justification or extenuatiou of my
conduct may be furnished to you, with the view
of the Governor in Council deciding on my case;
and I have now the honor respectfully to submit
tihe following observations: -
Wilth regard to my having stated that Mir.
Chapman had, when Colonial Treasurer, availed
imself of the knowledlgo which lie rpossesed in
virtue of his oflice to benefit hiiself when it was
iu contemplation to increase the duty on spirits, I
can only repeat what I have before stated, that
whatever illlpressiotn lry conversation may have
cauveyed to Messrs toolke, Gilmore, and others,
I never intended to imply that the transaction re
ferred to took ploce while Mir. Chapman held the
ofico of Colonial Treasurer. I am, and was then,
quite aware tlat hI didl not oasutlne that office
until about tile year 1857, nnd mly crn.
versation turnlied eni whlat occurred ill
1855. At that tihe IMr. Chaplnan's firot took
out o' Ilind a large quantitty of spirits, illnd paid
duty therein ll large' numbllller of casek of' rp
were illso reglunged, 1and tle entries prepared for
themll i these, howevecr, were taken back htlo the
store. I do not think, and never did think, thttt
thereo wns any thing exceptional in I?ris Iransc
tioll, or anytthinig ttilr least derogatory to Mlr.
Challnlanl's character as a merchant or ia leoutber
of tle Letislatuire.
(Quantities of spirits to ain unusual extent weor
taken out of bond, bolth il Iltobrt Town and
Laualceslon, ill anrticitmt"ion e of the probable rise of
tite duties. At the titte tile rum was taken back
into the tores, there ws a rum rlllour that a flrounce
cotmittee of' tile l.egisl.ltive Council, which wasu
then sitting, hard tedeidd not to recommend arny
anugentatinl of0 tie dllieso; arnd that that decision
influenced M r. Chapmanl to not withdraw thil rum
from thle stores.
There is notthing ir Mr. Corrieo' declaration
that I can suritlalntially impugn. I never fir ai
moment believed, nor did I ever hear it seriously
stated, that any signal was made, or to hlave been
mnade, frorll the wiotltow of thie Council ChaIlber ;
rbut I distinctly recollect hearing some one call tot
iMr. Corrie, by way of mere banter, to look out for
thei signal frro the window,--although this tri
vial occurrence, after so lotng tIn iuterval, Imay
have passed from his lmemlory.
?IuIih Incutlrs ill conversationl, at i time tvwhon a
nullmber of peCrsoIs ore Rengaged in transactionsl
sauch as tllose tlakling place in the Customs at.the
ptliod to which I harve reftirred, which serves to
create itmnprensiousl that outlivee tto period of their
occurrence, and for which there would be ino real
foundation had thle been subjected to ally ex.
ininatlion.
I have to express my lodeep regret that I should
have beenl tile cause of so miucll trouble to the
Eixecutive, hy ine.utiously making eemlarks
having tie effect, however unintended, ofconrvey
ing injurious retlectionI on Air. Chapltan. I ald
mit that I did not sufriciently conlsider at tile time
that lly position as Collector of Custooms would
give a weight to ally remark I mllight manlket, which
they might not carry if corling front another.
To DMr. Chalnpian I canll only apologize for what
I have said; fully admitting, after carefully re
vising anil tl circumstances of the ca:o, that Mr.
COapman'a transactions with the Customs, so far
as they are in lily waey known to tile, aford no
ground whatever for any imputatiou on his
character. I, at thle sale lillle, beg to assure the
Govertment, that on no future occasion shall any
Inadvertent statemlents on loly part, in matters
connected with my office, give rise to ally enlqui
ries such as that of which I have unfortunately
been the cause Ill this instance.
I have the honor to be, Sir,
Your most obedient servant,
Tro.1As T. WATT.
Tihe Ilon. the Colonial Treasurer.
(To be concludet d ii our next.)
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