"buildings the expenses are also considered to have been unne"cessarily great;* and Captain Somerset, who is both Com"mandant and Resident, could at all events have had occasion "for one of the houses only.

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"IN OTHER PARTS OF THE COUNTRY.'-By these are "meant, that by changing the seat of magistracy in the district "of Albany from Bathurst to Graham's Town, at which former place it had been fixed by Sir Rufane Donkin, the expense "that had been incurred for the public buildings, with which "considerable progress had been made, is completely lost not "only, but must be completed at Graham's Town.

"AT TULBAGH the Landdrost's house had greatly suffered "from the extraordinary severity of the last winter, but by no "means proportionably to the various other public buildings of "this old established seat; therefore the greater expense would' "have been confined to the repairs of those damages, which "undoubtedly would have been heavy, but not to be compared "to those necessary to be incurred by removing the seat of that "magistracy from Tulbagh to Worcester, where the WHOLE is "to be new built.

"The Inspector does not presume to judge of the expediency "of these removals; but surely in the present state of the "Colonial resources, the incurring of such expenses, if not "absolutely and indispensably required to be immediately "incurred, would have been more consonant with His "Excellency's professed regard for public economy, had they "been at least postponed.

"In one of the annexures to the letter before alluded to, "viz., the explanation accompanying the observations on the "Grote Post, it has been said, that in a late transaction His "Excellency has been pleased to transfer a horse, two bulls, ""&c., at very high prices indeed, from these Government Farms "at the Grote Post to another Government Farm in the interior, (Somerset Farm,) to make room and pay for a new horse "sold by His Excellency to the former, although the latter is

* 66 Probably from first to last not less, if so little, as 25,000 "rix-dollars!"

"not a Breeding Farm, but has been used for a specific pur66 6 pose for a Commissariat Farm. And that it is clear, that were this to become a practice, it would create that which "would render the breaking up of the Grote Post establish"ment the more desirable.'

“In a marginal note was added the transfer of that horse, "&c., was attended with circumstances of a peculiar nature, "which I prefer to submit for inquiry to the Commission to "stating it here.'

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"The horse alluded to (Orval) was imported by Messrs. 66 Hamilton, Ross, and Co. about 1817. The exact time is not "known, but the average exchange throughout that year was "123 per cent. Either during that same year, or early in the "year following, the said horse was sold by public vendue for "2,700 rix-dollars, which, taking the exchange at 123 per "cent., the sterling value of the horse at that time was equal "to 2421. 38.* After this period, or in fact, after the settling "of the importers' private account in England, to which alone "the consideration of the sterling value, and the exchange "upon it applies, this horse, in all its subsequent mutations in "the Colony, by sale, exchange, &c., had its value rated in currency, or in Colonial value, without reference to any ster❝ling price.†

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"This horse, after having been for a short period in the pos"session of the purchaser, who paid for it in currency, at the "vendue, without reference to the exchange, became the pro

* «The average exchange of 1818 was 128 per cent., thence "only five per cent. difference, if the sale took place in that year."

I must here express my great regret at introducing any thing into these pages about horse-dealing, a subject on which I am profoundly ignorant; but the transactions detailed by Mr. D'Escury are so intimately blended with the question of Colonial finance, that I cannot disconnect the two, nor show the misapplication of the public money, without introducing the dealings detailed in this paper, which gave rise to that misapplication.-R. S. D.

"perty of his Excellency, who gave for it a Colonial-bred maré, "(the Maid of Swellendam,') and His Excellency subse

6

quently transferred this same horse again to the Grote Post "Farm, for what consideration does not appear, and there it "remained about four years to cover; when, in March, 1822, "it was sent to another distant Government Farm (Somerset "Farm) in the Albany district, and an order was given to the "agent, for both farms to transfer in rix-dollars from the "funds of the Somerset Farm, to those of the Grote Post, “FOUR HUNDRED POUNDS STERLING for the English stallion, "then on his journey to Graham's Town, ascertaining the "rate of the Exchange from the Colonial Paymaster.'

"This order was dated Newland's, 29th March, 1822, and "the rate of the exchange was then 177 per cent, and a frac❝tion, which produced the currency account of 5550 rix"dollars!

"It naturally occurs to ask, what could the exchange of 1822 "have to do with the price of a horse imported in 1817, after "having in that interval been sold and swapped different times? "Why should the price now be stated in sterling, while it had "first been sold for currency, and then exchanged for a "Colonial-bred mare? Why revert to sterling money, and “put, after a lapse of years, a greater sterling value upon it, "when age and services had, on the contrary, reduced its value, "than what it was originally worth at the rate of 123 per "cent. exchange? And why, at that advanced sterling value "again charge the advanced exchange of 177 per cent., "making also a difference of 54 per cent. upon this latter, " and then compel one government farm to pay to another the "amount of 5550 rix-dollars for a deteriorated article, which, "about five years preceding, could, with all the advantages

of a public competition, produce only 2700 rix-dollars? "After which, apply this hard-wrung sum for the payment of "another horse, again furnished by His Excellency to the same Grote Post!

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"This surely would, in the ordinary way of dealing, not be "deemed regular; but His Excellency, in these transactions, "besides being both buyer and seller, compels, by virtue of

his authority, both sale and purchuse, and that at prices, in "both instances also, determined by himself, having himself

an interest in the proceeds; for he furnishes the article, while "the capital engaged belongs to the public, whose resources 66 are at his command! The case stands thus:

"His Excellency furnished to the Grote Post Farm, under "his own immediate administration, in the first instance, "the stallion Orval, procured by His Excellency in the "Colony for himself, as before shewn; next also, His Excel

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lency furnished to the said Grote Post Farm the stallion "Vanguard, imported by himself, and now on the Farm; "hence both these horses were His Excellency's own imme"diate property, on which he of course fixed, but did not as "to the latter horse, declare to the agent his own price.* "He orders at the same time, evidently to minister towards "the payment of it, (for the Grote Post had no funds to meet "so heavy a purchase,) the Somerset Farm to buy from the "former the stallion Orval, which the latter farm did not "want, but which the Grote Post was to get rid of, in order "to make room for His Excellency's own, which he wished "to substitute in its stead; and His Excellency orders the "exorbitant price of 5550 rix-dollars, also fixed by himself

*The agent does not even now know what is ultimately "the total to be paid for it."

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"The Somerset Farm is not a Breeding Farm, as has been "stated before, but if the horse should be represented as having been sent there with a view to accommodate the public, "to cover the mares of the farmers in that district, why put "a selling price upon it? why not send the horse on the part of the Grote Post, and put it under the care of the

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manager of the Somerset Farm, both being Government "Farms, and the object of public benefit being common to "both? But, after all, did this said horse Orval ever reach "the Somerset Farm, or did it remain at Graham's Town? If "the latter should prove to be the case, which there is strong reason for believing, why was the Somerset Farm made to (6 pay for it at all?"

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"to be paid for it by the Somerset Farm*; after which His "Excellency orders again the Grote Post to pay to himself + "the money it had so received!

"The bulls alluded to are two old Devonshire bulls, super"annuated as to the purposes bulls are kept for; these the "Somerset Farm was made to pay for at the rate of 600 rix"dollars each, while the best young bulls bred at the Grote "Post, which ought to be the best in the Colony, are sold on "an average at 100 rix-dollars !§ The Somerset Farm not "being a Breeding Farm, and had these Devonshire bulls been "in their prime, and worth the money charged for them, they "would still not be wanted there; yet this farm nevertheless "paid 1200 rix-dollars to the Grote Post for these useless "creatures, and which, after all, never reached their destina❝tion; the one broke his leg on being shipped, or unshipped, "and the other died soon after landing.

"Beside these, one cow was at the same time disposed of “in like manner by the Grote Post to the Somerset Farm, for "the sum of 300 rix-dollars! If this cow has arrived || it is

*See the order above quoted, which is the Agent's voucher for the transaction."

"See Grote Post account of April, 1822; and see also "receipt in the hands of the Agent."

" Imported full seven years ago; they must be nine or ten years old."

"In the Account of December, 1820, appears the fol"lowing item :—

"From T. Buckle, for a Devonshire bull, 70 rix-dollars.' "If this be the progeny of either of these old bulls, how "wofully must the son have degenerated from the sire, who "in his old age is still deemed worth 600 rix-dollars! or "otherwise, it bespeaks the estimation that breed is held in "here, to fall considerably short of His Excellency's opinion "of it, in charging 1200 rix-dollars for the two bulls to the "Somerset Farm."

"This cow is still at NEWLANDS, 26th June, 1823, though "paid for March, 1822."