24
Colonial Secretary’s Office,
Wellington, 29th January, 1852.

HIS EXCELLENCY the Governor-
in-Chief directs the publication of
the following Despatch and its enclo-
sures for general information.

By His Excellency’s command,
ALFRED DOMETT,
Colonial Secretary.

Downing Street,
30th May, 1851.

SIR,—I herewith transmit, for your
information and guidance, the Copy of a
Letter from the Board of Trade respect-
ing the payment to that Department of
certain of the Penalties levied under the
Mercantile Marine Act, 13 and 14 Vic-
toria, cap. 93. I also enclose the Copy
of a Letter on this subject, which I caused
to be addressed to the Board of Treasury
with an extract from a letter received
from the Lords Commissioners in reply.

I have to instruct you to take the ne-
cessary steps for causing the penalties
in question, to be paid into the Commis-
sariat Chest as suggested by the Lords
Commissioners of the Treasury, and the
Certificates of such payments to be from
time to time forwarded to this Depart-
ment for transmission to the Lords of the
Committee of Privy Council for Trade.

I have the honor to be,
Sir,
Your most obedient
Humble servant,
GREY.

Governor Sir George Grey, K.C.B., &c.

Copy.
Office of Committee of Privy
Council for Trade,
Whitehall, 3rd April, 1851.

SIR,—I am directed by the Lords of
the Committee of Privy Council for Trade
to call the attention of Earl Grey to the
following statement:

By 7 & 8 Victoria, c. 112, s. 62, cer-
tain penalties, recoverable under that
Act, were made payable to the Seamen’s
Hospital Society, and by the Mercantile
Marine Act, 13 & 14 Victoria, c. 93, sec.
111, such penalties, if inflicted after the
1st of January last, are made payable to
the Board of Trade, or as it may direct.
As the former Act extends to ships re-
gistered in the United Kingdom, in what-
ever part of the empire they may be, and
also in certain cases to other British
ships, many penalties are inflicted under
it in Colonial Ports which ought, in
future, to be paid to the Board of Trade.
My Lords are, therefore, desirous that
such instructions should be given to the
Clerks of the Justices, or other officers
receiving such penalties in the Seaports
in the Colonies, as may insure their due
payment to the Board of Trade; and
I am to request you to move Earl Grey
to take such steps as he may consider
expedient for that purpose.

I am,
SIR,
Your obedient Servant,
(Signed) JAMES BOOTH.

Herman Merivale, Esq.,
&c., &c., &c.

Downing Street,
23rd April, 1851.

SIR,—I am directed by Earl Grey to
transmit to you the enclosed Letter ad-
dressed to me by the Secretary to the
Board of Trade and Plantations, and to
request that you will lay the same before
the Lords Commissioners of the Treasury,
and move them to inform his Lordship,
whether the most convenient course will
be to instruct the Governors of the
Colonies to cause the sums referred to,
to be paid into the Commissariat Chest,
and for their Lordships to pay over the
amount to the Board of Trade; or whe-
ther any other arrangement appears pre-
ferable.

I have, &c.,
H. MERIVALE.

Sir C. E. Trevelyan,
&c., &c., &c.

Extract from a Letter from Sir C. E.
Trevelyan, to Herman Merivale, Esq.
dated Treasury Chambers, 8th May,
1851.

“I am commanded by the Lords
Commissioners of Her Majesty’s Trea-
sury, to acquaint you for the information
of Earl Grey, in reply to your Letter
dated 23rd Ultimo, that the Commissariat
Officers in the Colonies are required by
their Instructions to receive into the
Commissariat Chest, all Moneys tendered
to them by a Colonial Government for
remittance to England on the Public
Service, and to grant Certificates of the
sums so received, and upon those Certi-
ficates being transmitted to this Board,
the Paymaster General is authorized to
issue like sums to the parties in whose
favor they are granted.”