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I knew it was perfectly hopeless sending in any report to the Executive Government, as Mr. Caldwell was always held up as quite necessary to the administration of the colony. My second reason was, that I wished to induce the Legislative Council to do with the Registration Ordinance what they had neglected to do with the Brothel Ordinance, and insert a clause disqualifying Mr. Caldwell and his family from deriving any pecuniary benefit in the exercise of his functions with regard to that measure. On going into Committee, accordingly, I moved that clause, and the Committee adopted it without a division. The Governor and the Acting Colonial Secretary appeared, however, much opposed to it; the Governor treating the charge as ridiculous, and the Acting Colonial Secretary as impossible.

Dr. Bridges stated himself to be professionally aware of the fact that Mr. Caldwell had parted with every inch of land he possessed in the colony before he became Licenser of Brothels, and that he had acquired none since.

I protested, of course, against this mode of dealing with a charge which I said I had made upon my liability to punishment if it was untrue.

Then Mr. Cleverly (the Surveyor General), expressing his concurrence with Dr. Bridges (the Acting Colonial Secretary), proposed to go down and examine his books, and returned with the statement, that the lot 241 B was registered in the name of Mr. D. R. Caldwell; on which the Governor apologised to me for having doubted my statement.

Some one suggested, that perhaps the Crown-rent might not be paid by Mr. Caldwell, but by somebody else; to which the Colonial Treasurer, Mr. Forth, said, he had just examined his books, and his clerk, Mr. Gilmour, who was present, could tell that the money had been paid by Mr. Caldwell's own hand; to which the clerk assented.

The matter then dropped for the time. But about half an hour afterwards, Dr. Bridges having communicated with Mr. Caldwell, Mr. Caldwell made his appearance in an adjoining room, and sent in a written memorandum to Dr. Bridges, which that officer, rudely interrupting the gentleman who was speaking, insisted on reading to the Council. He observed, with an air of triumph, "There now—I thought so—Mr. Caldwell says it's a mistake; and it is a mistake;" and he read the memorandum to us, which purported to lay the blame on his lawyer, Mr. Stace, who ought to have registered