(No. 95.) No. 60. Copy of a Despatch from Governor Grey to Earl Grey.

Daily Southern Cross, Volume VI, Issue 435, 29 August 1851, Page 4

(No. 95.) No. 60. Copy of a Despatch from Governor Grey to Earl Grey.

Government Home, Auckland, July 14, 1849. (Received November 23, 1849 ) (Answered, December 12, 1849, No. 85, page 244.) My Lord, — I have the honour to transmit a letter addressed to your Lordship by a Mr. W. Brown. I should, under ordinary circumstances, have shrunk from noticing any statements proceeding from this person, and however gross the charges made against me had been, should hare relied upon alt rightminded persons feeling the same contempt for them that I do, and should not, therefore, have deigned to give any reply to them ; but as this case it a good illustration of the attacks I am subjected to from this person, I will notice this one instance ; but for the fu'ure nothing shall induce me to reply to his attacks. 2. 1 was first, about two years ago, accused by this Mr. Brown of having written a letter to the Bishop, requesting him to use his clerical influence to enable me to accomplish what was described as an unjust political object. I then indignantly denied, as I do n«rr, ever having written a letter upon the terms of «hich such a construction could be justly put. I believe every one now admits that this charge was an untrue one. 3. In order, however, to support it, a copy of my letter to the Bi»liop was obtained by Mr. Brown in some indirect way, without either my own knowledge or consent or that of the Bishop, as will be seen from the enclosed letter from his Lordship. 4. This letter, obtained in this suspicious manner, wss published by Mr. Brown in his newspaper, and ay Assistant Private Secretary brought me tbe published copy, and called my attention to tbe fact, that a passage in the letter I had written to the Biihop was omitted in the published letter. I, perhaps hastily, concluded that people who would not hesitate in an indirect manner to obtain a copy of this letter, and to accuse me of having made an application to the Bishop, which I should have regarded as disgraceful to his Lordship and to myself, would not have hesitated to go one step farther, and to omit publishing a passage in the letter alluded to. 5. Your Lordship will see from the enclosed ) etter from the* Rev. F. Thatcher, who was, at the time alluded to, acting as my Ansutant Private Secretary, that the fnult of the omission in the letter rested, however, with him, and not with the editor of the paper ; and this circumstance would imme* diately have been discovered, if it had not been for the indirect manner in which a copy of this letter had been obtained for publication without the know, ledge or consent of ths Bishop or myself. The error of this transaction, therefore, rests on those who were guilty of this first improper proceeding. I have, Sec, (Signed) G. Gret. 1 he Right Hon. Earl Grey, &c, &c, &c.