H.—34,

2

to qualify his former statement by stating that " the liquid was the same, unless it had been tampered with by the Provincial Executive." That Mr. Tatton was pressed on his first and second examinations to produce the bottle in which the liquid given him by Mr. Butler had been contained; but he made unsatisfactory excuses. At last, on a third day, he came with the bottle marked T, which he swore positively was the bottle given him by Mr. Butler, in September, 1876, and the drop of liquid still left in the bottle was some of the same as was in it then. The moment Mr. Tatton produced this bottle we and others remarked a very strong smell of ether. Tet Mr. Tatton persisted that this bottle had been lying for a long time unsealed and badly corked in one of his cupboards. We believe that Mr. Tatton had himself, since the commencement of our inquiries, fabricated this piece of evidence. Mr. Butler refused to identify this bottle. That we have also had the contents of the bottle O examined by Mr. Skey. This is the bottle from which the liquid given to the Provincial Government and Mr. Tatton was originally taken. Its contents are proved to be the same as those of bottle A. Mr. Skey has also examined bottle T ; the contents are different to bottles A and 0, confirming our opinion that Mr. Tatton made up this piece of evidence for the occasion Mr. Tatton made such evident misstatements in other parts of his evidence that we think him a person quite unworthy of belief. That Mr. Butler, in his letter marked N, to which we direct special attention, retracted and apologized for all his charges. This letter he subsequently withdrew. The only reason for its withdrawal being, apparently, that it might injure his claim to compensation. That the evidence of Mr. Butler is proved, by comparing his evidence with his letters, to be generally untrustworthy, and in some respects deliberately false. That on his dismissal Mr. Butler received from the Provincial Government six months' pay, as compensation, in lieu of notice. That the said Thomas Butler was not " unwarrantably aud unjustifiably dismissed," but was rightly and properly removed for knowingly making scandalously false charges, and for the gross immoralities of which he is proved, partly by his own admission, to have been guilty. That with regard to the allegation in his petition " that certain goods are detained by the Government," we have no proof of this, but the law affords Mr. Butler a simple and easy mode of obtaining his chattels from any one unlawfully detaining them. That we are firmly of opinion that the charges made by Mr. Butler are completely disproved; that the Medical Officer and the Matron are fully exculpated; and there is not a vestige of an imputation resting upon their fair fame. "We further desire to express our regret that persons of unblemished repute should have been so wantonly exposed to pain and annoyance. Given under our hands and sealed with our seals, at Wellington, this 20th day of September, 1877. (1.5.) Fbxd. W. Skae. (l.8.) Lowtheb Broad. By Authority: Gjiorgh Didbbubt, Government Printer, Wellington.—lß77. Price 3d.]