Franks to Buckingham

I have the honour to report my arrival from British Columbia.

The copy letter herewith will make known to Your Grace the
reason of my departure from that Colony.

In reply to that letter I addressed a respectful protest to the
Governor against the abolition—so far as it concerned myself
individually—of an Office to which I was appointed by Her Majesty,
and which, when I accepted it, I had every reason to believe
conferred upon me for life.

In a private note, dated 23d December, Mr Seymour says
"Your protest I think very good, and I am forwarding a copy to Lord
Carnarvon."

It appears however that, although Despatches have been received
up to the 31st Jany last, no correspondence on this, or any
other point connected with the abolition of My office has been
received at the Colonial Office.

I was appointed to the Treasurership in April 1864, and I
assumed the duties of that Office on my arrival in the Colony on the
26th of August in that year.

I have drawn my Salary up to the 31st of December 1866.

According to the rule of the Colonial Office, officers whose
Salaries are above £500 per annum are not entitled to an allowance
for passage money, and I defrayed my expenses to the most distant of
Her Majesty's Colonies out of my own pocket.

I have further defrayed out of my own pocket the expenses of my
passage to England.

I have not received, in any form whatever, gratuity or
compensation for the very heavy outlay I incurred on accepting and
relinquishing my appointment. A gratuity of two month's Salary was
offered to me—but I declined it on the ground that it was wholly
inadequate. An offer of one hundred pounds was made to me for the
expenses of my passage home: but I declined this also, on the ground
that the passage money fixed by the Crown Agents was one hundred and
fifty pounds, and that one hundred pounds was insufficient to cover
the cost. I have kept an account of my expenses and they show a
total of £122.

I would therefore beg leave respectfully to submit to Your Grace
that, in view of the short period during while I have received the
Emoluments of my Office, the rule of the Colonial Office which
disentitles Officers in my position to passage money cannot
reasonably be held to apply—and to request that Your Grace will be
pleased to direct that the usual amount be paid to me by the Crown
Agents for my passage out to the Colony, as well as for my passage home.

With regard to any gratuity or compensation to which I may be
deemed entitled on account of other expenses out of pocket, or the
hardship inflicted upon me by the abolition of my life appointment, I
am led to believe that it is considered impossible to deal with the
matter prior to the receipt of Despatches from British Columbia.

But I would, in the meantime, take this occasion of expressing
to Your Grace my hope that the abolition—for no other than reasons
of State—of the office I have lately held, may be considered in a
light favourable to the further employment which I have now the
honour to solicit at Your Grace's hands.