Letter No.596 of 1870 from Colonel Sir William Lockyer Merewether, The Commissioner in Sind, Commissioner's Office, Kurrachee [Karāchi] to His Excellency the Right Honorable Sir William Robert Seymour Vesey Fitzgerald, Governor and President in Council, Bombay [‎137v] (26/34)

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49. The censure I referred to was Colonel
Pbayre accusing Captain Harrison of partizan-
ship with the Khan, when he reported favora
bly of His Highness' proceedings. This I
considered most unjust, in the first instance,
and in the next, as seriously trammelling Cap
tain Harrison in the execution of his duties, and
carrvinff out the orders of Government.
O
reofardinof the various branches of the adminis-
O O
tration under my charge, so as to present to Go
vernment a lifeless uniformity with yours,
would it be expedient or for the good of the
State to do so \ In my humble opinion there
can be only one answer to such a question.
49. You next accuse me of censuring Captain
Harrison for reporting matter that he had
heard, and quote the order of the Government
of India desiring him to do so. I conclude that
you refer to para. 4? of my letter No. 1110, dated
21st July last, in which, when speaking of that
Officer's report on Lus Beyla affairs, what I
really said, was as follows. . . . " As it at
" present stands,the report would lead persons at
a distance to conclude that you really spoke
cc from personal knowledge, and not from the
c< hearsay accounts of interested persons. It
" would be better therefore I think to quote
<c the source of such information, which would
" then be estimated accordingly." This certain
ly is not censuring Captain Harrison for re
porting what he had heard, as ordered by the
Government of India. I do not think I touch
ed on the subject in any other letter than the
above.
50. My words were "what I most regret ^ 011 sa y general terms that, b} call-
to observe, you question the accuracy of that i n question certain of Captain Hauisons
Officer's statements.' This undoubtedly in- statements, I have meiited maiked disappioval,
fers that it was unjustly done. Colonel Phayre's but you do not say whether I have done so
recent letters to Captain Harrison all display unjustly or not. In lepl} 1 to this, I ha\e oruy
in some degree this questioning of accuracy, to soUcit tl)at iustances meriting such marked
hut I referred particularly to some of Colonel disapproval may be pointed out, and should it
Phayre's marginal notes to Captain Harrison's he proved that I ha\e acted unjustly in any
letter No. 29, of the 21th June 1S70, especially comment that I have made in this respect. I
to the ones against the 15th and last para", will acknowledge it at once and apologise,
thereof. Captain Harrison justly points out, in
concluding his letter Xo. 52, of the 5th August,
that Colonel Phayre's review of his report eon-
tains " allegations that must affect my char
acter, not only as an official, but as a private
gentlemanshowing how much he felt what
had been written.