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 [‎139r] (29/34)

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has taken upon himself to so freely bestow.
57. This is also a most improper paragraph.
Having consideration for Colonel Phayre's long
standing in the service, and being well acquaint
ed with his zeal, energy, and ability, I con
sidered it was just to him, and well deserving
the trial, to endeavour to explain to the fullest,
all matters relating to Khelat in which I had
so many years' experience, with the view of
causing him to take them in their true lisrht.
O o
But my object has been grievously misunder
stood, and my efforts, I regret exceedingly to
find, wasted. I gave Colonel Phayre my full
support, until he showed an intention of dia-
re^ardino: what I intimated to him was the
o o
course I desired to be followed. I also freely
offered to him every assistance I could give.
58. I have undoubtedly approved of Captain
Harrison's conduct. It has been all that could
be desired, and merits very different considera
tion from what it has received at Colonel
Phayre's hands. If, in his adverse " action to
what he knew to be the orders of Government/'
Colonel Phayre refers to the Khan s proposals
and Captain Harrison's recommendations in
regard to the Kumal Khan village case, he has
strongly forgotten what passed. The corres
pondence shows I did not approve of what was
recommended. The latter part of this para,
contains a most improper insinuation, which
Colonel Phayre should have been careful to
avoid. I have written constantly privately or
demi-officially to Captain Harrison, to encou
rage him in the important position he holds, but
no official instructions have of course ever been
given to him, that have not been communicated
through Colonel Phayre, with one exception,
and that was, when Colonel Phayre was in
Bombay.
expressed it," the habit of secretly but persever-
ingly thwarting all our measures for the estab-
" lishment of the Khan's authority and good
" Government of his country."
57. I respectfully submit that, though you
have endeavoured to explain away the palpable
facts brought forward, you have not contro
verted any one of them ; you have thrown doubts
on everything but have disproved nothing. You
have not only censured everything I have done
in this matter, but you have cast a most serious
reflection upon my character as a public servant
of thirty years' standing, though my whole
career for that period, passed in some of the
highest appointments in the service, is in itself,
independently of the evidence of those facts,
a complete refutation of your attack.
58. On the other hand, you have given
Captain Harrison your unqualified support in
everything, even in his adverse action to what
lie knew to be the orders of Government. This of
course I cannot in honor submit to, and it leaves
me no alternative but to appeal to the Right
Honorable the Governor in Council for justice,
particularly as it would appear from some re
marks of your own and Captain Harrison's in
this correspondence that, since April last, you
have been in direct communication with him
upon official subjects, belonging to my duty as
Political Superintendent on this Frontier, with
out my knowledge and consent.
59. Colonel Phayre took up the duties of
Political Superintendent in August 1868. Tlie
statement that after a few months, &c. is not
quite correct. Every assistance and support was
given to Colonel Phayre by me at • first,
59. I would also submit to the Pight
Honorable the Governor in Council that, by Uis
Excellency's kindness, I was appointed Political
Superintendent on this Frontier in 1868, and
that after a few months I found myself in a