QSA846741 1860 Draft letter from Colonial Secretary to Commandant 15 December, Colonial Secretarys Office In Letters, In letter 61:84, DR57332

Draft

Dec: 15

Sir

Your letters of the 12^th and 24^th ultimo, reporting the barbarous murder near Rockhampton of a woman named Fanny Briggs, and the arrest of the Trooper of the Native Police Force upon confession of being [accurate?] therein, having been submitted to the consideration of the Ex Council I am instructed to convey to gain the satisfaction of the Government at the promptness of the steps taken to trace the deed to the perpetrators.

When considering this matter the Council took action to express an opinion that the information offered to the Government respecting the details of duty performed by the Native Police generally was insufficient and I am now entrusted to request that you will Report, at intervals of one month, upon the State of Native Police Force generally, and of the duties performed by it - and further that you will make it an imperative duty of each officer in Command of attachments to furnish you (for transmission to the Government) with quarterly reports detailing the duty upon which each has been engaged the number of days upon which he has been absent from Camp upon duty, and the numbers of deaths that have occurred from collision with the Police, - stating the circumstances attending each such collision -

I have ...

Commandant NM Police. Under Col Sec'y

[written diagonally at bottom of page] The C. N.M. Police 17^th Dec^r 1860. T.H.