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60

Colonel Kempt

Commdy. H. M. Troops

Sydney

H. M. Troops in Australia and
with yourself, I have the honor, on
behalf of the Government of Queensland,
to request that you will despatch
to Brisbane at your earlliest convenience
- reinforcements having now arrived
at Sydney - the detachment detailed
in July last by General Pratt for
the defence of this Colony - viz:
one subaltern, two sergeants, one
drummer, and twenty-five rank
and file.

2. Sergeant Green has given
entire satisfaction here as Instructor
of Volunteers, but it will now
be obviously desirable that he
should either do duty with the
detachment at Brisbane, or rejoin
Head quarters at Sydney.

I have &c.

Signed / G. F. Bowen

No. 46

Government House

Brisbane, Queensland

28th January, 1861

Sir

I have received and
laid before my Executive
Council, You Excellency's
Circular despatch of the 28th ult.,
respecting a proposal that the
Legislatures of all the Australian
Colonies, including New Zealand,
should be called upon to
contribute towards the expenses
for the Colonial Allowances
and

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and lodging money of the Head
Quarters' Staff in this command.

No copy of the despatch to
which Your Excellency alludes
(Duke of Newcastle to Sir H.
Barkly No. 35 of 12th October 1859,)
was ever addressed to me.

Indeed the Colonial Office could
not fail to be aware that
it was not applicable to this
Colony; for, although my
Government has made repeated
applications for a small
detachment of Her Majesty's
Troops, these applications were
refused during the first
fourteen months of the political
existence of Queensland, on
the plea that even a subaltern's
party could not be spared
from the garrison of Sydney.
It is believed that this is
the only British Colony of
importance that was ever
founded and organised without
the presence of a single
British soldier.

In the course of the present
month, the Officer Commanding
at Sydney has, by order received
from Major General Pratt, sent
to Brisbane, a lieutenant
of the 12th Regiment, with 25
rank and file. But my
Government have received,
with some surprise, a
letter from the Officer in
Charge of the commissariat
at Melbourne, enquiring whether
the