A Copy Paramatta Jany 30th. 1821 Honored Sir When your Honor communicated to me that His Excellency Governor Macquarie had stated that I had paid the Workmen who were employed in Building the Orphan House at Paramatta principally in “Property” and afterwards stated a second time that I had “paid for the Work in Property” I was struck with astonishment and the most painful regret at the Governor’s observations; the term Property must mean if it means any thing that I paid the whole of the Workmen or nearly so in Property and is evidently intended to impress on your Honor’s mind and that of His Majesty’s Ministers that I had done something improper and if I had not acted dishonestly I had acted dishonorably during the period the Orphan House was erecting from a Love of Money As the Lieutenant Governor the Judge Advocate and the Revd Wm Cowper who formed the Orphan Committee examined my accounts and past them every quarter and the Governor afterwards approved of them and published them in the Sydney Gazette for the Information of the Public. I would presume His Excellency cannot with any Justice condemn my conduct in those public transactions and acquit the Lieutenant Governor the Judge Advocate and the Revd Wm Cowper of negligence [f] who examined and passed my account for more than Four Years Quarterly while the Orphan House was erecting; what Public or Private motives the Governor had for approving my accounts every Quarter it does not become me to enquire. But I may be permitted to remark if the Governor at the time he approved my account, and published them in the Gazette had any Reason to believe I was acting dishonestly or dishonorably surely it was His Excellency’s imperious Duty to have call’d on me for an explination at that period and not to have allowed more than three Years to pass before he takes any Public notice that I had “paid for the Work principally in Property” I am happy to say that the Revd Wm Cowper has taken the trouble to reexamine my Public accounts with the principal Workmen employed at the Building of the Orphan House and I have now the Honor to submit the Revd Wm Cowper’s statement four your consideration which I hope will be so far satisfactory as to remove any unfavourable impressions prejudicial to any reputation from your mind should any have been made. Your Honor will perceive in what manner the Claims of the different Workmen was settled by me as mentioned in Mr Cowpers Statement rigt Cash …… ?2197„ 17„ 4 Meat — 1563½lbs — ?67„ 17„ 3½ Wheat — 71 Bushels — 46„ 19„ 0 Flour — ……………………… 2„ 13„ 2 Sugar — 789lbs — 22„ 14„ 2Ύ Tea — 85lbs — 30„ 13„ 8Ύ Tobacco — 139lbs — 34„ 15„ 0 Cloathing ……………………… 22„ 14„ 6 228„ 6„ 11 ? 2426„ 4„ 3 [f] It is to be observed that those sums have no reference to the purchase of Materials from the Merchants which His Excellency must be aware must have been paid for in Sterling Money. I would also remark that I advanced the sum of ?81„15„0d Sterling to William Stewart and Robert Hilton privates in the 73rd Regiment before they began their work in order to enable them to procure their discharge by finding substitutes, I surely could not gain any advantage by this advance as they remained long in any debt before they could repay me and had no means of procuring Provisions but by my assistance. The Workmen I supplied with Provisions were all Drunkards and most of them at the time were, or had been Convicts and had Families to provide for had I at all times given them Money to purchase Meat, Wheat, Sugar &c &c they would have gone to the Publicans and spent it leaving their Families to starve and the Building could not have gone on, this fact the Colony will admit notwithstanding my wish that their Families should be supported by their earnings. Their Wifes frequently with Tears in their Eyes applied to me to procure for them a Bushel of Wheat when their Husband’s Drunkeness had deprived them of the means of procuring the articles they wanted which were then scarce in the Colony and for which they paid no more than their current price whether I purchased from the Public of supplied it from my own store; The Sugar they received [f] at the whole sale prices principally by the Bag at that time 6d pr lb tho’ this is charged as property in my account yet I paid Sterling Money for the same and could derive no advantage from it had I wished so to do. The Tobacco was also purchased by the Roll. In these transactions the Institution ran no risk, suffered no loss nor the Workmen injured but accommodated and obliged. Having stated the above facts I feel myself call’d on to mention another occurrence which delicacy would have prevented me under less painful circumstances – In the Year 1806 when I was about to return to England I was directed by the late Governor King to hand over the Orphan Accounts to Mr Merchant Campbell who was appointed Treasurer during my absence. At this time ?255 Sterling was due me as my Pr Centage which had been ordered by the Governor to be paid the Treasurer of the Orphan Institution for his trouble. I declined receiving this sum at the time tho’ press’d by the Governor and Committee so to do as they conceived it my just right. When the Governor and Committee refused to receive from me my Pr Centage as Treasurer, I purchased Cattle to that amount from the Government and presented them as a Donation to the Female Orphan Institution which laid the foundation of their now existing Herd for the truth of this statement I beg to refer you to the Revd Richd Hill the present Secretary to the Orphan Institution who has the whole of the Records of the [f] Institution under his charge and in which the foregoing transactions will appear. And I now solicit your Honor will examine those Records for your own satisfaction and my Justification had I wished to enrich myself by this Institution I should have retained the ?255 when I had it in hand and after my return to this Colony in 1810 and had resumed the Office of Treasurer I should have continued to receive my Pr Centage up to the present period which would have amounted to a sum little less than ?1000 if not more and which I conceive I might legally claim on the following grounds. Governor King ordered the Treasurer of the Orphan Institution to receive 5 Pr Cent on all disbursements made by him when Governor Bligh took, command of the Colony he approved of the same, and other Gentlemen who were Treasurers in my absence received their Pr Centage and subsequently Governor Macquarie approved of what his predecessors had done on that head. So very sensible is His Excellency that an Office of this responsibility is entitle to some remuneration that he has lately in a Government General Order given D’Arcy Wentworth Esqr ?1000 as late Treasurer of the Police fund and confer’d a proportionate annual sum to his Successor in order to convince both your Honor and His Majesty’s Government that I derived no other advantage than my trouble and losses during the period I superintended the Building of the Orphan House. I have taken the liberty to state the advances I made in money to the Institution at different periods, while the Orphan House was erecting independent of the advances to the [f] Workmen rigt [?] 1814 June 30 due the Treasurer of the Orphan Fund ………….. } ?460„ 12„ 16 [?] Sept 30 ____________ Do _______ …………………………………. * 477„ 11„ 11 Dec 31 ____________ Do _______ …………………………………. 295„ 8„ 8 1815 March 31 _______ Do _______ …………………………………. 275„ 15„ 0 * To this balance is to be added ?433„ 3„ 5d of Notes which had been paid by the Naval Officer to the Treasurer and with which he charged himself tho’ not paid consequently my advance Sept 30th 1814 was ?910„ 15„ 4 which may be seen by a reference to the Sydney Gazette these advances were made by me that the Building might not be impeded as His Excellency the Governor approved of my accounts ever Quarter he could not fail noticing the above advances. In 1814 when I was about to embark for New Zealand the Institution was upwards of ?900 in my debt I waited on His Excellency and stated my want of money previous to my departure in order that I might settle all my Public and Private accounts with my Creditors his answer was “he could not assist me” and referred me Mr Commissy Allen who declined making any advance unless by an order of the Governor’s which order I could not obtain in this instance I felt myself much injured and was put to great inconvenience, as my Creditors doubted my return were urgent for payment of their claims. I had now no alternative but to sell off a part of my Stock which I did to the amount of ?600. The person who purchased them was not enabled to pay the amount before I sailed, previous to my return to the Colony he was taken ill and died shortly after; his wife did not [f] long survive him; leaving a balance due to me of upwards of ?160 unsettled which sum I have ultimately lost. As I have ever had but one feeling towards the Orphan Institution I think I may justly say under all the above circumstances, that instead of groundless accusations and insinuations alledged against me as reward for my Toils, Losses and inconvenience to promote the interest of the Institution I might have reasonably expected that my Superiors would have view’d my conduct in a more charitable light than they have hitherto done. Relying now with the fullest confidence on your impartial judgement when you take my case into your favourable consideration and which I cannot entertain a doubt but you will justly view the merits of my case I have the Honor to be Honored Sir Your mo: Obedt hle St Samuel Marsden The Honorable Commissioner of Enquiry [f] A Copy — Statement of the principal Tradesmen’s Accounts for work done at the New Orphan House at Parramatta from the commencement to the completion of the Building – as taken from The Revd S. Marsden’s Books & Receipts this 26th January 1821 Mr Jas Elder as Supt at ?100 Pr Annum in Cash ?495„ „ Steward and Hilton – Carpenters paid in Cash ?701„ 16„ 4½ in Property vizt 791½lbs Meat and 2 Sheep ? 38„ 10„ 4½ 31 of Tea 12„ 11„ 3 240 „ Sugar 6„ 14„ 9 67 „ Tobacco 16„ 15„ 0 1 Bushel of Wheat 0„ 16„ 0 2 Blankets „ 16„ 0 ? 76„ 3„ 4½ 777„ 19„ 9 Thos Acton Brich Maker pd in Cash 382„ 4„ 1 in Property vizt 183½lbs of Meat 9„ 3 „ 3 56 Bushels of Wheat 38„ 7„ 0 42lbs of Tea 13„ 12„ 0 308 „ Sugar 9„ 9„ 4 72 „ Tobacco 18„ 0„ 0 ? 88„ 11„ 7 470„ 15„ 8 Stokes, Wells & Allen Brick-layers pd in Cash 407„ 18„ 3 in Property vizt 414½lbs of Meat 20„ 3„ 8 14 Bushels of Wheat 7„ 16„ 0 ____ Flour 2„ 13„ 2 241lbs of Sugar 6„ 10„ 1½ 12 – „ Tea 4„ 10„ 5Ύ Cloth 7„ 10„ 0 Jean 1„ 2„ 6 Velveteen 3„ 18„ 0 Thread 0„ 8„ 0 ? 54„ 11„ 11½ 462„ 10„ 2½ ? 2206„ 5„ 7½ [f] Forward ?2206„5„7½ Thos Henshaw, Plaislaer pd in Cash ?178„8„10½ in Property vizt. Cloth 9„0„0 187„8„10½ John Hickey – Glazier – pd in Cash 32„9„9 ?2426„4„3 I hereby certify that the Quarterly Accounts for the general expenditure for the Building with the Receipts annex’d were presented to the Committee and examined by me as a Member and found as charged in the Quarterly Abstract approved by His Excellency — (signed) Wm Cowper [f] 1814 1814 June 30. Balance due the Treasurer of the Orphan Fund …………..... ? 460„ 12„ 3½ June 30. Balance in the hands of the Treasurer of Police Fund... ? 2507„ 12„ 10 Sept 30. Do Do …….. * 477„ 11„ 11 Sept 30 Do Do… 1244„ 17„ 7 Decr 31. Do Do 205„ 8„ 8 Decr 31 Do Do 1680„ 6„ 8½ 1815 1815 March 31 Do Do 275„ 15„ 0 March 31 Do Do 3527„ 8„ 10 * To this Balance is to be added ?433„3„5d. of Notes the Treasurer charges himself with but not paid, consequently his advance for the Orphan Fund at Sept 30. 1814 ? 910„ 15„ 4d. NB. The above extract from the Sydney Gazette will shew what advances the Treasurer of the Orphan Institution made at different periods to support the interests of that Institution while the necessary Buildings were erecting and also what money were in the hands of the Treasurer of the Police Fund at the same Periods. The Treasurer of the Police Fund is rewarded with a ?1000 for his services and the Treasurer of the Orphan Institution with Censure.