AUS-PT-JACKSON-CONVICTS-L Archives

From: "John Caling" <>
Subject: Re: [PJ] Higher style of living in 1827
Date: Wed, 8 Aug 2007 08:33:54 +1000
In-Reply-To: <OGEELKEHANIHLMOJNLCJIEFFOGAA.ckennedy@bigpond.net.au>

Thanks Leslie.

JC

-----Original Message-----
From:
[mailto:] On Behalf Of
Lesley Uebel
Sent: Tuesday, 7 August 2007 10:52 PM
To:
Subject: Re: [PJ] Higher style of living in 1827



Hi John,

I had a feeling that someone may ask :))

Living beyond his means...... and perhaps something else may be read
into it

>From HRA XIII


Governor Darling to Earl Bathurst
Government House, 10 April 1827

My Lord,

I have the honor to acquaint your Lordship that Captain Piper, the Naval
Officer, having been enable to pay in the balance due by him on the
public account, I have found it necessary to suspend him from his
office, and have appointed Mr. John Thomas Campbell to the charge of the
Department under the Commission of Collector of Customs, which I had the
honor to receive Your Lordship's Circular Letter of the 1st January
1826. Not feeling satisfied with Captain Piper's conduct, I have delayed
giving him the Commission of Collector, and appointed a Board, early in
the month of October last, to enquire into the mode of conducting the
duties of that Department; But, before the report was delivered in,
which I received only about ten days since, Captain Piper became a
defaulter and was consequently removed from his office. Since this
occurrence, the sun of Five Thousand Pounds Sterling has been paid in on
his account, but there still remain a balance of about Twelve Thousand
Pounds. His property is, however fully sufficient to meet this demand;
and the necessary steps have been taken to secure the Government from
loss. I fear, however, from the extreme negligence with which Captain
Piper appears to have carried on the business of his department, that
the duties have not been properly collected, and there are unluckily no
means of ascertaining the extent of the deficiency.

According to the late regulations, the public Accountants were required
to make their payments to the Treasurer quarterly. But, though infinite
trouble was experienced last year in obligating Captain Piper to pay up
a large balance, which he owed to the Government when I arrived, and
which he was only enabled to do by disposing of lands and other
property, the necessary attention was not paid to the regular delivery
of his accounts, and the present debt has been accumulating since the
termination of the 3rd Quarter of the last year. His accounts were very
improperly permitted to lay over from that time under various pretences
on his part, until it became necessary to act on the instructions
recently received from the Lords Commissioners of the Treasury; and it
then appeared that Captain Piper was unable to pay his balance.

As the omission in this case applied more immediately to the Auditor, I
am desirous to explain that he has been constantly occupied in assisting
in the general arrangements of the Government, and, though he ought not
to have neglected a duty which was of paramount importance, it is some
excuse that he was zealously and advantageously employed in the Public
Service.

There are lots of other letters and too many for me to type up but you
may like to check the Dictionary of Australian Biography at:



http://gutenberg.net.au/dictbiog/0-dict-biogP-Q.html#piper1

Regards


Lesley Uebel
mailto:
CLAIM A CONVICT
http://users.bigpond.net.au/convicts/index.html




-----Original Message-----
From:
[mailto:]On Behalf Of John
Caling
Sent: Tuesday, August 07, 2007 9:38 PM
To:
Subject: Re: [PJ] Higher style of living in 1827



Hi Lesley & List,

That must have been a huge amount of money in those days. I am curious
as to why this person would have accumulated such a huge debt to the
Government of the day. Surely he had considerable assets as can be seen
from the auction listings and the loans would not have been made to
accumulate those assets.

Was the Governor able to make loans to people of standing within the
colony to construct substantial houses and other improvements?

Cheers,

John Caling
Currimundi, Qld.

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• Re: [PJ] Higher style of living in 1827 by "John Caling" <>