“‘His Excellency the Lt.-Governor lays before the Executive Council a copy of a further communication, dated June 15th, 1860, which His Excellency has received from Mr. C. Connell, respecting his recent resignation of his seat at the Council Board, and of the office of Postmaster-General.
“‘(Sgd.) J. H. T. Manners-Sutton.
“‘June 15th, 1860.’”
“(Copy No. 12.)
“Letter from Mr. C. Connell to the Lt.-Governor.
“‘To His Excellency The Hon. J. H. T. Manners-Sutton, Lt.-Gov., &c., &c.
“‘Sir,—The Royal Gazette of the 6th inst. contains a memorandum intended as a reply to my letter of the 30th ult. to your Excellency, in which your advisers exhibit a great anxiety to impress on the mind of your Excellency that the only cause of my resignation of the office of Postmaster-General was the refusal of the Council to advise your Excellency to order the issue of the Five Cent stamps. I have in my previous letters to your Excellency stated some of the many reasons forming the basis of my conclusion to resign, and to repeat that I was not influenced in my course altogether by the stamp question I consider unnecessary, that matter merely having had the effect of bringing my previous intention to its fulfilment, for sooner or later my resignation must have been tendered. I will however say, that the usage I did receive at the hands of my colleagues, in reference to the stamps, would have been sufficient to cause such action as I took upon the premises.
“‘The correspondence between myself and the Provincial Secretary, with reference to the issue of the Postage Stamps, laid before your Excellency, either has not had a careful perusal, or else they are in ignorance of the meaning conveyed by such correspondence.
“‘I was first authorized to procure the stamps, and stated on the floor of the House in March last that ‘I had ordered, and would receive in time for distribution on the 1st of May, stamps of the denomination of One, Five, Ten, and Twelve and a Half Cent, in view of the introduction of the decimal system of currency.’ They arrived, and preparations for their issue at the appointed time were made by the Department, supposing that any further orders were unnecessary, until I received the telegram from the Provincial Secretary, and subsequent interference on the parts of your advisers, in what was a mere matter of detail, became apparent. An order to issue all but Five Cent stamps was made, thus setting aside my power and right to conduct even a minor arrangement of the Department. After having procured, by the knowledge and consent of the Government, stamps of various denominations, my position as head of a department was ignored. Even if this was the only circumstance influencing me, my course was the only honourable one to pursue.
“‘I have the honour to be,