76 The Fraser River Mines.

town at that time was infested, and the said saloon on that particular
night was filled; and rendering the party guilty thereof unfit to serve
this or any other Government in any capacity whatever.

(Sgd.) P. B. WHANNELL,
Justice of the Peace, District of Fort Yale, B.C.

British Columbia, Fort Yale, 9th Feby, 1859.

FourtH CHaArce acainst Mr. Ricuarp Hicks, LATELY ASSISTANT
Gotp CoMMISSIONER AT Fort YALE, BritisH CoLUMBIA.
Culpable Dereliction of Duty.

In the following instance, viz. :—

“For having, at Fort Yale, British Columbia, on or about the
9th day of November, 1858, when report to, by Constable Joseph W.
Carey, to the effect that Mr. B. Donnellan, the Chief of the Police (at
that time),** had been guilty of endeavouring to abstract the sum of
Five hundred Dollars from a prisoner named George Harrison Jones
then in custody under charge of murder, connived at and taken no
notice of the said serious charge, more especially against the head of
the Police force of the said town; nor caused any investigation to be
made into the matter; nor reported the said B. Donnellan, if found
guilty, to His Excellency the Governor for dismissal from the Service.”

Such conduct being a manifest and highly culpable dereliction of
his duty, both as a Government officer and as a Magistrate; for which
latter position the said Richard Hicks had so rendered himself totally
unworthy and unfit.

(Sgd.) P. B. WHANNELL,
Justice of the Peace, District of Fort Yale, B.C.

British Columbia, Fort Yale, 9th Feby, 1859.

Fort YAue, B/C.

To C. Brew, Esq., February 15th, 1859,

Chief Gold Commissioner,
Chief Inspector of Police, etc.

Str,—I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of your com-
munication of yesterday’s date, inclosing a letter from the Colonial
Secretary with directions from His Excellency Governor Douglas to
investigate certain charges made against me by one Capt. Whannell

(35) Mr. Donnellan had served on the police force in San Francisco before coming to

British Columbia. The prisoner was, probably, the George Jones mentioned in note (57) to
Judge Begbie’s correspondence, though the dates do not agree.