Page:History of New South Wales from the records, Volume 2.djvu/355

 Got UNA. (299 emergency, and he therefore requested Nepean to take his "^^^ place while he was absent. Nepean raised no objection, placed •and the appointment was made in an Order in which it during was stated that Nepean was called upon to undertake this abseooo. duty because it was " necessary that a sufficient number of officers belonging to the New South Wales Corps should remain on the island to order and compose regimental Courts-martial/^ TSlng stated these reasons formally in a despatch to Dundas.* But they were not the only ones which influenced him in the choice of a hcum tenens. In a private letter to the Under Secretary of the Home Depart- ment (Eyan Nepean) ,t King stated that Lieutenant Abbott had some months before taken an active part in certain quarrels between the soldiers and settlers, and was not, Jvc«on T- ' ^ between therefore, a desirable man to be entrusted with the com- 8olS«» w»d mand. In addition, the subaltern next in rank below Abbott was alleged to be addicted to habits of intemperance, and, therefore, ineligible to take Abbott's place. Lieutenant Abbott was not disposed to give way to Captain Nepean ad obstinate without a protest. He contemptuously declared his inten- ** ^' tion of refusing to take any notice of King's Order, and alleged that he did so not in his own name only, but in that of the subaltern's as well. J This occurred the night before King's departure for New Zealand. If Abbott had persisted, other steps would tave been necessary, but having slept on the matter, he adopted a more prudent course. He went to King the Tiext morning, and told him that " he should not retard Abbott's attitude the service by continuing a disobedience to the Order, but towards that he should represent the oppression that he laboured ♦ Historical Becords, vol. ii, p. 87. f lb., p. 97. X Abbott ofterirards aoknowledgad that he had no authority to use the names of these officers. King told Nepean that be " receiTed a letter from Ensign Piper denying that he had ever given Lieut. Abbott the least reason to make use of his name (in refusing to obey the order), as Lient. Abbott had not even spoken to him on Uiis business previous to his (Lieut. A.) coming to me, and making use 4if both the officers' names. The other Bub*n was so much intoxicated irith liquor that he was incapable of giving any opinion.''