Burke Manuscript

Burke Manuscript: Page 187

Transcript

A building stood for many years, a relic of the sixties, in Oxford Terrace, below the Foresters’ Hotel. It was built by Mr Christopher Alderson Calvert, a somewhat eccentric man, very precise, an English barrister, an early arrival and for many years Registrar of the Supreme Court in an office in the old Town Council Chambers, with Mr Bowron, and Dick Davis, for clerks. Mr Calvert had a fad about building a stone house in his own style of architecture and possibly some stone from his own land in Governor’s Bay. A prominent feature was an arched gateway with the arms of the Calvert family carved in the centre. It was surrounded by holly fences, some of the trees, I think, still stand. Mr C.A. Calvert, a very obstinate, self opinionated man took offence at Mr Stafford, then Premier, owing to defalcations in some office, required every public officer to give surety. Mr Calvert was indignant. He got out of office. Retired to his property in Governor’s Bay on a pension. His Oxford Terrace building passed out of his hands and eventually became the property of Hyman Marks, who had no reverence for gateways or coats of arms, and some years after it was razed to the ground. Mr C. married one of the daughters of the genial Rowland Davis, a descendant of old Irish monarchs.

The Mr Stafford (Sir Edward Stafford) was the first who introduced “economy” into the public service. Hitherto the scribes never mind how trivial the matter, sent away a beautiful double sheet of foolscap, enclosed in a grand envelope. He issued a decree that correspondence was, when short, to be on one sheet only, and strictly ordered that the reverse side also was to be used.