THE HON. MR. FOX AND THE CORRESPONDENT OF THE OTAGO DAILY TIMES.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXIX, Issue 4154, 14 July 1874, Page 3

THE HON. MR. FOX AND THE CORRESPONDENT OF THE OTAGO DAILY TIMES.

TO THE EDITOH. Sin, —Allow me a few lines in reply to Mr. Fox's letter published in your issue of to-day's date. There are only two points in it which are worth noticing. In the first place he insinsuates that I do "not dare positively to assert the fact that the contents of the divulged telegram reached me only through public rumor, which had been busy with the subject." I dare do so in all honesty, and I now repeat the assurance which I gave publicly (as well as privately to Mr. Fox) at the time, that I never saw the telegram addressed to him; that I do not believe those froui whom my information was derived ever saw it; that the information was not, so far as I am aware, or believe, obtained by my informants by any breach of confidence ; and that my facts and figures were simply the result of putting together a number of disjointed facts and figures which were in common circulation here at the time. No officer in the employ of the Government was directly or indirectly, so far as I ma aware, in any way concerned in supplying the material for tho, conclusions at which I arrived, and which proved to be correct, to Mr. Fox's disgrace and confusion. So much for that point. The other is in reference to what took place between myself and Messrs. Hart and Buckley, and his assertions as to my reasons for not taking an action against him. Messrs. Hart and Buckley never by my direction wroto to Mr. Fox demanding or threatening anything in relation to tho expressions Ik; had used regarding me at Christchurch ; or in any way referring to any expressions used by him towards me, subsequent to the publication of my letter to tho Olayo Times containing the information, which ho *lleges I obtained by theft or other dishonorable means. I need not at present further

explain this flat contradiction of Mr. Fox's statement than by saying that the matter on which I consulted that firm, was in regard to a previous unprovoked slander of his, and that the sole reason they had" for not wishing to bring an action for me on that occasion was Mr.°Hart's relationship to a member of Mr. Fox's Government. I have Mr. Buckley's authority for this statement. The only lawyer I consulted, in reference to the Christchurch slander, was Mr. Travels, and in a letter dated the 10th instant he writes, "I advised you that, unless you could prove special damage, you could not recover in an action for slander ; and I presume that, acting on that advice, you took no further steps in the matter." As to Mr. Fox's liberal offer to entice .me into legal proceedings now, I am not quite fool enough to go to law with a lawyer, on an understanding stated by the lawyer himself. That the matter was not'investigated on oath at the time was not my fault. Finding I had no case for a Court of Law, and the Government having punished me as a Volunteer for my conduct as a newspaper correspondent, I applied to the Hon. the Defence Minister for a Court of Inquiry under the Volunteer Act, and was in reply informed " that the order for the cancellation of my commission having been issued by the Government, there coidd be no inquiry into the matter." In conclusion, allow me to say that I am not so vindictive as Mr. Fox, and after a lapse of four years have no soreness remaining regarding his abuse. " Let the galled jade wince; my withers are unwrung." The law cannot give me redress for verbal slander, and I decline Mr. Fox's liberal offers, but without any intention of holding my tongue on the subject in future if occasion calls on me to speak. _ It was not I who revived it on this occasion. Another reason why I shoidd not care about going to law with Mr. Fox now is that reflection and experience have convinced me that no New Zealand jury would be inclined to give even a farthing damages for anything he might choose to say of an opponent. By no stretch of imagination coidd it be supposed that any one would attach the slightest importance or weight to his malicious ravings.—l am, &c, E. T. Gillon.