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This had the effect of substituting Le Kip-tye for Hwei Afoon in that arrangement.
At about the same time as the charges against Tarrant were dismissed, in the December of 1847, Tarrant purchased at public auction the equity of redemption25 of the Market lot. This sale went unrecorded in the Land Office, possibly for sinister reasons but more likely because Tarrant desired to keep it quiet for the time being.26 He probably bought the equity of redemption at the same sale as that at which Le Kip-tye purchased an interest, Tarrant buying the redemption and Le that right to receive $100 per month which Hwei had had. It must have been that Tarrant's purpose was to buy himself an interest in the Market so that he could obtain positive evidence about corruption to back up his petition to Earl Grey but he was not yet in a position to be able to call to see the accounts which would tell what he needed. However, about two months later, on 24 February 1848, Le Kip-tye assigned his 5/13 interest to Ong Chok27 in consideration of a monthly payment of $10028 and, on the same date, we find the second complicated transaction involving several parties. Chow Aoan, Le Quong-chong and Hwei Afoon (whatever interest he had remaining) assigned their respective interests to Tarrant (in consideration of a payment of $130 to Hwei Afoon, the sum which Tarrant is stated to have paid at public auction for the equity of redemption) and to Ong Chok (in consideration of a payment of $2,400 to Le Quong-chong and $1,300 to Chow Aoan, both sums being the sums still outstanding as principal under the arrangement of 28 June).29
Tarrant was now in strange company, being a part-owner of what was otherwise a wholly Chinese concern. But he still could not get his evidence and, the following February, he arrived at an arrangement with Ong Chok whereby he released his equity of redemption in favour of Ong in return for a quarter share of the surplus rents, etc.30 Now, whilst he could undoubtedly use the money since he was unemployed and would have had little coming in from the few properties he owned, he very significantly secured the right to inspect the books on the first of every Chinese month.31
Whatever evidence he did uncover, if any at all, certainly did not reach the public but he was able to receive limited redress from Earl Grey who vindicated him to the extent of allowing him his