and which receipt will free you from any responsibility on their account.
I remain,
(Signed) Richard Moosnam
The Honourable,
Sir,
Major Caine,
Chief Magistrate,
Victoria, 31st October, 1841.
I have the honour to acknowledge the receipt of your letters No. 211 & 262 of the 28th Instant.
I am to acquaint you that His Excellency the Governor desires me to state that he entirely concurs in your opinion as to the guilt of Le Aman; that had the case been sooner referred to him, His Excellency would not have had any hesitation in sentencing him to at least two years' hard labour, for as a Servant of Government it must be remembered, that he was guilty in a tenfold degree. This, however, cannot now be remedied.
I cannot better convey to you His Excellency's opinion as to the culpability of Le Aman than by quoting his own words: "I take this opportunity to observe that I consider accused persons being allowed to prove alibis by the testimony of abandoned women is altogether inadmissible. Amongst all classes of Chinese there seems to me to be a total absence of veracity, or any moral feeling, and in this case, had I been the presiding Magistrate, and Le Aman had not been able to prove, by circumstantial evidence (always the best in China), that he was absent with the leave, and with the knowledge of his superiors and lawfully...