The Editor of the,
Friend of China,
Victoria, Hongkong. February 6th 1844,
Sir,
I am directed by His Excellency the Governor to inform you that his attention has been attracted to the leading article in your Paper of today in which you assert that you have been desired by High Authority to direct the attention of the Commissioners to No:57.
This remark with what follows is to His Excellency utterly inexplicable both because His Excellency cannot understand any High Authority directing you to point out to any of Her Majesty's Servants in this Colony what their duty is, and because His Excellency does not know who the Commissioners are, to whom you allude.
His Excellency further desires to inform you that so long as you confine your Editorial remarks to your opinions or to those of others, no matter who they may be, you are most perfectly at liberty to criticise in any form or shape you like, but when you assume to yourself the right to address the public servants of Her Majesty by desire of High Authority it is necessary to put a stop to such assumption.
In conclusion I am to require you to give up the name of the High Authority referred to, and to intimate that unless you do so, your Paper must cease to be the organ of the Government notifications.