3.
2
Acting Attorney General to institute an
investigation in the nature of a grand jury inquest, with a view to a criminal information being filed against the parties, should that Officer consider that the evidence called upon him to do so.
This investigation or inquest accordingly took place on the 6th July before Mr Campbell, assisted by the Acting Chief Magistrate and the
Chinese Interpreter to the Court, and I have now the honor to forward the
to forward the same in extenso. From the Attorney General's report upon the same ( also appended) Your Lordship will perceive that he considered the charges groundless.
as
by
" and that the money received the two Chinese was strictly their due, as part
of the Market,
- in question, proved by the written instruments which they produced;
owners
and the only
crime
of one of the Chinese accused
appeared to be the circumstance of his being
creditor to a considerable amount due to him
from his accuser.
143.
220
I will here add that the Chinese are : born and bred in the universal belief of official
venality and corruption, from the undisguised habits of their native magistrates, who avowedly
only a nominal pay from Government,
receive
and make up the bulk themselves. So indelible is this habitual conviction, that many of them
will never
- believe that the fines
in this
Colony.
imposed by our Magistrates, under the Police and other Ordinances, 4 for those Magistrates
own
are not
wn benefit ; whereas in this Colony there is not
in existence that is not paid into
even a
a fe Her Majesty's Treasury Your Lordship will perceive from the enclosed evidence, that the four hundred dollars, monthly paid in to the Treasurer on account of the Central Market, was supposed to be for myself, probably because it was largest.
the
The Acting Attorney General, according
to the tenor of his enclosed report, did not deem himself justified professionally in filing
al