a cloth after Mei Acqui's death, brought forward and a deed purporting that in Consideration of $2000 due and owing, Mei Soqui had wholly assigned him the Marker Lease hold. The suspicious circumstances attendant on registry of a Memorial of this kind have already been detailed in my Dispatch, it being your Lordship that Wei F'von openly stated to me that Major Caine's Comprador had been in the habit of taking monies from the Market in his Master's name.
From enquiries made, there does not appear to be the shadow of a doubt but that this Deed of Assignment was an absolute forgery. It was drawn, but in blank, in the Office of AV Parker, solicitor of this place, and taken to Canton by some of Fong Ushe's Agents, where before Mr PRP Tuyler, Meaton's Interpreter to the British Consulate, the signatures of a Man personating Mei Asqui was feloniously attached, and the Document was brought back to Hongkong, without even the dates of execution being inserted, or notarial attestation of the subscribing witness appended.
The date was not inserted at his office after being brought back. Mr Parker admits this date, to wit, on the 2nd day of December 1849, Wei Acqui died at Konam on the opposite side of the river from the Canton Consulate, and for six weeks previous, he had resided without stirring out of doors, in such a state of weakness and debility, as by the testimony of several respectable Chinese who were constantly about his person, it was impossible he could have comprehended the nature of such a document, if anyone had endeavoured to explain it to him.
I am the more particular in drawing your Lordship's attention to the forgery thus effected, because you will be better able to judge of the motives influencing the delinquent (Tong sche) when inciting Wei Afong to sign with him and Chowk Nan.