that.
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the subsequent expressing of same when approved; the serving of such "nguosmentis" pro service upon prisoners; the preparation and service of all notices of trial; the preparation and service; upon prisoners of all summons; preparation of original subpoenas; the punctual conveyance and service of copies of same in different parts of the Island and on board ships: all of which several Documents had to be prepared, in the first instance, in English and subsequently translated and transcribed into Chinese. And your Memorialist had these several duties to perform, preparatory to, and during, monthly recurring Sessions, during the continuance of which (often for several days) your Memorialist's constant attendance was required in Court, sometimes at the risk when his duty as Crown Solicitor required his attendance elsewhere, and sometimes vice versa.
accepting the Offices of Deputy Sheriff and Coroner to which you were pleased to appoint him, your Memorialist had conceived that the duties thereof would not have been more arduous than the similar duties ordinarily attached to those offices in this Country, but he found the fact to be very different, in as much as - for example - in the course of about nine weeks after his arrival in the Colony, he held no less than Twelve Inquests, some of them occupying the entire business hours of two or three consecutive days, from the necessity of accurately interpreting, translating, and transcribing the evidence of native witnesses, a consumption of time which very much conflicted with the discharge of your Memorialist's other duties;
Your Memorialist respectfully begs to bring under your notice all Indictments for the perusal and approval of the Attorney General; Compelled your Memorialist to resign as Crown Solicitor. As Crown Solicitor, your Memorialist had the preparation of accounts connected with the Establishment containing nearly 300 concerning prisoners and jail police; to supervise and audit all of attending daily and frequently at the Jail to investigate complaints. Amongst these duties, your Memorialist would enumerate the necessity as Deputy Sheriff he had to discharge many duties connected with the Jail at Hong Kong, from which the Boards of Superintendence and Governors of Jails in this Country relieve the Under Sheriffs of Counties; to be responsible for the proper quality of necessaries for prisoners; to sign all orders for necessaries and see, when required, that such necessaries were of the proper quality; in short, to be responsible for the due and efficient discharge of all duties connected with every branch of the Department - a responsibility which could only be discharged by so constant and unremitting attention as to interfere exceedingly with the due discharge of the several other public duties imposed upon your Memorialist;
That, in addition to the circumstances heretofore stated, your Memorialist found the expense of House rent and living in the Colony extremely difficult and almost impracticable; the difficulties attending his position to the Colonial Secretary, M. Mercer, asking for the provision of an office wherein to conduct public business, which application, M. Mercer stated, could be complied with; and on more than one occasion took opportunities of representing to the Attorney General for Hong Kong, rendering all official intercourse with him extremely difficult and almost impracticable, considerably aggravated by the circumstance of the overbearing and exceedingly offensive demeanour of W. Anstey, Her Majesty's then Attorney General.
Your Memorialist begs leave respectfully to represent that the difficulties of your Memorialist's position - great as they were - were considerably aggravated...
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