Memorialist nothing whatever wherewith; to provide for his own Suffent;
tion to the.
circumstances
Your Memorialist, in Conclusion, caineetty prays your attention to the circumstances embodied in the pregoing Memorials, and hopefully trusts that, upon taking into your favourable Consideration, the unexpected difficulties of your memorialist's position - the lack of his having endeavored faithfully and conscientiously to discharge the several duties imposed upon him so long as he possibly could - the circumstance of his having been sent to a distant colony, as Hongkong, at a necessarily heavy expense for outfit – the unavoidable disarrangement of his family affairs during his absence from this Country - the fact of his health having suffered from labour and anxiety of mind while in the Colony and during the long voyage home, occupying seven months - you will be pleased to direct such Compensation as you may consider due.
As made to your memorialist, either in money from the funds of the Colony of Hongkong or else by nominating your memorialist to some other suitable appointment in any one of the Colonies, to the discharge of the duties of which your memorialist begs to state he will always endeavour with the utmost zeal, discretion, and attention within his power to exhibit;
Your Memorialist trusts that he will not be considered presumptuous in here most respectfully intimating that, having family dependant upon him, the latter mode of compensation, should it meet with your approbation, would be esteemed preferable by him, while for the bestowal of such patronage he would ever feel deeply grateful, and always ready to maintain the same by every exertion within his power.
Copy Letter
Letter No.1.
245
Copy Letter to Mr Mercer, Colonial Secretary, Hongkong
Left at your office, Victoria, 31 Jan. 1857, Wednesday, with which you favoured me on the 28th instant.
In consequence of what passed at an interview between us yesterday, and in order to place before you a connected and precise Statement of the facts relative to my coming to China in the Capacity which I now hold, I found it exceedingly difficult to procure from any source the necessary information.
As the prospect of my continuing in the discharge of my public duties is uncertain, and as it is actually necessary for my Support in the due performance of my duties, and the increased Salary which I believe to be the actual Circumstances in which I find myself, I have the honor to submit the following Statement for the information of His Excellency Sir John Bowring.
I proceeded to my post at very short notice; the expences of living and house rent were moderate. I was led to believe from private sources that the amount of duty I might be required to perform on behalf of Her Majesty's Government towards the Servants dismissed all confidence in the liberality of the Government. I was also led to believe that the firm of my duties or the circumstances of the Colony would, with the opening for private practice, be a fair remuneration for the duties I was to perform.
I was thus induced to believe that...