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was to be made for any person who had not learnt Chinese.
The position of the Colony nevertheless at the present moment is as unsatisfactory in this respect as it well could be. There is not an officer of the Government (Interpreters excepted) who even understands Chinese.
The Interpretership of Supreme Court has been vacant for nearly a year. Salary £400.
The office of Registrar General and Protector of Chinese has been vacant for over two months, and I am unable to find a qualified Gentleman who will accept either post.
The nine or ten Interpreters at present in the employment of the local Government are either Chinese or Portuguese - persons of no position - and who have neither education nor sufficient knowledge of the English language to qualify them for their important and most responsible duties.