12.
Dent having closed on
Tursday
and yesterday having passed
without
your complying.
the request contained
of the
th
10
instant,
اعية
with
27. Z
my
note
I have simply
to acknowledge the receipt of yours
of the 11
that
-C077
state in
th
und
to
720
you
desire
/
unication con
shall be official _
که
reply
any further the subject
Your's obediently,
(Signed) W. H. Mexareder_
F. S. Huffum, Esyt
&c.
fc.
fc.
Paily Press. 77th March 1862
We
سم
e say it with sorrow but we say it in earnest, that Sir Hercules Robinson will leave Hongkong quite as unpopular, and as deservedly so, as any Governor who ever preceded him. Sir John Davis was mean, morose, and arbitrary. Sir George Bon- ham was a complete Downing Street huck and never seemned to have lost sight of the pigeon holes. He would as soon touch pitch as responsibility, and made it his sole study not to do anything he could possibly avoid. He however had strong grounds of excuse. The Colony during his time would not pay its expen- ses, an he had strict orders to make it do so. He therefore was trammelled and could not bestow his attention upon such of the necessities of the place, as required outlay to construct or establish. Then came poor old Botherwig, with a cavity in his noddle filled with the vapor of vanity, which took him by a short cut to premature dotage. The retrospect is a melancholy one, and we regret to add, the prospect a poor one.
Regarding Sir Hercules Robinson it will be tine enough to speak in general terms when he shall depart on leave of absence. At the present moment we have simply to record one of his acts which came accidentally to our knowledge, leaving our readers to place their own construction upon it. We would however preface our state- ment with the observation, that the first re- solution of Sir Hercules Robinson upon as- suming the reins of Government here, was to elevate the Civil service of the Colony. The sequel of our narrative will iliustrate the singular means whereby his Excellency sought to effect lis purpose.
Our readers are aware that Mr. Alex- ander was the Registrar of the Supreme Court. In fact he is still the incumbent "on record" of that office and receives half the salary thereof. Some years ago whilst exercising its functions, Dr. Bridges got up a petition to the Governor in Council, praying that Mr Alexander's i salary might be increased. We were in the Council Chamber ourselves when the Governor brought forward the application, and the impression upon our mind was that the salary, being all that Mr Alex- ander received, should be increased.
At
all events the fact of his being the recipi ent of the fees of office was carefully sup- pressed, and the application for an increase of
pay favorably entertained, recommend- ed, and obtained.
The fact is very illustrative of Mr. Alex. ander being a protege of Brothers Mercer and Bridges; and although this circums- tance does not belong to our narrative, the i sequel will show the degree of potency those two worthies still enjoy in the ad- ministration of affairs, and the sad in- fluence they exercise over His Excellency the Governor.
A short time after this application, a friend of ours told us, that he had heard Mr Alexander himself state, that during his (Mr Alexander's) absence on leave, his acting successor, Mr Masson, had received $10,000 in fees of office. This establishes two important facts-one tha the Registrar pockets large fees of office and the other that Mr. Masson, as Mr, Alexander's acting successor, bagged the whole of them.
In662676e
Well, Mr. Alexander's salary was raised, and of course he continued to be the reci. pient of all his fees. The Chief Magis. trate's situation becoming vacant, Mr. Alexander was appointed to fill it, over the head of Mr. May, whose superior claim to it was very strong. For this Mr. Alexander drew half pay an addition to the other emoluments already named.
Then came Brother Mercer's absence, and Mr. Alexander's appointment to the acting Colonial Secretaryship over the heads of several officers wliose claims were superior. Mr. Alexander of course had to give up the duties of Registrar of the Court and Chief Magistrate, being entitle.l to half the salary of Registrar and half that of Colonial Secretary. But there' appears to have been some difficulty in arranging the loaves and fishes to the satifaction of the cliqne, and Mr. Alexa- der raised a claim to lialf the Registrar's fees in addition.
Now as our readers are aware, some" difficulty arose in filling up the situation" of Registrar of the Court. It of right belonged to Mr. Huffum, a very old clerk in the Court. There was some objection to him on the part of the clique that we have been unable to fathom. Whether he had happened to express opinions adverse to Dr. Bridges, or whether it was deemed dangerous to place him in the seat of the Registrar, lest he might, reveal something regarding burut or missing papers, or whether he had known the Governor in the West Indies, we have been unable to find out. The fact is that we supposed there must be something against him- that he was given to habits of intempe- rance. or that bis honesty was suspected. We male enquiries among the legal pro- fession, and found that his character was exemplary, and the mystery remains un-1 ravelled. We suppose that his color is against him.
At all events he was passed over and the acting appointment offered to Mc.i Collins, the Chief clerk in the Magistracy. That gentleman refused it point blank, and could not be induced to change his determination. The consequence was that there being no one else available, Mr. Huffum had to perform the duties, care | being taken not to Gazette him. This appears to have solved the question about the fees. We hope our readers have mark- ed what we have said, particularly how Mr. Masson pocketed all the fees whilst he was acting Registrar,
13.
210
Now how would our readers suppose the matter was arranged? Mr. Alexan- der was to have half the fees of course. We do not object to that, because being on the spot he would naturally have to be! referred to, and if anything went wrong he doubtless would be leaned upon. But how about the other halt? Mr. Hoffum, our readers will exclaim, of course gets that! Does he? His Excellency, by way of elevating the Civil service of the Colo- ny, ordered Mr. Haffum to pay the other half of the fees in to the Treasury, and he, the Governor, would make Mr. Huffun (who does all the work) an allowance out of them! We certainly do consider this as mean an act as Sir John Davis ever did and a much more unjust one, Elevating the
Civil s rvice foot ! Why sneli uscrupulons fav ri s-such wanton uf irness is the most eff ct al mode pos- sible to depress it.