10
rested in me
personally to
carry
the views of the Government,
me
no
out of
optional
but to place the accompanying
now that in the
step is left correspondence before you, letter from the Acting Colonial Secretary's Office N = 1281 I am informed that the Acting Governor "desires that the correspondence cease" when I am thus further debarred from the opportunity of defending myself from the aspersions cast upon
my
character and official position in the letter W=1240, and
my
again repeated in that No 1281.-
It
is
now
requisite I should state
my object in addressing you at the
same time that I
am anxious
it
should be clear and not subject to misapprehension that I do not complain that during Mr. Mercer's temporary administration of the Government of Hong Kong he should
in correspondence
with
my
Department - have adopted a
style of address as offensive
as it was
uncalled for and still less do I propose
to complain of the Acting Colonial Secretary who merely obeyed his instructions
in
attaching
his
name
to letters drafted
by Mr Mercer himself, but as motives
None attributed, and actions have been attributed to me. unless the expression that his conduct embarrassed the Executive is alluded to.
repugnant to the
and
of
feelings of a Gentleman an old Public Servant. I wish
to place this letter in
your
hands
as a record that I am not unconscious of the character of the letters addressed to me and numbered respectively No 1240 and 1281 and that as
far
as
I have
been allowed to do so at Hong Kong it
has been
my earnest wish to protect
my official conduct from aspersions I conscientiously feel I have not
merited.
Here is the revised version in HTML format with corrections and adjustments according to the provided rules:10
Rested in me personally to carry the views of the Government,
but to place the accompanying correspondence before you, letter from the Acting Colonial Secretary's Office No 1281. I am informed that the Acting Governor "desires that the correspondence cease" when I am thus further debarred from the opportunity of defending myself from the aspersions cast upon my character and official position in the letter No 1240, and again repeated in that No 1281.
It is now requisite I should state my object in addressing you at the same time that I am anxious it should be clear and not subject to misapprehension that I do not complain that during Mr. Mercer's temporary administration of the Government of Hong Kong he should in correspondence with my Department have adopted a style of address as offensive as it was uncalled for, and still less do I propose to complain of the Acting Colonial Secretary who merely obeyed his instructions in attaching his name to letters drafted by Mr Mercer himself, but as motives and actions have been attributed to me, unless the expression that his conduct embarrassed the Executive is alluded to,
repugnant to the feelings of a Gentleman and an old Public Servant. I wish to place this letter in your hands as a record that I am not unconscious of the character of the letters addressed to me and numbered respectively No 1240 and 1281, and that as far as I have been allowed to do so at Hong Kong, it has been my earnest wish to protect my official conduct from aspersions I conscientiously feel I have not merited.