the Chinese Authorities under powers
distinctly granted to them by Treaty with the cognizance of Her Majesty's consul,
and made an appeal not in regular Course provided, to the Chinese Government to Her Majesty's Consul or Minister at Peking, but to Your Excellency as Governor of the Colony. He has from the beginning shown a consciousness of a weak case.
I communicated however with Tsungli Yamen rather in deference to your strongly expressed wishes, and as a consequence of this diplomatic action, Cheong's interest, somewhat irregularly brought to bear, they consented to mitigate the penalty by allowing him to recover his repoel, purchasing it for less than a third of its estimated value as I am informed.
It appears further that the owner of the "Prince Albert" under these circumstances, instead of taking advantage of the opportunity afforded of escaping with a mitigated penalty, again appeals to the Governor of the Colony in which he happens to reside, complaining of this act of the Chinese Government as a grievous wrong, forwarding his petition to me that Your Excellency states in his petition are yourself at a loss to understand on what principle this vessel registered in a British Port should, if not deservedly forfeited, be restored in exchange for payment of a fine.