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of His Excellency's archives. But the same cannot, I submit, be supposed of His Excellency himself.
That this infamous mane should have been presented to the Queen's son, who may, in the course of events, be the future Regent (may be King of the vast Empire, of which Hong Kong is almost the least considered fraction), is enough to revolt all sense of decency and shame. But the consequences are likely to be little important to our prestige in the neighboring Empire.
The Chinese people, my Lord, are highly civilized, shrewd, and, in theory if not always in practice, justice-loving people. What England, still formidable, with Four Hundred Millions in number, will be considered more, I fear, will be by mode on them.
Your predecessor, the Duke of Newcastle, did that which gave me the title to address myself to every Secretary of State who succeeded him upon behalf of British honor at Hong Kong. He thanked me in the name of the Imperial Government for having, in defiance of the Governor of those days, "forced on" the Enquiry, which resulted in the ignominious removal from all his offices of Caldwell, a partner and receiver of pirates and other offenders against English and Chinese laws; thanked me for having declined to award either restitution to the office of which, for "forcing on" the enquiry, the same corrupt Governor had deprived me four years before, or any compensation for the consequent loss to me.
I shall not affect to vindicate my right to address Your Lordship.