His Excellency Sir Richard Graves MacDonnell, R. 6. Mr. G., 4. 10. Governor of Hongkong
May it please Your Excellency,
As Your Excellency is drawing to a close your career in the government of the Colony, we, the gentry who represent the native mercantile Community, have had the honour of waiting upon Your Excellency on the eve of your departure and have been graciously favoured with a few sentimental expressions from Your Excellency which exhibit a magnanimity of spirit that was seldom to be met with in another person. We have been under your civilizing rule for a period of years, and we always admire your liberal views of government, for which we shall ever remember you with grateful hearts. It is now left to us to express a hope that Your Excellency will be endowed with a redundance of blessings and with longevity. We may assure Your Excellency that after your departure, songs of "Hien Tong" will be sung in strong sentiment without ceasing for a thousand years.
We have, however, one request...
Page 278 appears to be delineated by original scan metadata, and the text is reordered for readability.
Here is the revised HTML output without the extra note at the end:His Excellency Sir Richard Graves MacDonnell, R. 6. Mr. G., 4. 10. Governor of Hongkong
May it please Your Excellency,
As Your Excellency is drawing to a close your career in the government of the Colony, we, the gentry who represent the native mercantile Community, have had the honour of waiting upon Your Excellency on the eve of your departure and have been graciously favoured with a few sentimental expressions from Your Excellency which exhibit a magnanimity of spirit that was seldom to be met with in another person. We have been under your civilizing rule for a period of years, and we always admire your liberal views of government, for which we shall ever remember you with grateful hearts. It is now left to us to express a hope that Your Excellency will be endowed with a redundance of blessings and with longevity. We may assure Your Excellency that after your departure, songs of "Hien Tong" will be sung in strong sentiment without ceasing for a thousand years.
We have, however, one request...