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my
being the date on which appointment by the Secretary of State
notified to me.
was
When I returned to Singapore from leave of absence in March 1875 my proper appointment of Inspector General of Police had been transferred to another officer, but the Secretary of State's instructions were, that I
was
to receive a salary of not less than #400 per month and to be employed in any capacity which the Governor should consider desirable.
Accordingly after being employed in different acting Offices including that of Lieutenant Governor I was appointed in March 1876 one of three Commissioners to enquire into the circumstances connected with the murder of Mr Birch in Perak and I went up then to collect evidence on the subject.
On the 15th of June 1876 I received my appointment as Registrar of the Supreme Court of Hongkong but by Sir William Devoe's directions I remained in the Straits Settlements to complete the enquiry and the evidences proved to be so involved and complicated that it was not until this month that I found myself at liberty to proceed to Hongkong.
In the meantime the delay in taking up my appointment there
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