387
was
by itself!
itself a libel, get it
appears to me that the matter
bonus
of the $15,000 bribe which
relates to Pitman
Mr. Nelson has now come into the case has little, if anything to do with it
opium
if Tanner
Mr Nelson's speech related
almost entirely to Pitman's
supposed connection with a
certain memorial in favour
of
the Japanese yen; it was
only incidentally that he described
him as "more or less mixed up
with the opium case and other
matters in the Colony".
It has
come out since trial that the
Pitman
for obtaining the favour gave $45,000 on the ground that he was a very good friend of the Governor and had got the favour for them. Max Nelson now almost implies that this was within his
"
knowledge when he made his
speech, and refers to it in justification of what he then said. But in his evidence at the trial all he said was
that
he knew that Mr Pitman had
"some connection with the affair
but did not know its
'precise nature'
though disposed to
the Governor
I should be
to the effect that having received the Attorney General's explanations and having read the pamphlet the S. of S. does not see any sufficient ground for instituting an enquiry with the administration of justice in Hong Kong; that Pitman appears to have been very serious properly convicted of
1. 13 67 Pamphlet, and unjustifiable libel; that the S.of S. refrains from offering
remarks as to the degree of provocations received by the