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of the China Mail. In that paper a version of the affair appeared in language which went beyond any description I have given of His Excellency's interview with me; the Editor described "His Excellency" as "an Administrator who had stooped to publicly traduce the Official character of his subordinate, and then beseeched that ill-used gentleman to grant him a personal favour to escape from the natural result of his acts.
A copy of the paper is enclosed and marked R. His Excellency having therefore at a second interview, to which he had invited me, pointed out the incorrectness of the foregoing passage, being a fact that His Excellency had never admitted any further connection with the libel complained of than was involved in supplying the official Correspondence on which it was, of course, founded, I attended to His Excellency's wish and sent to the Editor of the "China Mail" the letter which appears in the issue of the paper of the 20th July, which is enclosed and marked §.
On the 26th July, I received an Official communication from His Excellency (copy enclosed marked I), to which on the following day (27th July) I sent an answer (copy enclosed marked V).
For the moment, I turn to the Article in the Newspaper of which I complain...