181
impossible for
through the retractations
he had made, to plead justification, though up to that time his instructions
to me, and to the lawyers engaged
in the
Cust,
had been to take that
line of defence. From that time
my moral interests were opposed to the Governor's and from that moment
the Governor turned against me. Get even then
moral interests
which
my demanded a public inquiry would have proved that I honestly did my duty under the positive instructions of the Governor and in good faith, but it would also have proved that I was misled and it would have disclosed other matters injurious to the Governor, If I had insisted on defending
the
the action without the justification which the Governor had all along urged, I could only have done so, as I was advised, by pleading
privilege, that is that I was
acting under instructions, which would have seriously injured the Governor's position. This is what I meant when I said
my defence would be injurious to the Governor's interests. If his Excellency had
left me from the beginning to take
my own course
and the
very
opening of the letter above quoted shows that he kept the case in his own hands
I would have
negotiated with de Hayllar the moment the Governor
handed