to
anyone
enversant with
the Chinese language the examples are innumerable. It will suffice if I notice a few of them here:-
(a) The number of surnames standing alone on the list (vide p.p. 1, 2, 31 heading "paid & Kam") (paid (another) "Kan") is strong evidence that the list was written and used by one well acquainted with the persons to whom the list referred. The surnames alone are used for the more important persons with whom the writer was no doubt well acquainted. There might be twenty persons in the Colony of the same surname, the writer would have written something definite than a bald name to indicate the Victims he wished to implicate in each bribery.
(b) The designation of the persons by their number is a peculiarity worth note. A forger would probably endeavour to follow the example of our servants and others, and write a designation after the name of the officer he wished to indicate. Europeans generally designates Chinese in the latter way.
(c) The mistakes interspersed (vide footnote of pages 4...
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