LL
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which, whether true or false, have induced you to make use of the language e m- ployed by you in your letter of yesterday dated the 9th. Upon that letter I have nothing more to remark at present--I shall lay it, with the notes of the Chief Ma- gistrate, and a minute of my own, before His Excellency the Governor.
"You will therefore understand that my object in thus addressing you is to explain to you that what has been done in this matter by the Registrar General has not originated with him, but from my acting under the impression that it is my duty to attempt to alter what I conceive to be a scandal upon Police direc- tion in this Colony.-I have the honor to be, Sir, your most obedient servant,
"C. MAY, Esq.",
· Superintendent of Police."
"No. 12."
66
Mr. May's rejoinder.
66
"W. T. BRIDGES," Acting Colonial Secretary,"
OFFICE OF SUPERINTENDENT OF POLICE, VICTORIA, HONGKONG, 12th March, 1858."
"SIR,-I have to acknowledge receipt of your letter No. 125, dated 11th March, written during the absence of His Excellency the Governor at Canton. The Circular referred to therein, as it shows upon the face of it, was written by me as a Justice of the Peace to three brother Justices, who were sitting on the Bench when an insinuation based on falsehood was uttered by a witness in a case under hearing, and which insinuation, if unnoticed by me, was calculated to in- jure my character, and be a lasting reproach to my honor. The Circular contained within itself and its accompanying report from Inspector Jarman ample refuta- tion of all inferences injurious to me, and also expressed deep indignation, that I should have been thus wantonly assailed by an Officer of Government, who is well known to have a spirit of hostility towards me, caused, because in the ne cessary performance of my duty, I exposed to Her Majesty's Government that, for a series of years, he was either the dupe or the partizan of a man convicted of confederating with pirates--the notorious Wong Akce, alias Mah-chow Wong.
"I had hoped that the refutation would have obtained the desired end, but your letter painfully undeceived me, and I am therefore, after a service of twenty three years in Her Majesty's Government, compelled still further to reply to so degrading an insinuation.
"I offer no reply to one part of your letter because I am assured His Ex- cellency will not tolerate any invasion upon private reputation unconnected in any way with the public Service or Duty.
of
"Your letter states that you intend laying before His Excellency the Gov- ernor my Circular, together with the notes of the Chief Magistrate, and a minute
your own.
I should like that the report of Inspector Jarman be also laid be- fore His Excellency, and that, if the notes of the Chief Magistrate were written before he perused my refutation, that that Gentleman may have opportunity to state what were his opinions after such perusal, and I have no doubt but that His Excellency will think it proper to obtain the opinions or notes of the third Justice present at the utterance of the scandal.
"I have now only to reply to the last charge, viz., that it is deduced from inference that I knew of the existence of the brothel prosecuted by the Registrar General. I beg therefore to draw your recollection to a conversation I held with You then informed me, you ten days back on the subject of the said brothel. that a Military Gentleman had told you certain particulars about the house, si- tuated in a range of buildings, one of which was occupied by Mr. Almeida; and you described the position of the suspected house, stating that you believed it to be kept by a woman named Ahtai. You requested me to direct Inspector
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Jarman to look after the matter. I told you then, that I did not know of the existence of such a house, but would do as you desired. Showing that I com- plied with your request, I enclose a report from Inspector Jarman. Up to the time of your mentioning the subject, I was under the impression that the three houses, of which the suspected one is the centre, were all occupied by Parsee Merchants, and as regards my frequently passing the house and thereby gaining knowledge by observation, I beg to declare upon my honor, that I have not pass- ed the house ten times in one month during the four months I resumed my Office of Superintendent of Police.
"I must further state that I cannot draw the inference you do from the re- lative position of the respective houses occupied by Mrs. Rozario and the prosti- tute Ahtai, that the occupant of one should be supposed to know the character of the other, inasmuch as both houses in regard to each other are four houses (round the angle of the range) distant from cach other, in different Streets.
"Touching inference and deduction' however, on so grave a matter, I believe I need not have made reply. The reputation of a man is not to be placed at the hazard of inference.
"Having thus respectfully, although feeling deeply injured, as much by your official letter as by the misstatement and insinuation of the Registrar Gene- ral answered your letter, I respectfully appeal to His Excellency the Governor to give me that justice which I can only seek at his hands. The only consolation I have is the full knowledge of the rectitude of my public conduct being under- stood and appreciated by the public, and I am assured, that even without defence, there is not one man in the Colony (not even the Registrar General) who can say that he ever knew me swerve from what I considered my duty.-I have the honor to be, Sir, your most obedient servant,
"C. MAY,"
"Superintendent of Police."
NOTE.-I perceive from Mr. Jarman's report that he does not recollect my instructing him to look after the house; but my firm belief is that I did, because it is obvious that I could only have that intention. The matter was so curiously (and jocularly) mentioned by the Acting Colonial Secretary, that I never gave the subject a thought until I was astounded by the proceedings at the Police Court." C.M."
The Honorable The ACTING COLONIAL SECRETARY."
"CHAS. MAY, Esq.”
Enclosure No. 1 in Mr. May's letter.
"VICTORIA, HONGKONG, 10th March, 1858."
"SIR, In accordance with your request of this date I examined the residence of Mass. de Rozario's, and am of opinion that it is quite impossible for any female to escape from Mrs. Attai's residence to that of Mrs. Rozario's.
"But without much difficulty a female could escape from Mrs. Attai's to that of Mrs. Ah Yow's, the latter being the intermediate house between that of Mrs. Rozario's and Mrs. Attai's. I notice there is a side window to the house occupied by Mrs. Rozario, but as there are permanent window's bars* to that window it would effectually prevent any person gain- ing entrance there. I have the honor to be, Sir, your most obedient servant,
Fixed and immoveable bars.-"C.M."
Enclosure No. 2 in Mr. May's letter.
"JAS. JARMAN,"
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Inspector of Police."
"12th March, 1858."
"SIR,-With reference to a conversation that took place about a fortnight ago, it runs
as follows to the best of my recollection. I complained to you that one of the horse coolies had been neglecting a Police horse. You directed me to send for the Coolie, which I did
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