CO129-086 - Sir Robinson - 1862 [5-6] — Page 253

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"China Mail" 28th November 1861-

Our remarks of last week upon the re- tirement of the Chief Justice from the Executive-not the Legislative-Council, call for serious explanation. In one sense, the article we wrote explains itself; that is to say, it was written according to the lights we then possessed, and all that re- mains for us is to explain the manner in which our distorted intelligence was ac- quired. A certain foolish person, who happens to be accidentally invested with the position of a gentleman, tendered us the information upon which we wrote, viz; that His Honour the Chief Justice had, in withdrawing from the Executive Council, expressed his disapproval of Mr. Alexander's appointment to the office of Acting Colonial Secretary. If we are asked why we should have put the unveri fied report of one man into circulation, the reply will simply be, that we thought it as worthy of credit as we should now think. Messrs Jardine's cheque for ten thousand, dollars, and accordingly gave the one as ready circulation as we should give the other without further enquiry as to the solvency of either party. Our informant's cheque, however, has been, so to speak, returned to us dishonoured; and we have learned that no less a personage than Sir Hercules Robinson has been recently en- quiring as to the value of some very large cheques (still to continue our metaphor) bearing the same signature. Of course we cannot profess to divine why any man of ordinary sanity should, all at once, begin to make himself temporarily mischievous, unless it be to gratify a morbid craving for notoriety. We always assume, and, not- withstanding the late imposition that has been practised upon us, we shall continue to assume, the credibility of every man with whom we have dealings; and can only in the present instance, express re- gret at having become the innocent me- dium through which a dishonoured bill found its way into the market; in future, we shall see that this class of paper is am- ply secured.

narrow.

The only object that was served by the article now under consideration was to show the position we are prepared to as- sume in the event of any member of the Colonial Government attempting to disturb its harmony on frivolous grounds; on such occasions we shail demand for the Gov- ernor the unanimous sympathy and support of the community. But that event is like- ly to be very far distant. The appoint- ment of Mr Alexander is the wisest that could have been made, as every day will render more apparent; and we have the best grounds now for believing that the Chief. Justice never offered to that appointment the slightest opposition or remonstrance; so that our remarks about ill-temper, 3964 mindedness," and so on, do not apply to him at all, but to an imaginary person whom no- body can discover. His Honour has his hands too full of work; and now that there is an able Attorney-General in the Colony, he has taken the opportunity of obtaining a little relief from labour; it is not great, but any relief is acceptable to an over-worked man. If we have still failed to explain the prompt and decided stand we took while erroneously informed, we have only to remind our older readers of the fact that quarrels among the governing staff have been the bane of this colony, and these quarrels have too often had their origin in official vanity. Having personally no ac- quaintance with Judge Adams, we could only speak of him from his (supposed) pub- lie acts; and we owe the friends of that gentleman an apology for assuming that he possessed any of the qualities mistaken- ly ascribed to him. Nothing but profes- sional etiquette hinders us from amusing our readers by publishing the name of our mischievous informant: we have no indig- nation to spare for him; he has our sincere pity for having been so infatuated as to deceive a public journalist, and to be even now engaged in discovering certain mare's nests that we know of. In return for the injury he attempted to accomplish, we will kindly give him a little good advice; and that is, to enter upon a brilliant future by minding his own business: if he does so with half the zeal he bestows upon that of other people, he is a made man.