CO129-276 - Governor Sir Robinson - 1897 [6-8] — Page 500

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and appreciate its gravity and luckily we had 2 or 3

strong sound men on that jury.

But what I want to impress on you is that here in

Hong Kong, and I have no doubt elsewhere in the East,

people in the general run of the community have not

that abhorrence of bribery in all its forms that people

at home have, they are inclined to accept its existence

as a somewhat undesirable and reprehensible temptation

on the path of an official in the East to which if he

falls a victim there is a certain amount of excuse

for him.

Therefore the views and decisions of Colo-

nists are to be accepted in such matters with great

caution because they are probably not sound. As for

the Police one has heard rumours of bribery and corrup-

tion amongst them for a long time, but I must say that

I was horrified to find that it did actually exist in

the higher ranks, and in some of the men whom I confess

I trusted implicitly.

The man Baker who was in charge of the section in

which all this gambling went on, I put there because

I thought him honest though somewhat slow and stupid.

I confess that I was completely deceived in him.

I will draw up a report on how this sort of thing

is to be guarded against in future.

In the meantime I hope I shall get that man Wynn

or some one as good out for I have had a pretty hard

time of it for the last seven weeks and never remember

to have worked harder.

I