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petty annoyances from, and lack of encouragement and support by, the Colonial Secretary, I found it necessary to devote myself, for a time, more to my multifarious outdoor duties, which had suffered from my constant enforced attendance in the office, in an attempt to thereby recruit my health, sooner than lay up; but I soon had to abandon this. It appears that my orders as to the collection of money were, in some cases, being wilfully disobeyed, with the connivance of the Accountant, Mr Chan Fui, who, on my questioning him, as I did more than once about this time, on the subject, always assured me that the shroff did not collect any money outside the office, and that my orders were being carried out. This he knew to be untrue, but I had then no reason to suspect that it was so, nor, I submit, could I have discovered its falsity, under the circumstances, unless I had made a practise of accompanying the shroff on his rounds, which is, of course, an absurd proposition.
15. At this time, I was constantly receiving verbal commendations of Mr Chan Pui from senior officers in other Depart- -ments, including the Colonial Secretary himself, what a valuable man he was, how trustworthy, &c: --, while a special report on his excellencies was made by Mr Fercebois, a French official in the service of the Chinese Imperial Maritime Customs, who was sent to report upon the working of a part of the Harbour Department. These repeated praises perhaps influenced me, unconciously, and caused me to place more reliance upon Mr Chan Pui than my personally con- -ceived estimate of his character warranted. And it was this man, who had been forced upon me against my wishes, and in spite of my
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