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or both of whom they were personally commanded on every such occasion. But they were forced to obey. As to Mr. May, their lawful superintendent, he was not even notified of these démarches. It was not until after the doing of the mischief, that it came to his knowledge. He remonstrated in vain, or only to be censured for the remonstrance. He returned to the charge; and he requested that at least the correspondence might be laid before the Secretary of State. He was threatened with dismissal, and the correspondence was not sent to Downing-street.
The truth was, as confessed by Dr. Bridges at the trial so often referred to, that nearly every portion of Dr. Bridges' side of it, consisted of private letters unofficialised, and not recorded in the archives of the secretariat.
It was a significant revolution in the conduct of public business, and one admitted by himself, on the same occasion, to have been introduced by him generally into all the departments of the public service.
From the portions of the correspondence, referred to by Dr. Bridges under the same cross-examination, it appeared that some endeavour had been made by the Superintendent of Police and others, to call Sir John Bowring's attention to the alarming consequences of these systematic irregularities. But it also appeared, from the Governor's own minutes, that the mere act of complaining to himself of these irregularities of his secretary, was considered by his Excellency an "insubordination," deserving the suspension of the offender;—and that every officer of Government was expected to render to the private and unrecorded notes
