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Bridges—that Dr. Bridges had told him to burn them—and that the libel was true thus far at least, that a contemptible, damnable trick had been practised in suppressing those papers.
The evidence of the third and last Government witness (Mr. Cleverly, the Surveyor-General) proved that he had been the Chairman of the Commission of Five appointed by the Governor to investigate Mr. Caldwell's conduct—that two were against Caldwell, and two for him, of whom one (Mr. Lyall) had been named as a friend of Dr. Bridges, and to protect his interests. That he was very much surprised when he learnt that the Mah-Chow Wong papers were burnt—that he had heard them referred to in the Legislative Council in Dr. Bridges' presence on the 10th and 14th May, which was long after the period when it is stated that they were burnt, and they were spoken of as if then in existence—that the demeanour of the Governor and Dr. Bridges on those occasions was such as to lead him and everybody to suppose them still in existence—that the Caldwell Commission had been left to trace the papers, and that it was not until late on the 16th June, when concealment of the fact was impossible, that the destruction had been confessed—that the Governor had repudiated the act in toto—that, during the Caldwell investigation, the evidence of at least twenty witnesses had been rejected, which should have been taken, This was done by a mistake, into which they had been led by the erroneous advice of Mr. Day, the counsel appointed by Dr. Bridges to assist them—that the Government has refused to allow the Attorney-General's protest against Mr. Day's conduct to be printed—that Mr. Caldwell used to interrupt and make gestures to the witnesses deponing against him, which he, as chairman, on the Attorney-General's remonstrance, had stopped—that since the report of the committee had been handed in, further evidence against Mr. Caldwell had come to his knowledge—that the evidence of Dr. Bridges and Mr. Mongan was so different from what had been given by them before the Commission, as to amount to "new evidence"—and that Dr. Bridges had openly declared before the Commission, that he felt himself bound as a brother Freemason to stand by Caldwell, a statement suppressed in the minutes.
So closed the evidence for the Government.
The result was an immediate verdict for the defendant, without calling on his counsel for the defence.
