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438 gaming houses, Sir Richard did not throw the money into the sea, nor would he meekly submit, when ordered to segregate it in the Special Fund, and keep his hands off it. On the contrary, having deliberately deviated from his instructions by farming out the licences, he persistently sought to wring from the Authorities in Downing Street admissions which, when read in the light of his suggestions, which often were left uncontradicted, seemed to sanction the application of the gambling revenue to all sorts of purposes such as served to ameliorate the condition of the Chinese population. It was this persistent determination, to have his own way in dealing with the Special Fund, that irritated his superiors and produced the above mentioned mutual misunderstanding.

When his relations with the Colonial Office became thus positively strained. Sir Richard's one desire was 'finality and positive explicitness of instructions' (March 7, 1870). His health was worn out by the struggle. Accordingly he decided to avail himself of the sick-leave he had obtained and returned, by way of Japan and San Francisco, to Europe in order to make, in personal conference with the Secretary of State, a final effort to save his measure from failure (April 12, 1870).

As soon as he had left the Colony, the revulsion of public feeling which, since 1868, had gradually turned against Sir Richard's policy, gathered strength for a general condemnation of it. As early as April 2, 1868, some of the leading merchants (Ph. Ryrie, J. B. Taylor, E. A. Hitchcock, R. Rowett, J. Lapraik), who had originally favoured the Governor's scheme, publicly stated, at a meeting of the Chamber of Commerce, that the system was working an incalculable amount of harm, and that the principal Chinese merchants were of the same opinion. Nothing further, however, came of this movement. But when the Governor had departed, the Chief Justice (J. Smale) commenced to denounce the Governor's policy from the Bench. He finally formulated his complaints in communications addressed to the Colonial Secretary (August 8, 1870, and February 10, 1871), alleging that the severe enactments passed by Parliament