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The first book printed in Hong Kong (2nd edition), with large format map of Hong Kong and Victoria.
OCLC locates 1 copy (University of Hong Kong).
William Tarrant was a model civil servant. He was efficient, hard working and incorruptible. He has been described as "more honest than politic" and this admirable trait brought him into direct confrontation with Major William Caine.
Tarrant had discovered that Caine's compradore (Chinese assistant), Lo In Tin, was demanding a squeeze from the stall-holders of Central Market in the Major's name. This was known as "Caine duty money". Being a good, honest, if naive, civil servant, Tarrant reported the crime to his superior. Instead of being praised for his diligence, Tarrant was suspended from office for "conspiring to injure the character of Major Caine."
Questions were raised in the Houses of Parliament and almost two years later the case against Tarrant was dismissed. Lo In Tin fled the colony and the Secretary of State, Lord Grey, ordered the Hong Kong Government to pay Tarrant two years wages in compensation. This was done, but the Government refused to reinstate Tarrant in the civil service.
Tarrant was justifiably upset. He used his back pay to buy a newspaper called The Friend of China. For the next decade, the embittered Tarrant used every opportunity to revile Caine in his newspaper. In 1859, Caine, now the exalted Lieutenant-Governor, was about to retire to England. Tarrant printed a scathing attack on Caine. It was published the day before Caine was due to leave Hong Kong.
Caine postponed his departure and sued Tarrant for libel. With Machiavellian cunning, he retained the services of every lawyer in Hong Kong and Tarrant was forced to conduct his own defence in court. He was found guilty and sentenced to one year's imprisonment and fined fifty pounds. There was a storm of righteous protest, both in Hong Kong and London, against Caine's ungentlemanly conduct. Tarrant was released after six months in prison and the fine was paid by public subscription.
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