Counsel—Have you ever heard of any negotiations about trying to bring about a change of ownership in June? And these negotiations were at one period put through by you?
Witness—An inquiry addressed to me was passed on to Mr. Hughes, but beyond that I entered into no negotiations myself.
Counsel—I suppose we may take it that the object shortly was to buv_control_of the shares?
Witn It was a very good proposition in good hands.
Counsel—Of which you satisfied yourself?
Witness—Oh no. Certainly not. I had an inanity and TI passed it on to Mr. Hughes. He was the only person I cared to have dealings with at all. Mr. Hughes was the signatory of a letter to the "North-China Daily News" last year in which he said he had been assured by his Japanese colleagues that they would give all assistance towards British control of the aper.
Counsel—This inquiry would have involved a sale to some British party!—As T understood it then.
Connsel—Other people were concerned 4—Yes. I merely passed on an inquiry.
Counsel then passed to a letter which he said had been written by witness giving notice of the termination of his engagement, and asked whether he left the "'Shanghai Mercury" on October 3.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.