misquoted former Premier the Hon. Sir David Gibbons in a Letter to the Editor of The Royal Gazette .

The story began on March 17. Health and Social Services Minister the Hon.

Quinton Edness, speaking during the Green Paper debate, said it was "an insult to all Bermudians'' for Sir David to suggest that rights like appeals to the Privy Council that were entrenched in Bermuda's Constitution could be easily removed after Independence.

On the following Monday, Mr. Edness rose in the House to clarify his remarks.

Having spoken over the weekend to Sir David, he realised the former Premier and chairman of the Bank of Butterfield had not said such rights could be easily removed.

"He did say there is a perception among certain exempted companies that it could happen,'' Mr. Edness said.

Mr. Edness said his comments had been based on remarks made by Mrs. Joyce Hall in a Letter to the Editor of the Gazette . "I would not want to inadvertently mar (Sir David's) reputation in any way for something that was attributed to him,'' he said. "He did not say it.'' But this week, Mrs. Hall said she wished to "further straighten out any misconceptions there may be in regard to this matter''.

She had not misquoted Sir David, she said. Mrs. Hall telephoned Mr. Edness on Saturday, March 18, the morning after he made his initial remarks in the House.

Mrs. Hall said she made it clear to Mr. Edness "that the statement that the Government of an independent Bermuda could readily change the Constitution to exclude such right of appeal...as many others had done, was my own assessment of a future under Independence and not a quote of anyone else.

"I also telephoned Sir David Gibbons who had read my letter and had no complaints,'' Mrs. Hall said. "Mr. Edness did not see fit to mention that I had telephoned him, bringing to his attention that he had misinterpreted my letter.'' The letter, which appeared on March 15, said that in an interview with the Gazette , Sir David had "made reference to the fundamental inability of any independent island to guarantee, in perpetuity, the right of appeal to the Privy Council''.

But Mrs. Hall's view that "an independent Bermuda could readily change its Constitution to exclude such right of appeal'' was not attributed to Sir David.

In the original article, Sir David said it was "all very well'' to say access to the Privy Council would continue, but any independent country could change its Constitution. He noted most Commonwealth countries had eliminated appeals to the Privy Council.

Directors of some international companies would not "run the risk'', he said.

Their view would be: "Bermuda's independent -- they can change (the right to appeal to the Privy Council) in a very short time.''