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give effect to them by appointing Councils, and with their assistance making such Laws and Ordinances as the well-being of the Colony may appear to require so soon as I am relieved from the present extreme pressure of business.
I may however add, that I think the Recorder of Hongkong should also be the Judge of the Criminal and Admiralty Court in China (since it seems most unlikely that the Governor and Chief Superintendent will ever have leisure to dedicate this time and thoughts to those important duties, even supposing him to be qualified to undertake them), that he (the Recorder) should be an ex officio Member of the Legislative Council, that he should be directed to administer justice according to the Laws of England, where special provision for particular cases or persons may not have been made by Ordinances passed by the Governor in Council of Hongkong in his legislative capacity, that he (the Recorder) should be empowered to visit at the special requisition of the Chief Superintendent any of the Consular Ports to try extreme cases, which cannot be remitted to Hongkong owing to the witnesses in such cases being wholly or chiefly subjects of China (male, female), that during his (the Recorder's) absence either on this or other cause, or from any his situation becoming vacant, the