the forsul at Shanghai might be laid before the Jury as evidence,) and the result that after an interval of two hours the Jury returned into Court having ignored the Bill.
Presuming, My Lord, the same evidence to have been given by Captain Pitman and the others, as they deposed to on oath before Mr Alcock at Shanghai, and subsequently before Mr Hillier, the Chief Magistrate, at this Colony, with the Log-Book of the "Spy" before them, it is impossible for me to conjecture the grounds on which the Grand Jury came to this conclusion, but it is in my opinion manifestly contrary to the evidence that an attempt at an explanation may become necessary.
The only reasons, which suggest themselves to my mind, for the finding of the Jury, are, first a Bias in favour of the Service in which the "Spy" was engaged, and secondly a misunderstanding of the duties of the office they were called on to perform.
As regards the first reason I can say that, as I have already reported to your Lordship, the whole Coast between Hongkong and Shanghai is infested with pirates who make constant attacks on the Junks engaged in Trade, and that this evil prevails to such an extent, that it is a common occurrence for a fleet of Trading Junks to hire armed European Vessels to proceed with them as Convoy or escort for their protection, and as the practice is conducive to the General Trade, it naturally finds favour in the eyes of the Mercantile Community, and hence that they are indisposed by any act of theirs to discountenance the convoy system.
This, My Lord, is I feel an imputation, that, if unqualified, would much misrepresent my feeling towards the Gentlemen who composed the Grand Jury of this Colony, all of whom are generally…
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