in Hongkong, which renders him amenable to the jurisdiction of nations indiscrimi-nately, shall have escaped into the Territory of the Chinese Empire; I have to state to you that according to International law, unless it be otherwise stipulated by Treaty, the government of one Country is not bound to give up any of its subjects who having committed a crime in another Country, have returned to the Country of their birth.
The Chinese Authorities are therefore not bound to give up to you any Chinese subject having committed a crime in Hongkong, or a crime such as Piracy.
Lallegiance is not bound to give up any Chinese subject having committed a crime.
The demand for the surrender of such a criminal in order that he might be tried at Hongkong, could not be founded upon any ground of right; & it would be a perfectly sufficient answer to such a demand of the Chinese Authorities to say that the accused person had committed a crime in the Chinese Territories for which he was about to be tried by Chinese Law, or that having been tried for that crime, & having been found guilty, he was about to undergo the punishment awarded to him by the Law.
Signed
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