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and of justice upon principles of British law offer many chances of Escape, they employ Counsel and advantage is taken of every legal technicality; they find the means of corrupting witnesses.
The Consequence is that of the total number of pirates apprehended, and of whose guilt there is little moral doubt, barely half only are committed for trial, and as before shown, about one third of these are actually tried before the Supreme Court, and of every three tried, two Escape conviction.
Again the pirates should hand over for trial and punishment, to their own Authorities all persons apprehended by us for piracy in cases in which the Offence has not been Committed within British waters or upon the property of British subjects, or upon that of persons residing in this Colony.
They are well aware of the leniency of the British Prison System as compared with that of their own Country. They know full well that even if sentenced to penal servitude they will, although deprived of liberty, be better housed, fed, and clothed than they would be.
To show how such a rule would operate I will instance the two cases of