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Whose legal opinion on all questions arising out of Shipping Insurance transactions the Crown Agents place much confidence.
From the inverted copy of Messrs Green & Allin's letter it appears that they think that the Hong Kong Government has no right to recover from W. Kitto, the registered owner, for the conveyance of the shipwrecked passengers to that Colony; that it was not competent to Williamson, the master of the Arduille, to make any contract on behalf of his owner to pay for such services which would be binding and that the action to recover £104:3.4 against him, the owner W. Kitto, could not be successfully maintained.
7 April 1864.
But Messrs Green & Allin point out that mention is made in the correspondence (see concluding portion of second paragraph of the Acting Harbor Master's letter of 19 Feb 1863, enclosed in the Governor's despatch No.63 of 15th March 1863) that some Bill upon the Government was drawn by Williamson and are of opinion that if such Bill was drawn by Williamson or the Government of Hong Kong made the advance to Williamson upon his credit, and they are able to prove it, then he is the person who is responsible and may be made to pay that sum.
As there is reason to suppose that Captain Williamson is still in Hong Kong, and as the local Government...