already reported in my previous despatch the principle having been Exceeded it only remained to determine the mode of giving effect to the decision. This has not been without its difficulties. Y. L. will readily understand by reference to the unclosed mem: "drawn up by W. Wade showing the existing state of the law and the judicial, Criminal and religious influences which make it impolitic in the Chinese mind not to depart from the letter in execution.
To meet the wishes of H. E. Governor in this particular, it was necessary not only to do violence to their own principles of legislation and ethics but to obtain the Imperial sanction to take all such criminals out of the jurisdiction to which they properly belong and place them under the rigid control of the Yamen of Foreign Affairs and the Throne. This is in effect what has been done as will be seen by the inclosed correspondence with the Prince (Nos. 2 and 3) in which will be found the positive engagement that henceforth all criminals dealt with by British authority will be subject to no form of capital punishment than that of decapitation by strangulation. In other words, that as regards them the law of ling chi or deaths by torture would be inoperative. Considering that the whole framework of their criminal legislation implies the extortion of the truth from criminals or accused persons by such means as they find most effective, by the use...
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