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as we
Court of Hong Kong. It is a thing unprecedented, as far as we are aware, for one nation to hand over to another nation offenders; over whose offences it has itself proper jurisdiction, and over whom it has so far asserted that jurisdiction as to take them into the actual custody of its own officers, on the ground merely that such offenders are subjects and citizens of such other nation. But, alcondly, even if such practice were less questionable on general principles, than it seems to be, we should still hesitate to think that it ought to be adopted, under the circumstances of the actual relations between Great Britain and China.
The extradition of Chinese subjects to the Chinese Government, for crimes not committed within Chinese territory, is certainly not required by the present Treaty engagements between the two countries: and, considering that reciprocal obligations of extradition whatever have been undertaken by the Chinese Government towards ourselves, it scarcely seems prudent to enlarge, by voluntary legislation, our practice of Extradition to China, unless the Chinese Government are at least prepared to make some concession in return, by revising