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the Admiral of the Station, having
a
regard
to his precedence, could be
properly
asked to sit as
member
of
a
Court presided over
by a person
of inferior dignity, whilst as to the Senior Naval
Officer
there seems great
doubt whether his numerous duties make it desirable that he should
the obliged to attend the Court
12.
very
much regret that this view should have been taken, because the
higher the rank of the Naval Officer sitting in the Piracy Court the
in
greater would be the dignity of the
Court and the
respect extended to
its decisions.
I would also respectfully remind
Your Grace
to place
a
note in explanation of the wish
for a Naval
Officer of rank.
It appears from the Colonial Regulations cap
VI
Section 157 that it was contemplated
that the Naval Commander in Chief should
sit in Piracy Courts, because express provision is made for his occupying
the
chair on
the right hand of the President, who
according to ancient
usage in such Courts should be a legal functionary.
Under the
Ordinance in question the President would be either the Chief Justice or the
Judge of the
Court of Summary Jurisdiction, being the highest legal Officials in the Colony.
4. I would also remind Your Grace that
when formerly, as for example in the West Indies,
it
was a
frequent practice to hold
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