"qu'elles se rapportent à la nature et au principe
du gouvernement qui, à la religion des habitans, à leurs
inclinations, à leurs mœurs.
des rapports entr'elles, elles en ont avec leur.
"
Se rapporter
as well
Au
the
408
"fundamental principles upon which the
whole is based not be regarded.
Ad
a dangerous
Causes wh
sure to fail from
elles doivent.
Experiment,
Lt
for deeper
than
any
Enfin eller out
Sout
or indisposition
administrators of
"origine,
avec
l'objet
du législateur,
avec
l'ordre
Ser
"des choses sur lesquelles elles sont établies."
in his Preface to the
And Sir William Jones, Laws of Menu, still more appropriately remarks
that the best intended legislative provisions will
have
100
beneficial effect, even at first,
at all, in a
short Course
of time, unless they
are congenial to the disposition & habits, to
the religious prejudices
approved immemorial
usages of the people for whom they
it seems
were enacted."
Whatever the Chinese laws may be, therefore,
in opposition of the national
in the immediate
the Law to give it effect.
The first step taken in this direction, we
has immediately given rise to a new
Pirates surrendered by
are other Pirates, according
difficulty.
longer liable,
to Law, to be put to
death by slow torture instead of summary decapitation.
a fear, but the Governor of Hong Kong is harassed with a fear that they will now
escape punishment altogether,
if they refuse to confess their crimes, as they assuredly will refuse, if we pushed our interference
further & prevented the Chinese Authorities
the Examination & trial according to
laws & methods of procedure.
Conducting
their
cannot follow accordingly
the
of
for
Confession
As a
doubt that any
attempt beyond part of Foreign Powers to alter the whole system
of criminal legislation & adjudicature of procedure,
there
the abolition or suspension
the Law - humane in its bearing,
- intended
the protection of the innocent - requiring
necessary
preliminary to any
Conviction