of the Vice Admiralty Court to inform him "that the Marshal held
a
Warrant
for
the arrest of the
Messageries Maritimes Company's
Steamer Ava, and that he requested
me to
report
that his authority was resisted, and to apply to the Commodore for assistance to execute the Warrant."
of the Commodore
@
The final reply was to the effect that this being a matter of the Vice Admiralty Court, and His Excellency The Governor being Vice Admiral of the Colony, he could not interfere without His Excellency's orders.
(C.) I did not apply for assistance for the following reasons:
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(1). That I was told that the Registrar of the Vice Admiralty Court had said in the presence of the Queen's Advocate, and Mr Drummond (the only two barristers in the Colony) and their Solicitors that he must stop the then pending and issue the Warrant for the arrest of the Ava. When therefore the Warrant was issued I had no reasonable grounds for doubting that it had been legally issued.
(2). That the execution of the Warrant rested with the Marshal, and as he told me that he was going to Government House on instructions, I had a right to suppose that he was attending to other business; I had