"inconvenient that it was repealed by the 4th sec. of the Passengers Amend". Act of 1863. (26 & 27 Vic. c.51)
3. That the Messageries Maritimes relied upon the terms of the Postal Convention between Great Britain & France of 1856 to be found in the sove Herbleto Treaties. p.10 P. 4. As bearing upon that point he (Mr Halland) was to have sent to us the Copy of a letter of the 19th May 1869, addressed by the Earl of Clarendon to the French Ambassador with reference to the arrest at Hong Kong on board the Messageries Steamer "Ligre" which embodied the opinion of the Queen's Advocate upon the question whether that Steamer came within the fair scope of the Convention
5. That he was to favour your Lordship with his opinion on the question raised by Sir A. Kennedy whether these 2 Classes of Steamers, or either of them were exempted from the operation of the Chinese Passengers Act 1855. and upon what grounds such exemption if any could be supported. In obedience to your Lordship's Command we have the honor to Report.
That we are of opinion that if the language of the convention of 24th September 1856 really differed from the language of the 18th of 19th Vic. C104. The Act must furnish the governing rules & not the Convention But we do not think the language of the two documents really differs & it appears to us that the interpretation clause of the Act clearly includes in its terms the two classes of Steamers as to which your Lordship has Consulted us. We think that these classes of Steamers are not exempted from the operation of the "Chinese Passengers Act 1855" and that there are no grounds upon which such exemption can be supported.
We have the honor to be My Lord Your Lordship's Most Obedient humble Servants
10. Coleridge by Jessel