From Encouragement N.3.
44 70529
To His Excellency
158
89.
The Supreme Court Hongkong May 1874.
I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt by
The Chief Justice of your Excellency's letter dated the
4th day of the first month
of the 27th year of
the reign of HM the Emperor.
1.
2.
I am directed to state that it is contrary
to the Law and customs of England for a Judge to
receive
- any communication by letter, all Communication, must be made in the presence of the parties whose
interests
are intended to be affected thereby. Considering
however that the customs here are not known in Annam,
I am to reply to your Excellency's letter.
That letter contains various statements of
circumstances which
doubtless you understand to be
accurate but it is contrary to English Law that
statements however accurate can be accepted by
the
Judge unless they are proved by the solemn declaration
of persons who would be subject to criminal prosecution by the Court in case the statements should not be true
whatever