They were committed for trial at the Supreme Court by the adjudicating Magistrate, but the Attorney General, upon reading the depositions, was very doubtful whether the Supreme Court had any jurisdiction in such a case. He expressed this doubt in a letter to me, a copy of which is enclosed; he suggested that in dealing with this particular case, it would be unadvisable to raise the point and that it would be more judicious to invite the Military Authorities to take them away (with a view to their being tried by Court Martial).
This was accordingly done, and consequently, there has been no miscarriage of justice. If, however, the Attorney General's opinion be correct with regard to the jurisdiction of the Supreme Court in similar cases, it is obvious that had the offenders been brought to trial, a miscarriage of justice would in all probability have taken place.
As British Kowloon is now rapidly developing, and as recurrences of such cases, in which civilians are the principal actors, are not at all unlikely,
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