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at Howloong in British territory on the mainland crossed the boundary into Chinese territory and are
1 and are charged with having committed lawless
acts of violence against certain Chinese residing
in their own villages.
In this case the party charged
was committed for trial before the Supreme Court of Hongkong but upon reading the Depositions and finding that the place where the alleged offence was committed was in China and not within the Colony of Hongkong, I had great doubts as to whether the Supreme Court of Hongkong had jurisdiction in the matter.
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My attention was directed to the 7th Section of the Mutiny Act 1876 as giving jurisdiction for the trial of offences committed by soldiers out of Her Majesty's dominions, but I considered that section to apply exclusively to trials by Court Martial.
Ultimately it was arranged upon my suggestion that, in order to avoid a possible failure of Justice, the Military Authorities should deal with the cases under The Mutiny Act and The Articles of War.
The questions which, as it seems to me, might be submitted for the consideration of
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