to acquaint you, for the information of Lee Mr. Wicks
term.
Beach, that be has taken the
as
the Law Officers opinion of to whether the difficulty might not be got ove en by Her beajesty's Good undertaking that in the event of a fugitive criminal surrendered the bang-kany Govt by the Authorities of macas being tried for murder and
sentenced to death, the senteme should be commuted to
of imprisonment for life for a shorter period.
au
The
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155
the opinion which has just been received from the Law Officers is that this proposal
is inadmissible inasmuch as
the Gook has no
power to stipulate that the punishment ordained by law should not be carried into effect.
Under these circumstances and with reference to the opinion of fir M. Hicks Beach, expressed letter of the 16th of October
in your
last, that it is undesirable
that persons having committed murder should excape without
punishment