London and China, in which he asks
for an enquiry on Your Lordship's part as to the administration of the law in this Colony, in connection with prosecution for libel he instituted against Mr. Pitman, for which Mr. ... was fined fifty dollars in June last.
2. Mr. Nelson states that he has already communicated direct with Your Lordship. This system, of sending to the Governor duplicates of letters addressed to the Secretary of State a short time before the mail leaves and communicating a copy direct to the Colonial Office, has recently been established by M. Keswick,
3. but it seems to me that a strict adherence to the Colonial Regulations would (apart altogether from the position of the local Government in the matter) be more convenient for all parties.
Your Lordship will see from the enclosed letter of the Acting Colonial Secretary that Mr. Nelson was duly informed that his communication would be transmitted after I had received reports from the Chief Justice and the Attorney General upon it.
4. I enclose for Your Lordship's information a copy of the remarks of the Chief Justice and of the Attorney General's on Mr. Nelson's letter.
5. The case in question is a libel case.
Page 390
26 March 1881,
7768