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"in the Magistrates' Court, and the want of a lawyer to deal with them much felt. The pay of the very Magistrate's office is also good enough to secure a suitable man with legal training."
It will be seen from the annexed letter that the Judges of the Supreme Court are strongly of the same opinion with the Attorney-General. So also are the Colonial Secretary (M. Marsh) and other Members of the Executive Council.
I certainly think it proper that one at least of the two Police Magistrates should be a member of the English Bar. I believe, moreover, that not one of the five candidates, whose applications are forwarded herewith, possesses the requisite qualifications. But if a Barrister is sent out from England, he should be warned beforehand that he will have hard work in a very hard and depressing climate; that to perform his duty with real efficiency, he should acquire some knowledge of Chinese, the most difficult of all languages; and that to deal with Chinese
Enclosure No. 6.