47
of
the Surveyor General (Mr Price),
with the
permission
of
the
Executive Council, to prosecute
criminal information for libel,
Mr Fraser-Smith,
as
the Proprietor and Editor of the "Hongkong Telegraph", have now the honour to
report that after a trial before the Chief Justice, which occupied the Supreme
Court for two entire days, the defendant was found "not guilty" by a majority
of four to three". It sufficiently
accurate report (as I am
assured) of the trial will
be
found in the
in the enclosed recent extracts from the Colonial
newspapers.
2. It seems desirable that
I should take this opportunity
of making some remarks in continuation of my
in
Despatch N. 153
of
the 20th July
ultimo,
on this particular case,
and also
on the general condition
...
* It will be remembered that in this Colony the jury consists of seven persons, and the verdict of a bare majority is decisive.