were arrested and brought up before me. After the case had come for hearing, I received the following letter from the Acting Colonial Secretary :-
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inform you that considering the importance of the matter before him, His Excellency would be glad if some more expeditious method could be found for dealing with these rendition cases, some of which have occupied months.
W260. Colonial Secretary's Office, Hongkong, 23rd February, 1887.
The Hon: H. E. Mcdowell, Esq., C.M.G., Acting magistrate.
With reference to the order for the arrest of eight fugitive criminals transmitted to you on the 18th instant, I am directed by the Officer Administering the Government to inform you that Her Britannic Majesty's Consul at Canton has recently informed His Excellency that the delay and the consequent great expense of these cases render the Viceroy unwilling to demand extradition, and that the Treaty consequently runs the risk of becoming a dead letter.
His Excellency desires to call the attention of the magistrates to ...
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