a long
British Minister at Pekin Communication in which they set forth in strong terms
the
delays that had taken place, and
the great expense and trouble which the Chinese Government had been put to in order to obtain the rendition
of Chi.
The cause of this delay was partly due to the advice of their legal adviser, part was caused by many postponements granted at the request of one or other of the Solicitors engaged in the case, and part was necessitated by the amount of proof which was then considered requisite before granting rendition.
The decision of the Governor in Council in the first instance was reported to the Secretary of State. Chang Che was referred to the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs.
In a letter dated the 6th August 1886, the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs lays down a rule and says:-
"It is difficult to lay down any precise rule in such a matter, but his Lordship is disposed to think that where the Magistrate has committed the fugitive on evidence which in his opinion constitutes a prima facie case, the extradition should not be refused unless the Governor in Council is satisfied on a review of the evidence that the decision of the Magistrate was either erroneous or without sufficient ground, or that the material evidence against the