a serious interference with the
the China liberty of deprecated any
Hem
attempt to define law or to legalize concubinage,
Blaw
as
full of complexities & difficulties; The distincty said he did not
he said the matter wasn
Mink Concubines should be
Excluded from the operation of this provision of the law. At the same time he said that he did
Earlier
not commit himself to any Dinin in favour of the particular (sixteen) but without thought that fifteen might be high sough,
great objection to 16, wen though he had no from a Chinese point of view.
(As to the question of maturity of girls in the East, it is worthy of note that so high authority as Fagren wrote to the Times a few weeks ago saying that in his opinion girls were not physically fit for marriage under the age of sixteen.)
India
in every sense of the word
While we are considering this question it may be well & raise also the question of
than
Brd. no
age
for
intercourse with
with wives
See deapt to tegem
& Laluan
X
186
8896/90
15007/90, ping
(2 to raise the age from ten (as it is under Indian Penal Code) to
In Hongkong there appears to be no law on the subject,
Rape is not defined in S.42 of Ord. 4 of 1865, and in the absence of any such provision, would the English law be followed - i.e. in all cases including a wife under this age?
This case the Baron Law which forbids marriage under twelve "If so, we need not at present
at Hongkong suggest any
(and suppose the S. of State would not be prepared at present to go
the age above 12,
we have
suggested for Ceylan.
to be seen what applies
It remains then for India
from which has the matter under consideration
If he thought more in
the age
marriage she?)
The raised & 16 eventually
The Times 12th Dec.
will fix) but if not I think we Suggest making 12 the age case of marriage
? and make
same suggestion to the Straits ? To this despatch reply that I have carefully considered
sufficient The Memorial but éles no