Enclosure ?
Minute by the Acting Attorney General.
Hon. Colonial Secretary,
C032
PEC:
REG 20 MAP 06,
I fear that it will not be practicable to
258
carry out the Secretary of State's instructions expressea
in his despatch of the 9th. of September, 1895, because I do
not understand what interpretation he desires to we put
upon the worus, "of European descent“.
He states that Jews are to be included, but
he does not specify through how many generations the Regis-
trar General may go back in order to ascertain whether a
person is of European descent.
My own view upon the subject of marriages
before the Registrar General, which I advance with some aif-
fidence seeing that His Excellency the Governor and the
Acting Chief Justice appear to be of a contrary opinion, is
that any persons, whatever their nationality or religion, who
wish to be civilly married ought to be permitted to do so,
provided that they are willing to enter into that purely
monogamous union which is the only species of marriage
rendered possible under our ordinance.
I believe that in England there exists no
limitation restricting persons of any colour or creed from
being married before the Registrar, and I fully concur in the
Reverend Mr. Cobbola's observations (in his letter of the
3rd.