Your Excellency's opinion is lawful. But I prefer to rest
on much broader ground; for Mr. Seth knew as well as I did
the reason why I wanted the information.
I must now with great respect point out that
the distinction between lawful and unlawful orders which
Your Excellency has drawn is one which
conveys nothing
to my mind. I am completely at sea as to what the position
of the Registrar towards the Judges is in the opinion of
Your Excellency; and as I have pointed out in the preceding
paragraphs of this letter, there is nothing in Your Excel-
lency's despatch to guide me. With the matters which by
Ordinance lie beyond the duties of Registrar, I do not
contend, nor have I ever contended that I have anything to
do. With the matters which lie within his duties as
Registrar, except in so far as they are magisterial, the
Judges have absolute control, for the simple reason that
there is no one else to control them. But the first point
does not arise, for the question I asked was as to the
duties of the staff of the Registry, and the staff of the
Registry have nothing to do with the additional duties
which the Legislature has imposed on Mr. Seth.
If then the decision is maintained I must
beg for a fuller definition of the duties of the Registry