C. O.
18652 54
COPY.
Enclosure 2.
Chambers,
Race
Supreme Court, Hongkong ||
3rd. May, 1911.
Sir,
་
In view of the recent occurrences in Canton Your
Excellency will I have no doubt wish to have a report of the recent trial of Kwong King and two others under Ordinance No. 15 of 1907, which ended in the acquittal of the prisoners. It is much to be regretted that the Press thought it more in the interests of the public to report the speech of the prisoners' Counsel rather than the very careful summing up which I addressed to the jury, as it gives a very false impression of the proceed- -ings in the Supreme Court under an Ordinance specially devised to assist the Chinese Government in their difficulties. I did
not agree with the verdict, but I am bound to say that the Jury were intelligent men, and gave the matter very full considera- -tion so that I can hardly say I was dissatisfied with the verdict, though I much regretted it. The way in which I left the case to the Jury was this that supposing not, a serious rebelli- -on, but a tumultuous street rising in Canton, directed against the Chinese Government, did they think that the publication in question would have induced any reader of it to join in ? The majority, answering it in the negative, seemed to think that it was mere rhodomontade. The weak point about the prosecution was that although there was a stock of some 500 copies there did not appear to be any reason to suppose that the prisoners took any very active part in pushing the sale: nor was there any evidence that the master of the shop was the author of the poetry. I am doubtful whether it would have been possible to impose a very severe punishment, even if the verdict had been the other way. Perhaps therefore it is as well that the result was what it was
I have etc., (Sd.) F. T. Piggott,
Chief Justice.
His Excellency
Sir Frederick Lugard, K.C.M.G.,
Governor of Hongkong.