)
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with the views of His Majesty's Government upon the
point raised, it would seem preferable that the reply
should be rather more explicit in its terms.
Sir Francis Piggott (the then Chief Justice) in
his judgment considered that the Court was somewhat in
the dark as to the true relations of the United States
and the Philippine Islands.
As a matter of fact there
islands were ceded by Spain to the United States by the
Treaty of Peace signed at Paris on December 10th, 1898,
and ratified at Washington on the 11th. of April, 1899;
moreover by an Act of Congress approved February 6th,
1905, such portions of the provisions of the Revised
Statutes of the United States as related to Extradition
were extended to the Philippine Islands.
The actual
evidence, however, before the Court was that tendered
by Mr. Anderson, the United States Consul General in
Hongkong and, though a copy of his deposition did not
accompany your letter, he appears to have said that
the Philippine Islands were a constituent part of the
United States of America, who possessed neither
Colonies dependencies nor protectorates.
In