468
of any kind will be unprecurable, as when the soṇli-
cant in question hạs been married in China to « Chin-
ese woman according to the lex 1001,
Has the expression 'wife ng wives of a nam
registered ........', which occurs in article 2(8) of the
Order in Coungil of 1921, any bearing on this question?
Is the issue of Britim passports to two or joru 1wive.
of the same van Dontemplated ?
·
4. Is the registration of adult isles of Chine:
ase race, being song børn in China of fathers bern in
His Hajesty's Bminions, to be affected, ozve in the
rare cases in which such parsons can pre koe certifi-
cated that on the date when they themselves were born.
their parents were already legally married by a form
of Coremeny rcognised as valid by britis: lưw Y
It will be recognised that in theag oksas the
individuals concerned, though technically perhaps of
the same status as ritish mbjects of pure laude- axer:
oment, have the slanderest of connections with: the
sspire and are, to all intents and purposes, Skånese
citizens, and that their protætion by rritid Consul»
ates constitutes a fruitful source of friction with the
*Chinese Authorities, into all t ese questi na «ffect-
in: the registration of male british subjoots of Chin-
ese rada there enters the further Commlisation that, no
matter what may be their Gountry of birth, all such
individuals are in fost persons of hal mutionalita
for by Chinese law descendants in the male line of a
Ühinese ancestor remain Ohinese citizens to the uth
generation, wiless and until they have recotved from
the Chinese Dovemment, through the zinistry of the
Interior, express sonation to drast theuse'ves of their]
Chinese nationality.
5.
Although somewhat foreign to the main pur-
pose of this bespator. I have the honour to enquire
vê etli er