WHEREAS it is provided by Section 4 of
Committee ial/
the Judicial, Act. 1833, that it shall be lawful for the Judicial
His Majesty to refer to the Judicial Committee of
the Privy Council for hearing or for consideration
any such matters whatsoever as His Majesty shall
think fit:
53
AND WHEREAS there was this day read at this Board
a letter from the Right Honourable Sir Philip Cunliffe
Lister, one of His Majesty's Principal Secretaries of
State, stating that at the Criminal Sessions held in
Hong Kong in February, 1931, twelve subjects of the
Republic of China were indicted for the crime of piracy,
to wit, that they on the 4th day of January, 1931, on
the High Seas with force and arms assaulted and put in
fear of their lives certain mariners in cargo junk
No.206.V. with intent to carry away the said junk, her
tackle and cargo from the owners there of and to steal
the same, and that after the verdict of guilty of the jury
the following question of law was reserved by the trial
judge vizt: "Whether an accused person may be convicted
(meaning thereby of piracy jure gentium)
of piracy in circumstances where no robbery has occurred;
1.