2
office, he was to ask that your Lordship might be favoured with our report at our earliest convenience.
In obedience to your Lordship's commands we have the honour to
Report
1. That we are of opinion that the Order in Council of the 7th February 1877 is still in force, and that it has not been superseded or its provisions abrogated by the Letters Patent and Instructions of 30th May 1877. The Imperial Statute of. 1876 empowers Her Majesty to create legislatures for the Colonies in question, and from time to time to alter the constitution of such legislatures by Order in Council. We do not think the Letters Patent were effectual for the purpose of altering the constitution of the legislature, even though a draft of the Letters Patent were approved of by the Queen in Council.
2. We think therefore that it is necessary and that, even if not absolutely necessary, it is expedient that Orders in Council should be passed repealing the Orders of 7th February 1877, and providing for the Legislative Councils of Grenada, St. Vincent, and Tobago being constituted in the mode and with the powers prescribed by the new Letters Patent. This might no doubt be done, as suggested, by an incorporation of the provisions of the Letters Patent by reference in the Order in Council. better course would be that the Order in Council should itself contain all the terms of But we think the the new constitutions.
The Right Hon. the Earl of Kimberley,
&c.
&c.
&c.
We have, &c.,
(Signed)
HENRY JAMES. FARRER HERSCHELI
*
No. 233a.
(CYPRUS.)
LAW OFFICERS to FOREIGN OFFICE.
MY LORD,
We are honoured with your Lordship's commands, signified in Sir Julian
Temple, August 5, 1880. Pauncefote's letter of the 21st ultimo, stating that with reference to our report of the 3rd ultimo, respecting the case of Sawas Christodoulos, who was recently tried in Cyprus for the murder of an Ottoman subject and sentenced to death, he had the honour to transmit to us, by direction of your Lordship, a modified draft of a reply to the Greek Minister's letter of the 21st of May, amended to meet the objections offered in the first three paragraphs of our above-mentioned report to the draft as originally prepared, and that he (Sir Julian Paucefote) was to request us to inform your Lordship whether the draft reply then submitted to us met with our approval.
That with reference to the opinion expressed in our report, that in the circumstances. of the case the sentence of imprisonment for life, to which the penalty of death had been commuted, was very severe, Sir Julian Pauncefote was to transmit to us a telegram from Her Majesty's High Commissioner deprecating any interference at present with the commuted sentence, but that he (Sir Julian Pauncefote) was to request us to favour your Lordship with our opinion as to what term of imprisonment would be sufficient to meet the justice of the case.
That Sir Julian Pauncefote was to return to us, for convenience of reference, the papers which had already been before us in connexion with that matter.
In obedience to your Lordship's commands, we have the honour to
Report
That we approve of the draft reply, and that the objection of Her Majesty's High Commissioner may be met by allowing the sentence of imprisonment for life to remain for the present, the prisoner to be pardoned at the end of seven years. If this commutation is to depend upon "good behaviour," the desirability of informing the convict of the intention to commute should be considered.
We have, &c., (Signed)
The Right Hon. the Earl Granville,
&c.
&c.
&c.
• No. 230a.
HENRY JAMES. FARRER HERSCHELL. J. PARKER DEANE.
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PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE
CO.
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885
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