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3745.
1
No. 123.
(SOUTH AFRICA.)
LAW OFFICERS to FOREIGN OFFICE.
[Marriages in the African Protectorates.]
Royal Courts of Justice,
MY LORD,
December 31, 1901. We were honoured with your Lordship's commands signified in Sir Martin Gosselin's letter of the 7th November, transmitting to us the accompanying papers with reference to the question of marriages in the African Protectorates, and requesting us to favour your Lordship with our opinion as to the power of the King to legislate in regard to marriage in the several Protectorates referred to in Sir Martin, Gosselin's letter. dispensing with the application thereto of the Foreign Marriage Act, 1892.
We have taken the matter into our consideration, and, in obedience to your Lord- ship's commands, have the honour to
Report-
That we are of opinion that the King has power to legislate in regard to marriage in the several Protectorates referred to, dispensing with the application thereto of the Foreign Marriage Act, 1892, and we should approve of the method of dealing with the question in respect of each of those territories, which Mr. Gray suggests.
The practice pursued in the Colonial Office Protectorates in South Africa is an important factor in determining the course to be taken in such matters in Foreign Office Protectorates, and the course proposed by Mr. Gray has the advantage of harmonising the policy pursued in these two classes of Protectorates, and appears to us to be in itself desirable.
We have, &c.,
The Marquess of Lansdowne, K.G.
&c., &c.,
&c.
10338-25-1/1902 W 383 Das
R. B. FINLAY. EDWARD CARSON.
PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE
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