CO885-(10-11) — Page 400

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3308.

No. 326.

(BAHAMAS.)

PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE

mmi

Reference :-

PLEC.O.

MY LORD,

LAW OFFICERS to FOREIGN OFFICE.

Lincoln's Inn, April 7, 1865. We are honoured with your Lordship's commands, signified in Mr. Hammond's letter of yesterday's date, stating that he was directed by your Lordship to transmit to us the papers respecting the case of Vernon Locke, a person who, while in command of the Confederate privateer "Retribution." captured in the year 1863 a United States merchant vessel, the "Hanover," and taking her into a port of the Bahamas disposed of her cargo under circumstances which led to the arrest of Vernon Locke and to an indictment being preferred against him for conspiracy and forgery.

Mr. Hammond was also pleased to state that we should observe that the offence, being a bailable one, Vernon Locke was admitted to bail, to which, however, he did not answer, and his recognisances were forfeited; and that it further appears from the letter from the Colonial Office of the 5th instant that Vernon Locke has been re- arrested and lodged in gaol at Nassau, and that his trial will take place about or before the 25th of this month. And that he was accordingly directed to request that we would take this case into our consideration and advise your Lordship as to any directions which it might be expedient to transmit to the Governor of the Bahamas for his guidance therein, and that as we should observe that it would be necessary that those directions should be transmitted to the Governor by the mail of Saturday next the matter is very pressing.

In obedience to your Lordship's commands, we have taken these papers into our consideration, and have the honour to

Report

!

That the conduct of the trial of Vernon Locke for the offences with which he now stands charged must necessarily be left to the Colonial Attorney General,' who seems fully alive to the importance of the case.

The only observation which it occurs to us to make (being in ignorance of the precise facts which the Attorney General of the Bahamas expects to be able to prove at the trial, except so far as they may be inferred from the correspondence of 1863–64) is that we do not quite see why the prisoner should be charged with forgery as a mis- demeanour at common law only, and not as a felony, it being stated in the papers of 1863 that he forged the name of Washington Case to papers subscribed by him in his Ďanover "while she was at Long Cay. We pretended character of master of the "

presume that forgery of this description is a felony by the law of the Bahamas as well

as by that of England.

In the event of the present prosecution failing we do not at present see what evidence there is of any other charge on which Vernon Locke could be detained.

The Earl Russell, K.G.

We have, &c.

(Signed) ROUNDELL PALMER.

R. P. COLLIER. ROBERT PHILLIMORE.

. 16978-973. 25.-2/86.

885

10 PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE, LONDON

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