CO885-(13-15) — Page 629

14612.

SIR,

No. 215.

(BARBADOS.)

LAW OFFICERS TO COLONIAL OFFICE.

Royal Courts of Justice,

June 7th, 1899.

WE were honoured with your commands signified in Mr. Lucas's letter of the 31st ultimo, stating that he was directed to transmit for our consideration two despatches, dated the 28th February and the 11th May last respectively, together with the enclosures contained in the former, which had been received from the Governor of Barbados, asking for the extension of the Colonial Attorneys Relief Acts to that Colony, and a copy of a despatch from the Colonial Office to the Governor, dated the 28th March.

That Mr. Lucas was also to enclose a copy of the "Solicitors Act, 1882," of Barbados, which provided for service of five years under articles, and for a preliminary, intermediate, and final examination as necessary preliminaries to admission to practise as a solicitor, iu Barbados. That, prior to the passing of this Act, as stated by the Colonial Attorney- General in paragraph 4 of his Opinion, any person who had served as a clerk with a practising solicitor for five years, and who had produced a certificate of competency and good character from such solicitor, was admitted to practise by the Chief Justice. That Section 5 of the Act provided for the placing on the rolls of the Colony of qualified solicitor or Writer to the Signet in Great Britain.

any duly

That with regard to the system of jurisprudence prevailing in the Colony Mr. Lucas was to refer us to paragraph 2 of the Colonial Attorney-General's Opinion, from which it would be seen that the jurisprudence of Barbados was substantially the same as that of England, the modification of the English Common Law by local Statuies passed since 1625, the date of the Settlement, having been comparatively unimportant. That the Island, as was well known, had never been subject, even temporarily, to foreign rule, like so many of its neighbours, but had remained uninterruptedly under the British Crown.

1

That Mr Lucas was to request us to take these papers into our consideration and to furnish you with our opinion whether, having regard to the provisions of Section 7 of the Colonial Attorneys Relief Act, 1857, and of Section 1 of the Colonial Attorneys Relief Act, 1884. Her Majesty might properly be advised to issue an Order in Council extending the Colonial Attorneys Relief Acts to the Colony of Barbados.

In obedience to your commands, we have taken the papers into our consideration ated have the honour to

Report—

THAT we are of opinion that Her Majesty may properly be advised to issue an Order in Council extending the Colonial Attorneys Relief Acts to Barbados.

The Right Honourable J. Chamberlain, M.P.,

&c.,

&c..

&c.

3041-25-6,99 Wt 439 D&S

We have, &c..

RICHARD E. WEBSTER. ROBERT B. FINLAY,

PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE

Reference :-

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C.O.885

14 PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE, LONDON

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