CO129-287 - Public Offices & Others - 1898 — Page 368

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be regarded as a proper performance of the Treaty

obligations of this country; and His Lordship must

therefore adhere to the opinion expressed in Mr. Ber-

July that

tie's letter of the 4th July that some reference to

the reservation in question should be made in the

Order.

As regards the further suggestion that it might

be sufficient to pass a Colonial Ordinance maintain-

ing Chinese Courts for the trial of Chinese subjects

according to the law of China, but on the understand-

ing that no torture should be inflicted, and that

sentences of imprisonment should be carried out in

the Colonial prisons, Lord Salisbury considers that

it would be much better not to assume any responsi-

bility with regard to Chinese judicial methods in

Kowloon City. In the event of their ever being

of such a barbarous character as to constitute a

scandal, the matter might be dealt with when the

occasion arises. If the Hongkong Authorities now

proceed in an attempt to regulate Chinese justice by

Colonial

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Colonial Ordinance, they must make themselves to some

extent at least responsible for it, which could hardly

fail to prove a source of grave embarrassment.

For these reasons, Lord Salisbury, while giving

due weight to the considerations advanced in your lot-

ter under reply, is of opinion that it would be better

to insert in the Order in Council some quotation from

the Convention, or mention of the reservation in regard

to Kowloon City, so as to make clear the intention of

Her Majesty's Government to fulfil their Treaty obli-

gations in this respect.

I am,

Sin,

t

Your most obedient,

humble Servant,

Thibenderson

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