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THE HONGKONG GOVERNMENT GAZETTE, 23RD JUNE, 1877.
303
"Where any Ship is built by Order of or on behalf of any Foreign State when at War with a friendly State, or is delivered to or to the Order of such Foreign State, or any Person who to the Knowledge of the Person building is an Agent of such Foreign State, or is paid for by such Foreign State or such Agent, and is employed in the Military or Naval Service of such Foreign State, such Ship shall, until the contrary is proved, be deemed to have been built with a view to being so employed, and the Burden shall lie on the Builder of such Ship of proving that he did not know that the Ship was intended to be so employed in the Military or Naval Service of such Foreign State.
"If any Person within the Dominions of Her Majesty, and without the License of Her Majesty,-
(4
By adding to the Number of the Guns, or by changing those on board for other Guns, or by the Addition of any Equipment for War, increases or augments, or procures to be increased or augmented, or is knowingly concerned in in- creasing or augmenting, the warlike Force of any Ship which at the Time of her being within the Dominious of Her Majesty was a Ship in the Military or Naval Service of any Foreign State at War with any friendly State,--
“Such Person shall be guilty of an Offence against this Act, and shall be punishable by Fine and Imprisonment, or either of such Punishments, at the Discretion of the Court before which the Offender is convicted; and Imprison- ment, if awarded, may be either with or without Hard Labour.
"If any Person within the Limits of Her Majesty's Dominions, and without the License of Her Majesty,- "Prepares or fits out any Naval or Military Expedition to proceed against the Dominions of any friendly State, the following Consequences shall ensue :
"(1.) Every Person engaged in such Preparation or fitting out, or assisting therein, or employed in any Capacity in such Expedition, shall be guilty of an Offence against this Act, and shall be punishable by Fine and Imprisonment, or either of such Punishments, at the Discretion of the Court before which the Offender is convicted; and Imprison. ment, if awarded, may be either with or without Hard Labour.
"(2.) All Ships, and their Equipments, and all Arms and Munitions of War, used in or forming Part of such Expedition, shall be forfeited to Her Majesty.
Any Person who aids, abets, counsels, or procures the Commission of any Offence against this Act shall be liable to be tried and punished as a principal Offender."
And whereas by the said Act it is further provided that Ships built, commissioned, equipped, or despatched in contravention of the said Act, may be condemned and forfeited by Judgment of the Court of Admiralty; and that if the Secretary of State or Chief Executive Authority is satisfied that there is a reasonable and probable Cause for believing that a Ship within Our Dominions has been or is being Built, commissioned, or equipped, contrary to the said Act, and is about to be taken beyond the Limits of such Dominions, or that a Ship is about to be despatched contrary to the Act, such Secretary of State, or Chief Executive Authority, shall have Power to issue a Warrant authorising the Seizure and Search of such Ship and her Detention until she has been either condemned or released by process of Law: And whereas certain Powers of Seizure and Detention are conferred by the said Act on certain Local Authorities:
Now, in order that none of Our Subjects inay unwarily render themselves liable to the Penalties imposed by the said Statute, We do hereby strictly command, that no Person or Persons whatsoever do commit any Act, Matter, or Thing whatsoever contrary to the Provisions of the said Statute, upon Pain of the several Penalties by the said Statute imposed, and of Our high Displeasure.
And We do hereby further warn and admonish all Our loving Subjects, and all Persons whatso- ever entitled to Our Protection, to observe towards each of the aforesaid Sovereigns, their Subject and Territories, and towards all Belligerents whatsoever, with whom We are at Peace, the Duties of Neutrality; and to respect, in all and each of them, the Exercise of those Belligerent Rights which We and Our Royal Predecessors have always claimed to exercise.
And We hereby further warn all Our loving Subjects, and all Persons whatsoever entitled to Our Protection, that if any of them shall presume, in contempt of this Our Royal Proclamation, and of Our high Displeasure, to do any Acts in derogation of their Duty as Subjects of a Neutral Sovereign in a War between other Sovereigns, or in violation or contravention of the Law of Nations in that Behalf, as more especially by breaking, or endeavouring to break, any Blockade lawfully and actually established by or on behalf of either of the said Sovereigns, or by carrying Officers, Soldiers, Des- patches, Arms, Ammunition, Military Stores or Materials, or any Article or Articles considered and deemed to be Contraband of War according to the Law or modern Usages of Nations, for the Use or Service of either of the said Sovereigns, that all Persons so offending, together with their Ships and Goods, will rightfully incur and be justly liable to hostile Capture, and to the Penalties denounced by the Law of Nations in that Behalf.
And We do hereby give Notice that all Our Subjects and Persons entitled to Our Protection who may misconduct themselves in the Premises will do so at their Peril, and of their own Wrong; and that they will in nowise obtain any protection from Us against such Capture, or such Penalties as aforesaid, but will, on the contrary, incur Our high Displeasure by such Misconduct.
Given at Our Court at Windsor, this Thirtieth Day of April, in the year of Our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and seventy-seven, in the Fortieth Year of Our Reign.
GOD SAVE THE QUEEN.
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