25th February, 1847.
Present:
His Excellency the Governor,
The Honorable Major General D'Aguilar,
The Honorable the Chief Justice,
The Honorable the Acting Attorney General.
The Minutes of the last Council were read and approved.
The Rules of Court were again submitted to the Council.
It was resolved that there should be five sittings of the Supreme Court under its Criminal jurisdiction; namely on the 15th day of February, the 15th of April, the 15th of July, the 15th of October, and the 15th of December, in every year.
It was resolved that a Consular Ordinance be drawn up to amend ordinances No. 2 and 6 of 1844, and that one of the amendments should be, that Consular Officers are not to go out of the limits of their respective Ports to serve Writs or process of any Court at Hongkong.
The Honorable the Chief Justice proposed that an Ordinance be made giving the Magistrates of Police summary jurisdiction in certain cases of felony as petty larceny, on the ground that the petty jurors at the last February Sessions presented a petition to him praying that such trifling cases may not be made the subject of an information in the Supreme Court. The Chief Justice therefore proposed that in felonies where the punishment shall not exceed three months' imprisonment with hard labour, the Magistrates of Police be empowered to decide the same summarily. But the subject was deferred until an answer shall have been received from the Secretary of State to His Excellency's Despatch transmitting the Draft of a similar Ordinance, as appears on reference to the Minutes of Council of 10th September, 1846.
(signed) J. F. Davis
Read and approved this 4th day of March, 1847.
(Signed) L. d'Almada e Castro,
Clerk of Councils.
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