§ Order for consideration read.
§ MR. R. N. FOWLERsaid, he did not wish to offer any opposition to the Bill, at the same time he felt great doubts on the subject. The Bill proposed to extend the jurisdiction of British Courts to 20 miles beyond our own territory, while it made no provision for constituting new Courts on the frontier. Now, he could not but fear that a Native, arrested beyond British territory and carried to Sierra Leone to be tried in a Court where proceedings were conducted in a language of which he was ignorant, would be placed at a great disadvantage and might be subjected to injustice. He hoped the question of the judicial proceedings at Sierra Leone would be discussed on a future occasion.
§ MR. M'ARTHURsaid, he fully agreed with the remarks made by the hon. Member for Penryn (Mr. R. N. Fowler.) The Bill involved a new prin 407 ciple—that of extending British, criminal jurisdiction into territories not under the Government of the Crown, and of rendering Natives amenable to our authority, who knew nothing of our laws and customs, and who obviously had no sufficient means of defending themselves if wrongfully accused. The hon. Gentleman the Under Secretary for the Colonies said such a Bill was necessary for the protection of British subjects. The power, however, they claimed ought to be carefully guarded and judiciously exercised. There already existed considerable dissatisfaction in Sierra Leone in relation to the administration of justice. Trial by jury in civil cases had been abolished, and the state of affairs in the Colony were anything but satisfactory. He (Mr. M'Arthur) would recommend the establishment of local courts, so that the people might understand what laws they had to obey. He also thought it important that the boundary of British territory should be properly defined.
§ Bill, as amended, considered; to be read the third time upon Friday.