§ SIR CHARLES W. DILKEasked the Under Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, Whether the Government have now considered the recent notification of Sir Harry Parkes, making the publication of newspapers in Japanese by Englishmen an offence punishable by three months hard labour; whether, under the Order in Council of 1865, British Ministers in China and Japan are not in fact prohibited from creating offences in China and Japan, which are not offences in England, or violations of British Treaties with those Countries; and, whether the Government approve Sir Harry Parkes' notification as necessary?
§ MR. BOURKESir, Her Majesty's Government have now received the despatches containing the full information with regard to the regulations referred to, and have submitted the Papers to the Law Officers. Her Majesty's Government will come to no decision until furnished with their Report; and, in the meantime, it would not be right for me to express any opinion on the provisions of the Order in Council.