§ 11. Sir R. HAMILTONasked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether he will call for a Return from Sierra Leone of the number of eases under the working of the present assessors' ordinance, in which the assessors, by majority or unanimously, have found the accused not guilty and the presiding Judge has found them guilty and imposed sentence?
§ Mr. ORMSBY-GOREThe Return for which the hon. Member asks would be of no value unless it were complete and detailed, showing in each ease the reasons for the decision arrived at. The preparation of such a Return would throw a great deal of work on officers whose time is already fully occupied, and think the hon. Member will agree with me that I would not be justified in calling upon them to undertake it, as I doubt whether it would serve any purpose of value commensurate with the trouble involved.