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all the power and impose all the duty of the Supreme Administrator of Government under Her Majesty, upon the Governor or acting Governor; leaving to his subordinates, including the Colonial Secretary, the duty of superintending their several departments, and the power necessary to its performance, and nothing more.
This arrangement, you will perceive, leaves to the Colonial Secretary—for the rest an officer of high rank, and a member of both councils—no proper function but that of organ of the supreme will of the Governor, in his relations with all the other departments of Government, and the community at large.
He has no independent power of action in that regard; nor can the Governor confer such upon him, unless specially empowered by his "Commission," or "Instructions," to delegate any portion of his own, and only so far as he is so authorised.
No such right of delegation existing in the case of the Governor of Hong Kong, any attempt to delegate must there be illegal, and the delegation a nullity; and the duty, not only of the Supreme Court, but of the departments of Government itself, in such a case, have been too clearly expounded by Lord Mansfield and the Court of King's Bench, to need a new exposition at this day.
Yet such an endeavour was made so recently as the 20th January, 1858.
Advantage was taken, for that purpose, of the absence of Mr. Mercer, the Colonial Secretary, upon sick leave in England; a gentleman of honour and ability.
His locum tenens was a Dr. Bridges, D.C.L., who is an Attorney-Barrister, of Hong Kong, whose clients
