Page:Nil Durpan.djvu/155

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which he produced. That was the first intimation. He received it from the editor of the Lahore Chronicle. This was two days before he got a copy of the pamphlet.

By the Court:—Beyond any personal annoyance I may have felt, I believe, from communications which I have received, that the pamphlet has been the means of creating a certain prejudice against the Englishman among the more educated Natives.

Thomas Jones, examined by Mr. Cowie: I am Registrar of the Bengal Secretariat, and have been so four and a half years. A large number of these pamphlets were circulated under my frank.

Mr. Cowie:—Who were they sent by?

Mr. Eglinton:—I object to that question being put. You have a right to ask the witness any question as to what became of the numbers, but you have no right to trace them to the party from whom the witness had received them.

The Judge:—Indeed, I think it is a very legitimate and proper question.

Mr. Cowie:—Perhaps my learned friend is apprehensive that we might entrap the witness into making certain admissions. But that is not our intention; we want to find out the mode of its publication.

The Judge:—I have the evidence before me that Mr. Long had paid 300 rupees for the printing of 500 copies. Therefore, I don't think that question matters much.

Mr. Eglinton:—I say it is an improper question, because you have no right to trace the publication to the person from whom the witness got it. You have the fact of the copies having come into the possession of the witness.

The Judge:—If Mr. Long parted possession of the books he must stand the consequence of its distribution in the same way as a person who entrusted a publication to a printer. I shall take care that not an atom of evidence which would affect Mr. Long would be taken down by me unless it was legal evidence.

Mr. Thomas Jones resumed:—These copies were circulated under my frank as Registrar of the Bengal Office. No communication was made to me on the subject by the Government. I believe they were sent by the Revd. Mr. Long. I believe the copies were sent for distribution. He had not asked me to distribute them. The distribution list was sent afterwards. About 500 copies were sent to the

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