EBAMANGA. 317 



tuiiity of applying it do not do so. Unfortunately our 

 English law does not permit us to meet their views. It 

 recognizes three varieties of life-taking, as between man and 

 man, first, in self-defence, justifiable homicide ; secondly, 

 under sudden momentary excitement — manslaughter ; 

 thirdly, with malice prepense — murder. The first it sanc- 

 tions ; the second it punishes with shorter or longer terras 

 of imprisonment ; the third alone is punishable with death. 

 It is clearly incapable, therefore, of deahng with the natives 

 on their own principle, and moreover, it requires that 

 those who execute it shoiUd carefidly determine in which 

 of its three categories any act of life-taking must be placed. 

 A nice distinction, which seems never to enter into the 

 heads of those who call for punishment on the natives for 

 crimes of violence. In a word, however inconsistent with 

 native usages, and however incompatible with missionary 

 safety its policy may be, it, nevertheless, cannot permit 

 its representatives to ado];)t the ' principle of blood for 

 blood,' ' hfe for life.' 



It is satisfactory to be able to infer from the protest 

 under consideration that, in the opinion of the more enlight- 

 ened missionaries, and conductors of missionary enterprise, 

 the strict application of the just and cautious requirements 

 of British law in criminal matters to offences, real or 

 imputed, by the inhabitants of these islands, will furnish the 

 most effectual check on the misdeeds of the natives, and, by 

 augmenting the respect entertained for the missionary, will 



