31 JANUARY 1914, Page 17

When the ship comes into English waters and is alongside

an English quay, what will be the position then? In that case the parties will be within the jurisdiction of the Coma of King's Bench, and we presume that that Court, though it would, of course, have to take cognizance of a Colonial Act of Indemnity as far as that Act would carry, would not and could not take cognizance of it outside the area of South Africa. In other words, the Indemnity Act would, as it seems to us, be no answer to an action for false imprisonment on the high seas or in British waters brought in an English Court against British subjects. The question that the owners and officers of the steamer ' Umgeni will have to answer is "By what right did you detain these men and restrain their liberty P" The answer that the company and its agents mistook them for ordinary first-class passengers is

lhardly likely to be held good, especially as we may be sere that the strike leaders were " sea lawyers" enough to demand their liberty at starting and at various stages of the voyage.