JUDGMENT

Phear, J. - On Friday last, at the instance of Bamasundari Debi, the mother, and Chandra Sikhar Sen and Dinanath Sen, the brothers of one Ganesh Sundari Debi, a writ of habeas corpus issued out of this Court, directed to two persons, named Hazra and Vaughan, commanding them to bring before the Court the said Ganesh Sundari Debi, who was said to be illegally detained by them. Ganesh Sundari Debi is now, I believe, in Court, and Messrs. Hazra and Vaughan have made a return to the writ substantially to the effect that they have not detained and do not detain her in their, custody; that she is of full age; that she is still with them of her own free will; that they exert no control over her; and that she comes to Court of her own accord, in pursuance of advice given by them. The case is one involving elements which cause it to be a subject of remarkable public interest. In some sense, as the learned counsel for the defendants has mentioned, it necessarily represents a contest between creed and creed, and perhaps race and race; and no thinking man, I suppose, can avoid regretting exceedingly that this event should have occurred. I can readily believe that those gentlemen who are