of Ireland, Whether Messrs. Huban, I was then dismissed. In February last John Sweeney, and Thomas Cunning- she was summoned for having her licensed ham, of Loughrea, were arrested in premises open during closing hours; the June 1881 on the same charge; and, case was proved, and she was fined £1. whether, as the state of the district She was also summoned for sale of permitted the release of the first-named intoxicating liquors during prohibited gentleman, the other two will be re- hours, and was fined £1 and her licence leased forthwith from prison? was marked. I am informed that this was a light sentence, and that the penalty in these cases for a first offence might have been £10. With regard to the removal of the police from the barrack, of which she is owner, the facts are these. Owing to the disturbed state of the Athenry district, it has been found necessary to increase the police force. The old barrack is no longer large enough to contain the men. A new house, much larger and in every way better suited for a barrack, has been obtained, and the usual three months' notice of surrender has been served on Mrs. Kelly. If she wishes to memorialize the Lord Lieutenant he will, I have no doubt, consider whether there is anything in her case calling for a mitigation of the penalty inflicted on her in petty sessions. MR. TREVELYAN: I find that in April last, Joseph Huban made an urgent appeal for release for a week on parole on the ground, among others, that a near relative was at the point of death. He offered rigidly to observe whatever conditions might be imposed upon him, and the Lord Lieutenant, after inquiry and consideration, was pleased to order his release. His Excellency fears that he cannot at present order the release of Messrs. Sweeney and Cunningham; but he has not yet arrived at a final decision on their cases, which he has now before him for consideration. MR. T. P. O'CONNOR said, their release was recommended by the Catholic Bishop of the district. LICENSING ACTS (IRELAND)—CASE OF MR. T. P. O'CONNOR asked the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, What are the circumstances under which Mrs. Kelly, of Athenry, mother of Mr. Patrick C. Kelly, a suspect at present confined in Galway Gaol, was fined two pounds, with marking of her licence; whether the offence charged was of too trivial a character to merit so extreme a step; whether Mrs. Kelly has received notice that the police are to be removed from the barracks of which she is landlady; and, whether, in view of the loss Mrs. Kelly has already undergone, he will order the mitigation of so severe a sentence for a slight offence against the Licensing Laws? MR. TREVELYAN : I learn from the local constabulary that Mrs. Kelly's public-house has been kept in a very irregular manner. In April, 1879, she was summoned for a breach of the Licensing Laws; but, as she pleaded ignorance, the Bench, acting leniently, dismissed the case against her, although at the same time fining three persons found on her premises during prohibited hours. She was again summoned in October of the same year, and fined £1, and again in October, 1880; but the case VOL. CCLXX. [THIRD SERIES.] MR. T. P. O'CONNOR asked whether the right hon. Gentleman was aware that the persons found on her premises were there only for a few minutes. [No answer was given.] PROTECTION OF PERSON AND PRO- MR. T. P. O'CONNOR asked the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, Whether Edward Barrett, of Craughwell, county Galway, has been imprisoned as a suspect in Galway Gaol for nearly twelve months; whether other suspects from the same district have been released; and, whether the improved condition of the locality justifies the immediate release of a suspect who has already suffered so lengthened an imprisonment? MR. TREVELYAN: His Excellency the Lord Lieutenant has reconsidered Mr. Barrett's case, but finds that he cannot at present order his release. INLAND REVENUE DEPARTMENT-PAY LORD GEORGE HAMILTON asked the Secretary to the Treasury, If he has D had time to consider the application of the Inland Revenue surveying officers for an increase of pay and leave of absence? MR. COURTNEY: Yes, Sir; the application has been considered, and an answer has been sent to the Board of Inland Revenue. second, the sending of Ali Fehmy and Abdulla Pashas into the interior of Egypt, equally with the retention of their rank and pay; and the third, the resignation of the present Ministry. Authorized by their respective Governments, the Consular Agents recommended these propositions to the serious consi LORD GEORGE HAMILTON: In the deration of the Council of Ministers and affirmative? MR. COURTNEY: I think, Sir, it is better that these officers should receive the answer from their own official superiors. CUSTOMS DEPARTMENT-SALARIES. BARON HENRY DE WORMS asked the Secretary to the Treasury, Why the Treasury Minute of the 27th of April 1882, granting increases of salary to out-door officers, watermen, and boatmen of Her Majesty's Customs, is not made to apply to the watermen of the Port of London; and, whether these watermen will be granted increases of their salaries on the conditions laid down in the Minute referred to? MR. COURTNEY: There is no such Treasury Minute of April 27, 1882; but my hon. Friend probably refers to a Minute of January 28 last, under which the salaries of the out-door officers, and watermen, and boatmen throughout the United Kingdom are made uniform. This uniformity was obtained by raising the maximum salaries at the out-ports to the London scale for out-door officers, and for watermen and boatmen. There is, therefore, no intention of raising the salaries of the London staff. their Colleagues, and intimated that, in morrow. EGYPT (POLITICAL AFFAIRS). SIR CHARLES W. DILKE: In anMR. BOURKE: I beg to ask the swer to the Question on the Paper, I Under Secretary of State for Foreign have to state that Her Majesty's GoAffairs, Whether Papers down to a re-vernment have been in communication cent date upon Egyptian Affairs will soon be presented to Parliament? At the same time I should like to ask the hon. Baronet a Question of which I have given him private Notice with respect to a document-called in the House an Ultimatum-which was presented on May 25, by the Diplomatic Agents of England and France at Cairo, to the Turkish Council of Ministers, and in which three propositions were made. The first was for the temporary removal from Egypt of Arabi Pasha, allowing him to retain his rank and pay; the Lord George Hamilton with the French Government as to the publication of the further Papers which we desire to lay on the Table with as little delay as possible, and have received from the French Government an answer which is favourable, but not final. Generally speaking, they express no objection to the publication of the Papers; but they make certain reservations, and we shall have to discuss with them those reservations which they make. MR. BOURKE: When can that be done? SIR CHARLES W. DILKE: It will take some days before we are quite certain. Upon that subject, I say, the answer is favourable; because I think it will be possible to come to an agreement. MR. BOURKE: Up to what date would the Papers go? tinople is refused by Turkey, would it be held elsewhere? MR. BOURKE: No; that is not my Question. I asked, could it be held at Constantinople without the Sultan's invitation? SIR CHARLES W. DILKE: That would be a question to be considered. Certainly it could be held elsewhere. He then asks me whether the Sultan has asked the British Government certain Questions as to what would happen if these fortifications at Alexandria were not discontinued? No; the Sultan has not done so. Her Majesty's Government have been in communication with Sir Edward Malet and Admiral Sir Beauchamp Seymour upon the subject of the earthworks at Alexandria, and Her Majesty's Government are quite agreed with them as to the steps to be taken, and they have complete confidence in the power of the Admiral to maintain the safety of the ships under his command. It would be, however, undesirable to make any statement as to the steps to be resolved upon. We have heard to-day that very strong orders have been given by the Sultan immediately to discontinue the building of these forts. Arabi Pasha, it is announced, has been ordered by the Khedive to discontinue arming them, and the Khedive has also ordered all warlike preparations at Alexandria to be discontinued. With regard to the last Question, as to the European residents leaving Alexandria, we have received representations from them. It was in consequence of representations made by them, and made through Sir Beauchamp Seymour and the Consul at Alexandria, some days ago, that the Squadron at Alexandria was considerably strengthened. With regard to their leaving Alexandria, we have heard nothing officially; but privately we have heard that a good many have left. SIR CHARLES W. DILKE: Up to the present time. If they are laid at all upon the Table, it will be up to the present time. With regard to the other Questions, the right hon. Gentleman draws a distinction between the earlier and the later Questions. He says he gave me Notice of the earlier Questions; but it was Notice of a kind hardly entitled to be called Notice at all. He did tell me that he would ask me a Question as to the Ultimatum; but he did not say what it was. He knows that when he held the Office I now have the honour to occupy, I asked him a good many Questions, and always when it was possible I gave him a week's Notice. It is exceedingly inconvenient, as he knows, to be called on to answer Questions without Notice, and that it is especially difficult when these Questions relate to a subject regarding which we have to weigh every word we say, and the different points of which ought to be the subject beforehand of communication with Foreign Powers. With regard to this Ultimatum, the right hon. Gentleman could have given me Notice beforehand; because there is nothing in the Question which has come to his knowledge recently. The facts were in his possession 10 days ago. He said the word" Ultimatum was used in this House. It was not used by me, and I protested against its use on behalf of the Government. Without going into further reasons, I may say that if the question were debated, I should describe an Ultimatum as proceeding from one Sovereign to another Sovereign, which was clearly not the case in this instance. With regard to that document, I have said, in general terms, that Her Majesty's Government, as on former occasions, do not intend to go back from the statement they have made respecting their Egyptian policy. The right hon. Gentleman asks whether the Turkish Government has rejected the idea of a Conference? No, Sir; they have not done so; they have not an-ceived to the invitation? swered us up to the present time. He then asks, if the Conference at Constan MR. BOURKE: Where for? SIR CHARLES W. DILKE: We have not heard, except that they were leaving by the various mail steamers. SIR STAFFORD NORTHCOTE: Are we to understand from the answer that has just been given that the proposal for the Conference is still before the Porte, and that no answer has been re SIR CHARLES W. DILKE: Yes, Sir. The official answers from the Great D 2 Powers have only just begun to come in., We have received informal answers from the Great Powers, and some indirect communication from Lord Dufferin on the subject; but nothing direct from the Porte. PALACE OF WESTMINSTER-THE HOUSE OF COMMONS-THE STRANGERS' GALLERY. MR. JOSEPH COWEN asked the First Commissioner of Works, If any extension of the Gallery of the House can be made, so as to afford more accommodation to the large and increasing number of persons that apply for admission ? MR. SHAW LEFEVRE, in reply, said, he had carefully considered the plans of the House, and found it was totally impossible to increase the accommodation for strangers; and, in fact, if increase were possible, he thought Members of the House would have the first claim. COPYRIGHT (WORKS OF FINE ART, &c.) BILL. SIR H. DRUMMOND WOLFF asked the honourable Member for East Worcestershire, Whether, notwithstanding the lateness of the Session, and the declaration recently made by the President of the Board of Trade, he intends proceeding this year with the Copyright (Works of Fine Art, &c.) Bill? Montsice in January and February last; whether it is a fact that one of the two cannon used in the attack was supplied by Commandant Jan Vilgoen, of Marico, and the other by Commissioner Hendrick Grieff, of Lichtenburg; whether the Government have ascertained that Joubert visited Marico in the month of March last, and exacted a fine of 3,500 head of cattle from a chief named Gassebi, living beyond the borders of the Transvaal, who had protected the English during the war; whether the beacons set up by Colonel Moysey, R.E. in September 1881, to mark the western boundary of the Transvaal, have been knocked down by Moshetti and the Boers; and, what steps, if any, Her Majesty's Government propose to take in reference to these matters ? MR. EVELYN ASHLEY answered the first Question of the hon. and learned Member in the affirmative. Captain Nourse had been sent by our Resident in the Transvaal to inquire into the facts in the early part of this year; and the Papers on the subject would be laid on the Table. The attack upon Montsio was made by another Chief named Moshetti, and the Boers who helped him were volunteers, really hired by Moshetti to carry on the war. Montsice's territory was outside the Transvaal border, so that any direct interference on the part of the Boers would be contrary to the Convention; but it was their duty to preserve the neutrality of the border, and prevent the volunteers from crossing. The Colonial Office knew nothing about the cannon referred to in the second branch of the Question. As to the third Question, the fact was, that in the early part of this year, the Resident in the Transvaal, Mr. Hudson, received information that the Chief Gassebi had invaded the Transvaal border, and made an attack on a smaller Chief, killing three men, and General Joubert was instructed to exact a fine of 4,000 cattle and the surrender of the murderers. The Chief acknowledged he was in the wrong, but pleaded that the fine was excessive. What our Resident said was, that the Boers were breaking the terms MR. GORST asked the Under Secre- of the Convention by taking those steps tary of State for the Colonies, Whether without, first of all, consulting him. accurate information has yet been ob- The Resident thereupon communicated tained by Her Majesty's Government with the Chief, and begged him to come from their representative in the Trans-up to Pretoria with all the evidence, and vaal as to the alleged attack of Boers on pay 1,000 head of cattle in advance by MR. HASTINGS: This Bill having been read a second time, it is my intention to again ask the House, at the earliest available opportunity, to go into Committee upon it. I trust that the hon. Member for Portsmouth will withdraw his block, to enable me to take the sense of the House, and thus give me the fair opportunity of replying to his observations when he talked out the Bill on the 17th of May last. SIR H. DRUMMOND WOLFF said, he was unable to comply with the hon. Member's request. SOUTH AFRICA (THE TRANSVAAL) — ATTACKS BY THE BOERS ON NATIVE TRIBES. Sir Charles W. Dilke way of fine. The last news the Colonial | Slave Trade on the East Coast of Africa; Office had was, that the Resident was if it be correct that the steam cruisers awaiting the answer of Gassebi. As to the fourth Question, the Government knew nothing about it. With regard to the fifth Question, the Government were in communication with the High Commissioner and the British Resident on the matter. MR. GORST asked whether the Government did not know by whom the two cannon were supplied? MR. EVELYN ASHLEY said, they did not even know that cannon were used at all. MR. GORST said, that perhaps the Government would make inquiries whether they were not supplied by a Government officer? MR. EVELYN ASHLEY said, that in consequence of that Question they had already sent out to their Resident, asking him to state all the facts of the case. EGYPT (POLITICAL AFFAIRS)—THE BRITISH SQUADRON. MR. GOURLEY asked the Secretary to the Admiralty, The names, calibre of guns, number of bluejackets, Marines, and non-combatant men on board of each vessel now in the port of and on the way to Alexandria; also draught of water of each vessel; if the whole are of sufficiently light draught to enter Alexandria Harbour or pass through the Suez Canal; and, are they all fitted with torpedoes, if so, of what description? MR. CAMPBELL - BANNERMAN: My hon. Friend asks me to give a public and detailed statement as to the fighting strength of the ships now at Alexandria. I am sorry that I must decline to do so. The House will agree -and I think my hon. Friend will himself on reflection see-that it would be contrary to the public interest that such a statement should be made at this mo ment. MR. GOURLEY: I disagree with the opinion which has just been expressed, and I shall take an early opportunity of calling attention to the subject. AFRICA (EAST COAST)-SUPPRESSION OF THE SLAVE TRADE. MR. GOURLEY asked the Secretary to the Admiralty, The number and names of steam and sailing cruisers now engaged in the suppression of the are not only too slow, but also deficient in fuel capacity, and that both steam and sailing vessels are of too heavy a draught for inshore chasing; that there is no Government coaling station between the Cape and Aden, and that the cruisers have to obtain fuel from French Government depôts and private firms at exorbitant prices; and, further, if it be correct that some of the vessels are very often withdrawn from slave cruising operations for the purpose of carrying minor diplomatic despatches? MR. CAMPBELL-BANNERMAN: Sir, a corvette and a gun-vessel, belonging to the East Indian Squadron, are at present engaged on the East Coast of Africa for the suppression of the Slave Trade. The boats of the London, depôt ship at Zanzibar, are also constantly employed cruising where larger vessels. cannot act; and at the request of the local naval authorities two schooners have recently been despatched as an additional force for this purpose. It is hoped that the entire force thus constituted will prove sufficient. As regards the supply of coal, there is at Zanzibar a Government coal depôt, with covered storage accommodation for 3,300 tons, and there are several places in those waters at which coal is obtained at prices which are not exorbitant. With regard to the last Question of my hon. Friend, the vessels employed on the East Coast are rarely interfered with, and never when it can possibly be avoided. MR. GOURLEY: Are these schooners sailing vessels? MR. CAMPBELL - BANNERMAN: OF COLLECTORS. MR. JACKSON asked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury, Whether any decision has been arrived at with respect to the Memorial, dated November 1880, and signed by 100 collectors of Customs, drawing attention to the anomalous position in which they are placed with respect to the improved scale of salary granted to their subordinates, the examining officers and clerks; which Memorial the late Secretary to the Treasury stated, in answer to a question on the 26th July last, was then under the attentive consideration of the Treasury? |