§ MR. ADDERLEYsaid, he wished to ask the right hon. Secretary for the Colonies whether he could inform the House of the contents of the despatches received per the Queen of the South, from the Cape of Good Hope, some hours previously? He wished also to know if the right hon. Gentleman could state what were the prospects of the Kafir war; whether there was any reason to suppose it had extended to the north-east frontier; whether the Colonists were leaving to join the republic beyond the Kei; and whether any memorials had been received from the inhabitants of Cape Town, complaining of the postponement of the Constitution for that Colony?
§ SIR JOHN PAKINGTONsaid, the hon. Gentleman had put a series of questions founded on the arrival of the Queen of the South only a few hours previously, the despatches of which had been only so short a time in his hands that he had not had the opportunity of ascertaining all then-contents. Nevertheless, he thought he should be able to give a satisfactory answer to these questions. He was sorry to say, as regarded the first, that he would be hardly justified in stating to the House that the Kafir war was at an end; but he was fully justified in stating that the stronghold of the enemy—the Waterkloof—was entirely clear of Kafirs, and in the hands of General Cathcart, whose expression was that he "hoped it was now clear of an enemy for ever." In the Amatolas district, the rebellious chiefs—Sandili, Macomo, and their followers—were still sheltered; but the troops were in active pursuit of them— indeed, they had nearly been arrested by the gallantry and bravery of our officers; and he was glad to say that he believed no danger existed as regarded them. With respect to the second question, he had no reason whatever to suppose that the war had extended to the north-east frontier, or indeed that it had spread in any other direction; and he had no knowledge of the other fact adverted to in the third question of the hon. Gentleman. With regard to memorials from Cape Town on the subject of the postponement of the Constitution, he had only received one, besides the despatch of the Government of the Colony. He had, however, received a despatch from Governor Darling on the subject, in which it was stated that no excitement whatever prevailed in the Colony, and that the general feeling was quite satisfactory.
MR. VERNON SMITHsaid, the right hon. Gentleman had some time ago, in answer to a question from the noble Lord the Member for the City of London (Lord J. Russell), promised to lay the papers on the table in reference to the Constitution at the Cape, and he wished now to know when they would be ready, for he observed they had been read in the Assembly at the Cape, and it was hard they had not obtained them here.
§ SIR JOHN PAKINGTONsaid, that the papers moved for by the noble Lord the Member for the City of London, on the subject of the Constitution of the Cape, had not been withheld by any fault of the Colonial Office. They had been only asked for a few days since—they were now nearly 1434 ready; and when he had added those received by the last arrival, they should be laid before the House without delay.
§ SIR DE LACY EVANSsaid, he also wished to ask a question. The territory called British Kafraria had been hitherto treated as British territory, and he now wished to know whether the right hon. Gentleman would give them, along with the correspondence that had been promised, the instructions he had sent out as to the character which the territory in question would bear at the conclusion of the war?
§ SIR JOHN PAKINGTONsaid, the correspondence on the subject of the future course of the Government with respect to the boundary of British Kafraria, at the conclusion of the war, was not one of the papers moved for by the noble Lord the Member for the City of London. The subject involved in that question was very extensive, and by no means of an easy nature, for it referred not only to the eastern boundary, but also to the northern boundary of the Colony. He was, however, in correspondence with General Cathcart on the subject of the eastern boundary—he had sent a despatch by the last mail, but till he had received an answer he could not give a reply to the question of the hon. and gallant Member.
§ MR. HINDLEYsaid, he would beg to ask the right hon. Secretary for the Colonies, if the statements which had appeared in the Cape newspapers were true— namely, that Kafirs taken in the clearing of the Waterkloof were immediately hung; and if so, whether this was justified by the laws of war?
§ SIR JOHN PAKINGTONsaid, he had no official knowledge of the fact alluded to in the first part of the question. No mention was made in any of the despatches he had received of executions. As regarded the second part of the question—with respect to the rules of war—he apprehended that the rule of war was, that when an enemy showed no quarter, to meet him in a similar spirit; hut, on the other hand, he had no hesitation in saying to execute a prisoner was not consistent with the laws of war. It should, however, be always borne in mind that a great portion of the Kafirs and Hottentots engaged in this war were British subjects, and as such were guilty of high treason. He certainly had seen in a newspaper, and he had also heard it through a private channel, that in clearing the Waterkloof some persons were hung —under what circumstances he could not 1435 say; but he would not be doing justice to the extreme gallantry and bravery of both officers and soldiers employed in that task, if he believed for a moment that they had, by any unnecessary act of cruelty to the enemy, tarnished the high reputation which they had so nobly acquired.
§ MR. HINDLEYWould the right hon. Gentleman make inquiry into the truth of the statement?
§ SIR JOHN PAKINGTONsaid, he should have added that he had seen the general orders issued by General Cathcart to the troops prior to the expedition across the Kei, and that one of the most distinct orders among them was to avoid any unnecessary loss of life. He (Sir J. Pakington) had, however, no objection to make inquiry into the statement; but he should also observe at the same time that he had the fullest confidence in the humanity and discretion of General Cathcart, as well as in the bravery and gallantry of the troops.