HC Deb 17 July 1882 vol 272 cc708-10
SIR WILFRID LAWSON

asked the Secretary to the Admiralty, At what hour on Tuesday morning, the 12th instant, a deputation of Turkish officials waited upon Admiral Beauchamp Seymour with a letter from the Ministry, and whether that letter deprecated hostilities, and offered to dismount their guns, and give satisfaction to the British demand; and, whether it is true that the Admiral replied that the time for negotiations had passed?

MR. CAMPBELL-BANNERMAN

Sir, no mention has been made in any of Sir Beauchamp Seymour's telegrams of his receiving a deputation on Tuesday morning, and we are quite unaware whether any such occurrence took place. If it did, however, he will, no doubt, state the circumstance in his despatch containing an account of the events of that day, and this despatch we expect to receive shortly.

MR. PASSMORE EDWARDS

asked the Secretary to the Admiralty, If the statement of the correspondent of the "Times" is confirmed, that "several shells from the 'Inflexible' burst right over the centre of the town," and that afterwards fires were "seen burning in those places;" whether the Government have received any additional information in reference to the origin of the fires that destroyed the City of Alexandria; and, whether he can say how many Egyptian soldiers and people were hilled and wounded by the bombardment? Before the hon. Gentleman answered that Question, he wished to call his attention to the following item of information which appeared in The Daily Telegraph of that day:—"I saw upwards of 50 corpses in the streets, evidently those shot while looting." He wanted to know whether these shootings were going on without any trial in the streets of Alexandria?

MR. O'DONNELL

said, before the hon. Gentleman answered that Question, he would ask—and he would, if necessary, give Notice of the Question—whether the attention of the hon. Member had been directed to the statements of the Correspondents of The Standard and The Daily News—the former stating that the tire from the Fleet struck the English Church, and 'The Daily News stating that the General Hospital was fired upon by the Fleet, a shell from the Fleet embedding itself in the walls of the hospital? He also asked, whether the attention of the hon. Member had been called to the statement of the Manager of the Anglo-Egyptian Bank, who remained at his post among 70 or 80 Europeans, that he saw shells falling within the city and many shells passing beyond the city; and whether, in the interests of artillery science, he will cause an inquiry to be made into the causes of the inaccuracy of the firing which, directed against forts at the water's edge, was thus reported to have extended inland into the habitations, and beyond the habitations, of the people of Alexandria?

MR. CAMPBELL-BANNERMAN

I have no information in regard to those points. Perhaps the hon. Member will give Notice of his Question. In regard to the last Question which my hon. Friend (Mr. Passmore Edwards) has put to me, and which is not on the Paper, that also will require Notice. My attention has not been called to the fact to which he refers. With regard to the Question which is on the Paper, I have to say that we have received no confirmation of the statement quoted from the Correspondent of The Times, nor have we any information beyond that which has been given to the House regarding the cause of the burning of parts of Alexandria. For a detailed account of the effects of the bombardment we await the despatch, which, no doubt, is on its way, from the Commander-in-Chief.