§ SIR WILFRID LAWSONasked the Under Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, Whether his attention has been called to an article in the "Echo" of the 28th February, signed J. Seymour Keary, descriptive of the infliction in Egypt of the tortures of the Korbach and Bastinado on persons who have not paid their taxes; whether the English Controller, Sir A. Colvin, has not habitually represented that the use of the Korbach and Bastinado had altogether ceased in Egypt, for at least two years past; whether he has observed a telegram in the "Standard" of the 28th 1422 February, asserting that the use of the Korbach was only "abolished last month by a circular from Ismael Pacha Ayoub," and stating that a certain one of the Provincial Governors had not remonstrated against the circular, because he was "especially notorious for his free use of the Bastinado;" whether he has also observed an officially recorded statement by Mr. Rowsell, the British Administrator of the Domains, dated 18th February 1882, as follows:—"Deprived of his Korbach and of his power to imprison, the Governor of an Eastern Province can do little with a population accustomed for centuries to strong, personal, direct government," also stating that he called on the Egyptian Mudirs to "suppress the strike at four villages," by imprisoning certain Sheiks, "on my demand, as persons who prevented the villagers from working;" whether, since one of the effects of the British Victories in Egypt has been to send Mr. Rowsell back to his post as Administrator of the Domains, Her Majesty's Government will recommend that he be removed from office; and, whether he will state what measures have been taken to secure the total abolition of the use of the tortures of the Korbach and Bastinado, as well as arbitrary imprisonment throughout Egypt?
§ LORD EDMOND FITZMAURICEI have seen the article in The Echo alluded to by my hon. Friend; but I am not aware that Sir Auckland Colvin has made the statement alluded to. Ismail Eyoub Pasha, in assuming the duties of Minister of the Interior, issued a Circular on the 16th of January to the Provincial authorities, peremptorily forbidding the use of the Korbach and the Bastinado, which the Circular states has been applied in spite of repeated orders against their use. In regard to the alleged statement of Mr. Rowsell, it does not appear that he was expressing any opinion of his own in favour of the Korbach. The other statements to which the hon. Baronet refers and their explanation will be found at pages 42 and 43 "Egypt, No. 7, 1882." Her Majesty's Government have lost no opportunity of remonstrating against the continuance of the practices alluded to by my hon. Friend; and a despatch of Lord Dufferin's, which I hope shortly to present to Parliament, will, I feel sure, give him much satisfaction.