§ MR. GREGORY (Sussex, East Grinstead)asked the Under Secretary of State for India, Whether it is true that, on the capture of Mandalay, a letter was found in the Palace from a London firm, styling themselves Government contractors, dated 30th September 1885, offering to supply a battery of Whitworth guns to the Burmese Government, the guns to be shipped from Liverpool by one steamer, and the carriages and ammunition by different steamers; whether, at the date of this letter, hostilities were imminent between the Government of India and that of Burmah; and, whether there would be any objection to give the name of the firm by whom that letter was written?
§ THE UNDER SECRETARY OF STATE (Mr. STAFFORD HOWARD) (Gloucester, Thornbury)The statement contained in the first paragraph of the Question is substantially correct. But if the hon. Member will refer to the Blue Books he will find that, although the relations between the Governments of India and Burmah at the date of the letter were in a critical condition, they were scarcely such as to justify the statement that hostilities were actually imminent. The name of the firm is Messrs. Mackenzie Brothers, of Mark Lane.