§ MR. LABOUCHERE (Northampton)I beg to ask the Under Secretary of State for the Colonies whether Sir Frederick Carington is in command of the armed force, organised by him for the Chartered British South African Company, that accompanies the mining expedition of that company into Matabeleland; whether Sir Frederick Carington is now an officer in Her Majesty's Service; what is the object of the armed force, and against whom is it intended to protect the mining expedition; whether Lobengula has expressed his assent to this 1115 inroad of an armed force into his territories; and whether, in the event of this assent not having been given, Her Majesty's Government will direct the armed force to withdraw, so as to prevent a collison between it and the forces of Lobengula?
§ BARON H. DE WORMSMy answer to the first part of the hon. Member's question is, No. Sir F. Carington remains in the Bechnanaland Protectorate. The answer to the second paragraph is in the affirmative. The object of the armed force of the Company, which, as I have before stated, is not commanded by Sir F. Carington, is to keep up communications between the Protectorate and the Company's settlements, and to guard Matabeleland against encroachments. Lobengula has assented to the entry of the Company's expedition into his country, and, therefore, the contingency contemplated in the last paragraph of the question has not arisen.