§ MR. SCHWANN (Manchester, N.)I beg to ask the Under Secretary of State for the Colonies whether his attention has been drawn to the fact that the tonnage of vessels frequenting the harbour of Colombo, Ceylon, in 1890, exceeded the tonnage of 1889 by 185,000 tons, and the tonnage of 1889 that of "of 1888 by 576,000 tons; also that on more than one occasion lately, all the port accommodation was taken up, and steamers had to anchor outside the harbour from want of room, though they were anxious to obtain the protection and facilities offered by the port; whether, under these circumstances, the Government will consider the question of the construction of the "northern arm" to the harbour, and will promptly consider and give an answer to the Memorial addressed to the Secretary of State by the Chamber of Commerce of Ceylon, on the 21st of November, 1888, on this subject; and if the Secretary of State for the Colonies has already replied on the subject of that Memorial, what was his reply?
§ THE UNDER SECRETARY OF STATE FOR THE COLONIES (Baron H. de WORMS,) Liverpool, East ToxtethThe question of a northern arm to the Colombo harbour has been recently again raised, and the Papers are now under the consideration of the consulting engineers. The Memorial, of the date referred to, related to questions of account, with a view to show that the construction of the existing breakwater had been remunerative, and a reply was 1760 sent at the time, expressing the general concurrence of the Secretary of State in the views of the Memorialists.