§ The EARL of MALMESBURY, seeing the noble Lord at the head of the Admiralty 3 in his place, wished to know whether the Government had thought it fit to show any token of their gratitude, in the shape of some reward to those Arab fishermen—for such he believed they were—who saved the unhappy survivors of the Avenger from a certain grave. He thought it would be politic as well as right to do so, because a similar accident might occur on that inhospitable coast again; and this certainly deserved some token of our gratitude. He would also allude to a case in which like humanity had been shown in another quarter of the world, on the coast of Ireland, where a poor family not only saved, but shared their stock of victuals for the winter, with six survivors of shipwreck. He thought it would be fit for Her Majesty's Government to show their sense of such excellent conduct.
§ The EARL of AUCKLANDwas very glad to be able to state, in answer to the noble Earl's observations, that immediately upon hearing of the assistance afforded by the Arabs to the survivors of the wreck of the Avenger orders had been issued to the naval authorities on the Mediterranean station to find out those men, and give them some reward for their humane conduct, which might serve as a mark of the approbation of the British Government. Not only had this been done in the case of the Arabs, but in that of every other party concerned—the officers of the Bey of Tunis, and the captain of the French ship which had repaired to the scene of the wreck. His noble Friend had also adverted to the circumstance which had taken place on the Irish coast. He remembered the occurrence being brought to his attention, and having given some direction respecting it, that some notice should be taken of the case; but he was not, at the moment, able to say precisely what had been done; he rather thought that a recommendation of the case had been forwarded to the Committee of Lloyd's.
§ The EARL of MALMESBURYexpressed his satisfaction.