HC Deb 20 March 1843 vol 67 cc1131-2
Sir Charles Napier

rose to ask the noble Lord the Secretary for the Colonies a question. The noble Lord had received several reports of the transaction in which the Governor of St. Kitts was involved to which he had referred the other evening; and he wished to ask whether those reports bore out the statement he had made in the House? He was induced to ask this, because, by the statement made by the noble Lord the other evening, it seemed as if the noble Lord wished it to be understood that a lady was in the boat when the circumstance took place. Now, the lady was not in the boat; she had been carried on board, and returned to England in bad health.

Lord Stanley

said, that this was very much like asking him what his opinion was upon the case. The governor had been on board the steamer in consequence of a lady who was in ill health being there; but he believed it was quite true that she was not in the boat when it was returning from the steamer. He should be quite prepared to lay the information before the House as soon as Mr. Conyngham had had an opportunity of making any explanation he might wish; and in order that there might be no inconvenient delay, as Mr. Conyngham had made a statement to the directors containing a complaint against the officer, he (Lord Stanley) had desired a communication to be made to Mr. Conyngham's father, to know whether he was satisfied with that complaint, without making any further inquiry from his son, and if he was, the papers would be laid on the Table forthwith.