HC Deb 16 June 1851 vol 117 cc780-2
MR. DISRAELI

begged to inquire what course the Government would take in respect to the petition of Mr. George Ward, presented to the House by him (Mr. Disraeli) on Friday last? The facts of the case were these: Mr. Ward, a British merchant at Caraccas, was, after half a century's residence in that city, arrested by the Venezuelan Government on the supposition that he was connected with some revolutionary movement in the interior provinces of that State. He was thrown on his arrest into a common prison, and in that prison was detained twenty-six days. Her Majesty's Government then interfered, and the Venezuelan Government, under that influence, liberated Mr. Ward, and conceded to him compensation at the rate of 25l. for each of these twenty-six days; and he received 650l. Subsequently to this Mr. Ward was again arrested and confined in the city of Caraccas, for the space of seven months; and in consequence of that imprisonment he incurred a loss, in connexion with his coffee estates near Caraccas, which was estimated by the legal and proper tribunals according to the custom of the country, at 35,000 dollars. But, beyond this, Mr. Ward had another claim for personal injury to him during his detention at Caraccas, which amounted to 25,000 dollars. The question which he (Mr. Disraeli) had now to put to Her Majesty's Government was whether they had made any representation to the Government of Venezuela, consistent with the facts, in this latter case, of the injuries experienced by Mr. Ward in consequence of his second and longer imprisonment, although an imprisonment in a mitigated form, and whether they had made any demand, such as they had made on the first occasion, for adequate compensation from the Government of Venezuela?

VISCOUNT PALMERSTON

Sir, the case of Mr. Ward, to which the hon. Gentleman has drawn attention, is sorry to say, of a great many in which British subjects have suffered the grossest injustice from the Governments and inferior authorities of the republics of South America, and more especially from those of Central South America. These States long suffered under the misfortunes of arbitrary government. Arbitrary government is bad enough in the mother country; but it is obvious, when that system is applied to a distant colony, and the tyranny of the home country is entrusted to inferior authorities, scattered over the colony, and acting as irresponsible agents, its tendency is to demoralise the whole community. And I am concerned to say that a sense of right and wrong, and of the principles of justice, is not to be found in the same degree among the tribunals and authorities of the Spanish American States as in the countries of Europe. Mr. Ward's case was a case of gross injustice, and the facts are as have been described in a few words by the hon. Gentleman (Mr. Disraeli). Her Majesty's Government, on hearing of this case, immediately required Mr. Ward's liberation from his close confinement, and a compensation of 25l. a day for the period during which he had been so confined—confined, I must say, without a shadow of pretence, and in a manner totally repugnant to the principles of Venezuelan law as well as to the principles of ordinary justice. In making that demand on the Government of Venezuela, we reserved to ourselves the right, on further information, of preferring any further demand which might appear to us to be just, in consequence of Mr. Ward's prolonged detention in the city of Caraccas, or in consequence of any other losses he might have sustained. The case has now for some time been under the consideration of Her Majesty's Government. Explanations have been required from the Venezuelan Government and from Mr. Ward, and those explanations are now under my consideration. I think it would not be conducive to any good purpose that I should enter into details at present as to the nature of the claims in dispute, or as to the degree on which they may appear to Her Majesty's Government to be a just foundation for further demands. But I can assure the hon. Gentleman and the House, that I shall look into the case with the fullest desire of doing justice between Mr. Ward and the Venezuelan Government; and that whatever we think is fairly and justly due to Mr. Ward, we shall ex- pect and demand the Government of Venezuela to pay.