§ MR. A. MILLSasked the Under Secretary of State for the Colonies, Whether the Crown Colony on the Gold Coast will be limited to the forts, or will include the towns and villages adjacent thereto; whether it is intended to garrison all the forts recently transferred by the Government of Holland to Great Britain; and, whether there will be any objection to lay upon the Table of the House, a Copy of the Commission and Instructions to be issued to the Governor to whom the administration of the combined Colony of the Gold Coast and Lagos is to be committed by Her Majesty's Government?
§ MR. J. LOWTHERSir, the precise extent of the area round the Ports which will be held and administered as British territory is not yet determined, and will depend upon the special sanitary and strategic requirements of each place, as to which very careful consideration is necessary. It is also not definitely settled which Ports—whether recently in Dutch occupation or previously British—will be held by an armed force; but a Report upon the present condition of the Forts has been called for, with a view to a decision being arrived at. The commission and instructions to be given to the new Governor have not yet been finally settled and submitted to the Queen, but there will be no objection to lay them on the Table at the proper time.