§ MR. FAWCETTasked Mr. Chancellor of the Exchequer, Whether, before it was decided to send the mission to Cabul, the matter was referred to the Secretary of State for India in Council, and, if the mission has been approved of by the Secretary of State in Council, whether any Members of the Council dissented; and, if so, whether there will 2017 be any objection to lay their dissents upon the Table of the House?
§ THE CHANCELLOR OF THE EXCHEQUERNo, Sir; this is not a matter that would come before the Secretary of State in Council. It is one of those matters which are of the same character as those which in former times, under the old Court of Directors, went through the Secret Committee. According to the provisions of the Indian Government Act, all matters which would have gone through the Secret Committee do not go to the Secretary of State in Council, but to the Secretary of State personally; and that, Sir, is the case in this instance.
§ SIR HENRY HAVELOCKasked Mr. Chancellor of the Exchequer, Whether the mission which is about to be sent to Cabul under Sir Neville Chamberlain has been undertaken at the invitation or with the consent of the Ameer of Cabul; and, whether he can give the House any information as to the causes that led to the cessation of friendly communications with the Ameer in the early part of 1877, and as to the reason for our ceasing to maintain an agent at Cabul?
§ THE CHANCELLOR OF THE EXCHEQUERSir, I have communicated with my noble Friend the Secretary of State for India, and he tells me that we do not at present know whether the Ameer has yet been asked to receive this mission. He did not invite it; but a communication will be made to him from the Indian Government proposing it. With regard to the cessation of friendly communications, that arose from the Ameer himself. It was on his part, not on ours, and it has never been fully explained by him. There were negotiations between Sir Lewis Pelly and an Envoy of the Ameer's, who died in the course of them. "We have never had a European Agent at Cabul, nor have we asked for one.
§ SIR HENRY HAVELOCKThe right hon. Gentleman has not answered my Question. My inquiry was with regard to the Native Agent we maintained there for many years, and which we ceased to do after 1876.
§ THE CHANCELLOR OF THE EXCHEQUERI am afraid I cannot give a better answer than the one I have given, which was that the cessation of friendly communications arose on the part of the Ameer, and I presume it was in connec- 2018 tion with that that we ceased to maintain an Agent. The Agent we originally had there died at that time.