§ SIR GEORGE CAMPBELLasked the Secretary of State for India, Whether, before the Candahar Provinces are made over to a new ruler with some material support from the British Government, measures have been taken to ascertain the wishes of the Dooranees, not a few chiefs only, but the people at large; whether it has been found that most of them are favourable to Abdur Rahman; and, if not, whether he has considered the possibility of giving them facilities freely to chose their own chief magistrate?
§ MR. DALRYMPLEhad also the following Question on the Paper:—To ask the Secretary of State for India, What expectation he has that the troops of time Ameer will reach Candahar early in April; whether, if they do not arrive early in April, it is still intended that our troops should quit Candahar; whether the risk to the health of the troops 1809 from the great heat in the passes has received consideration from Her Majesty's Government; and, if the season of the year makes an early departure from Candahar necessary, and the Ameer's troops have not arrived, in whose hands and under whose authority it is intended that Candahar shall be left?
§ VISCOUNT SANDONhad also the following Question on the Paper:—To ask the Secretary of State for India, What conditions have been made by Her Majesty's Government with Abdur Rahman as to freedom of commercial intercourse between Northern and Southern Afghanistan and British India; and, if it is not now in his power to state the actual conditions, whether he could inform the House whether the terms under which both Southern and Northern Afghanistan have been made over to him will preclude the Ruler of Afghanistan from establishing a commercial system which will virtually exclude from his Country the great bulk of British and Indian manufactures in the same way as they are excluded from the territories under the control of Russia?
THE MARQUESS OF HARTINGTONI think it would probably be convenient that I should answer the Question of my hon. Friend, and at the same time the Questions of the hon. Member for Buteshire and the noble Lord the Member for Liverpool. In regard to them, I have to state that, while Her Majesty's Government have thought it their duty to indicate very clearly to the Government of India their views on the main question of policy, and as to which they have already been, and, no doubt, will be, further severely attacked, they thought at the same time it would be right to leave to the Government of India the utmost discretion possible, both as to the time and manner of carrying into effect that policy, and the control over all the subsidiary measures relating thereto. No instructions, therefore, have been given to the Government of India, except those which are contained in the Papers which have been presented to Parliament. We have not yet received from the Government of India any full account of the measures taken, or which they are prepared to take; and it is not, therefore, possible to answer these Questions very much in detail. With regard, however, to the Question just put by my hon. Friend 1810 (Sir George Campbell), I have to point out that there do not appear to exist in Candahar, or any other part of Afghanistan, facilities for obtaining what he would appear to desire—namely, something in the nature of a plébiscite of the people of Afghanistan as to the choice of their future Ruler. As I stated the other day, measures have been taken by the Resident at Candahar for ascertaining the feeling of the Sirdars and of the people, and on the 3rd of March the Viceroy telegraphed—
The Government of India has just received a full Report from Colonel St. John as to the districts and Sirdars who would probably accept the Ameer's government. He is personally of opinion that if the Ameer sends sufficient troops in time his occupation of Candahar and the adjacent districts would not be resisted.This Report has not yet been received, but may shortly be expected. With regard to the Question of the hon. Member for Buteshire (Mr. Dalrymple), the health of the troops under the great heat shortly to be expected in the Passes between Candahar and India has, of course, been under the consideration of the Government of India, and has decided them on the date they have fixed for the evacuation of Candahar. It is announced that a body of 4,000 Infantry and 1,000 Cavalry are proceeding to Candahar. The latter is accompanied by Sirdar Hashim Khan—son of the late Azim Khan, and, therefore, nephew of the late Shore Ali Khan—about 22 years of age, a man of no particular note, who was kept at Cabul under surveillance by his uncle Shore Ali, and who has been selected by Abdurrahman as Governor of Candahar. The Cavalry are reported to have left Cabul on the 21st, and will reach Candahar in 12 marches. The Infantry and Artillery will follow at once. Information has been received from Colonel St. John that letters from Candahar Sirdars are being despatched to Cabul assuring Abdurrahman of their allegiance and assistance at that place. In regard to the Question of the noble Lord the Member for Liverpool (Viscount Sandon), I have to state that no commercial conditions have been made with the Ameer. The Government have reserved to themselves the right of making any future Treaty engagements on commercial or other points that it pleases, if it is found advisable to do so after Abdurrahman has consolidated his autho- 1811 rity in the country. The instructions given by the Foreign Secretary in India to Mr. Lepel Griffin, at the time when Abdurrahman was recognized as Ameer, will be found in the Papers No. 1, page 39. No further conditions, so far as I am aware, have been made with Abdurrahman previous to his assuming the government of Candahar; and I do not think the time has come when it can be said that his authority has been sufficiently consolidated to make it expedient to enter into a regular Treaty with him. I have only to add that, as Questions were asked the other day about the Papers which have not been received, I have to-day received a telegram from the Government of India which I will read—Your telegrams of the 21st and 23rd regarding missing despatches received. The mail packet of the 21st appears to have been received by the postal authorities in time for the mail of that date; but I fear they have been accidentally mis-sent elsewhere than London. The matter is under close inquiry. Regarding other despatches enumerated as missing in your telegram of the 21st, no certain answer can be given pending arrival of registers in transit from Calcutta. I greatly regret that these Papers should have so inconveniently miscarried. I will telegraph again.I have, however, to add that after answering the Question on Tuesday, I found that by a previous mail—although the whole of the contents of one mail, as I have already stated, had not been received—a further despatch from the Government of India had been received which contained two of the Minutes of Members of the Council. Finding that one was by Mr. Rivers Thompson, and contained a very severe criticism upon the policy of the Government, I thought that, although the Papers were still in a very incomplete state, it would be desirable that the House should be, as soon as possible, in possession, at all events, of this Minute. I therefore yesterday presented the despatch, containing the Minutes by Mr. Rivers Thompson and Major Baring, and one or two further despatches which were necessary to elucidate them; and those Papers are now printed, and copies can be obtained by hon. Members.
§ MR. ONSLOWasked, Whether any inquiry had been made of the officers on the Peninsular and Oriental Company's boats who had charge of the mails?
§ MR. ASHMEAD - BARTLETTinquired, Whether the Sirdars of Canda- 1812 har and the district had been asked by the British Representative whether they would not prefer British occupation to the rule of the Ameer of Cabul?
THE MARQUESS OF HARTINGTONI have read the telegram giving all the information which we have on the subject. I ascertained when the Papers were first discovered to be missing that inquiry was made at the General Post Office, and the authorities there were not able to throw any light on the question; and they have not been able to furnish any explanation since it was found that the Papers did not arrive by the last mail.
§ LORD RANDOLPH CHURCHILLWill the noble Lord state the exact date when the Minute arrived at the India Office?