§ MR. WHITLEYasked the Secretary of State for India, If he will state the reasons why the present Viceroy has for the first time prohibited public preaching by Protestant missionaries in Calcutta?
THE MARQUESS OF HARTINGTON,in reply, said, that he had asked the hon. Member on Friday to postpone his Question. He had, at the same time, asked the hon. Member whether he had any information on the subject beyond certain telegrams which had appeared in the newspapers. He understood the hon. Member had no further information. He had, on the former occasion, pointed out to the hon. Member that the statements in those telegrams did not correspond with what was contained in his Question. The statement that he himself had seen was to the effect that any action which had been taken in the matter had been taken by the police under the instructions of the law authorities, and not in any way by the direction of the Viceroy of India. He had no further information on the matter, and had no reason to believe that either the Viceroy or the Government of India had taken any steps in the matter.