HC Deb 10 February 1882 vol 266 c388
MR. R. N. FOWLER

asked the Under Secretary of State for the Colonies, Whether he can give the House any information respecting the recent attack by the Boers upon the Chief Montsioa?

MR. COURTNEY

said, he could give no further information than was contained in Reuter's telegram which had appeared in the daily papers. He thought it was not impossible—not improbable even—that some fighting of the kind described in the telegram had taken place. The truth was there had been border forays between the two Chiefs Montsioa and Moshette for some considerable time past. As long ago as November, the Transvaal Government issued a proclamation forbidding their subjects, White or Black, to take part in or to incite the tribes to these outbreaks. Apparently in defiance of the Boer Commissioners' written orders, some Boers were found with Moshette later in November, and on an attack being made by Montsioa on. the laager of the other, three Boers and 23 Natives in all had been killed—19 on the side of the attacked and four on the other side. The present statement was, that what seemed to be a reprisal had been made. These quarrels were now, he was glad to say, far removed from our Frontier.