§ MR. O'DONNELLasked the Prime Minister, in view of the interest taken by him in the authorship of the conflagration at Alexandria, Whether he had seen a letter from the Correspondent of The Times, in which a resident in that city stated that, during the bombardment, shells went over the town, and sometimes fell into it, and that he himself saw 10 Natives killed by a shell that fell at one of the city gates; whether he would procure a copy of the report made by the captain of one of the vessels of the Messageries Maritimes, in which it was stated that most of the fires were caused by the lire of the English Fleet, the shells pouring into the town for several hours; and whether he would order an impartial inquiry to be made into the facts of the case?
MR. GLADSTONEI have not seen the correspondence to which the hon. Member refers; but I may say that when we have stated that the fires were not caused by the shells of the Fleet, we proceeded on the assurance of the Admiral in command. Until that information is superseded by something more definite we accept his assurance.
§ SIR WALTER B. BARTTELOTasked the Prime Minister whether he had any news from Alexandria or Ramleh?
MR. GLADSTONENo, Sir; no intelligence has reached me to-day, and I do not think that any can have reached 1983 the Foreign Office, or I should have been in possession of it.
§ MR. ARTHUR O'CONNORasked the Secretary of State for War, Whether he had received any official communication to the effect that the abolition of flogging had had a serious effect on the discipline of the British troops in Alexandria; and that the officers now-found themselves perfectly powerless to inflict any punishment short of death?
§ MR. CHILDERSNo, Sir; I have received no such communication.