§ VISCOUNT FOLKESTONEasked the Under Secretary of State for the Colonies, Whether his attention has been called to the following statement in a letter in the "Globe" newspaper of 3rd April from a correspondent at Cape Town:—
The war in the Transvaal against the native chiefs Mapoch and Mampoer still drags on, in spite of the free use of dynamite against the Kaffirs. The success of it is thus triumphantly described by the war correspondent of the 'Volkstem,' the national organ, in his account of the taking by the Boer forces of the Vlugtraal caves, evacuated by the natives on the night of the 18th February:—'It took me a long and laborious climb to reach the spot at the topmost fortification, whore the dynamite blasts were made on the 5th. The effects of these blasts must have been considerable.….Here I saw the scattered remains of one Kaffir lying in a cleft, while the arm of another lay some ten paces distant. The stench at this spot and in several of the holes, evidently the effusion of human decomposition, was overpowering;'and, considering that there is no mention of the use of dynamite in the papers presented to Parliament on the affairs of the Transvaal, whether, according to promise, the Government have telegraphed to the Cape to inquire if the authorities there knew anything of the alleged use of that explosive by the Boers against the Kaffirs; and, whether any answer has been received from the Cape in confirmation or contradiction of these reports; and, if so, whether he will state to the House the substance of such communication?
§ MR. EVELYN ASHLEYSir, in accordance with the promise given, the Secretary of State telegraphed to make inquiry as to the use of dynamite by the Transvaal troops, and received on the 16th of March from Sir Hercules Robinson the following reply:—
Mr. Hudson reports that no woman or child was sacrificed as alleged. The allegation is unfortunate and unfounded. Dynamite operations were found necessary to destroy caves; but they have always been conducted with exemplary caution to Natives, who are always warned to retire before the explosion.
§ MR. O'KELLYasked whether dynamite was used in the operations directed against the Basutos under the Imperial Government?
§ MR. EVELYN ASHLEYI suppose the hon. Member is referring to past 1636 events, because we have no operations against the Basutos at present. In that case the hon. Member will, perhaps, give Notice of the Question.