§ MR. W. E. FORSTERsaid, he had one or two Questions which he wished to ask his hon. Friend the Under Secretary of State for the Colonies, and of which he had given private Notice, respecting an important telegram which was read yesterday, and which his hon. Friend said he had just received. He begged to ask the hon. Gentleman whether he would lay that telegram on the Table; whether he (Mr. W. E. Forster) was right in supposing that that was a telegram which had arrived at the Cape on the 13th July, and had been forwarded here by letter; and, also, whether he was right in believing that there had been telegraphic communication between this country and the Cape for the last two or three weeks at least; and, whether there had been any information confirming that telegram, and especially regarding a very important statement, which he should be 1855 glad to believe was true—that Mankoroane and the other Chiefs were really making head against the people who had robbed them of their land? Also, whether he knew if the person from whom this news originally came was or was not in official employment?
§ MR. EVELYN ASHLEYSir, if I had known, before I came down to the House, that I was to be asked these Questions, I would have taken care to bring the despatch and telegram with me. The telegram in question was received on the 13th of July at Cape-town, and was sent on here on the 16th, mail day, in a despatch from the officer administering the Government. The telegram came from the Civil Commissioner at Kimberley, and he gave in the telegram information which he had received from a Mr. Rose. Whether Mr. Rose is an official or not I must leave it for the House to decide. He is a Member of the Legislative Assembly of Capetown, and at present he is engaged on a Government Commission, in drawing a boundary line between Bechuanaland and Griqualand West. As to the telegraph being open or not, I am not able to answer that Question. I believe that it was so; but I should be afraid to say it has been during the whole of the time since the 13th of July. We have received no corroboration of the information contained in the telegram.
§ MR. W. E. FORSTERgave Notice that on Thursday, to give time for communicating with the authorities at the Cape, he should ask his hon. Friend, whether the Government had received any information in confirmation especially of the successful efforts of Mankoroane?