§ SIR MICHAEL HICKS-BEACHasked the Under Secretary of State for the Colonies, Whether the Transvaal Government has yet paid the sum of £50,000 which it was arranged should be paid by the end of 1882, on account of £100,000 due, according to the Convention in August last; whether the Native Location Commissioner has made any progress in settling the boundaries of Native locations within the Transvaal; whether Her Majesty's Government have done anything, since Lord Kimberley's Despatch of September 4th, 1882, in discharge of the responsibilities which they undertook by the Convention towards the Native tribes outside the Transvaal border; and, whether any further Papers relating to the Transvaal will be presented; and, if so, up to what date the information contained in them will extend, and when they and the Zululand Papers will be in the hands of honourable Members? The right hon. Baronet washed to add a further Question, as to whether in October last a letter was addressed by the Secretary of the Transvaal Government to a certain Chief, definitely accepting on the part of the Transvaal Government the cession of the territory of that Chief in spite of the continued refusal of the British Government to sanction that cession?
§ MR. EVELYN ASHLEYIn regard, Sir, to the first part of the Question, I have to answer "No." The sum of £50,000 has not been paid. A communication has been sent out to Sir Hercules Robinson, directing him again to urge upon the Transvaal Government the fulfilment of the obligations they have incurred in reference to the payment of this money. The Native Location Commission has not made much progress in settling Native locations, because in the districts in which the work was going on hostilities have broken out, and that had caused delay. With reference to the third and fourth 169 Questions, I would refer the right hon. Gentleman to the Papers which I will lay on the Table of the House on Monday. These Papers bring all the affairs up to the present time, and they will be in the hands of Members, I hope, within a week or ten days. The reason they will take that time is there will be a long Report from Mr. Ruther-ford respecting the Bechuna country, which is very voluminous, and will take some time to prepare. The Zululand Papers will be in the hands of Members on Tuesday. With reference to the Question not on the Paper, I may state that, although I will not say we have received the actual letter to which the right hon. Gentleman alludes, we have received information as to the facts—namely, that the Transvaal Government had been in communication with the Chief in question, and had concluded a Treaty with him for the cession of certain territory, and the way in which the Government have dealt with that matter will be seen from the Papers that are to be laid upon the Table.