HC Deb 11 July 1883 vol 281 cc1097-9
SIR STAFFORD NORTHCOTE

I wish to ask the Prime Minister a Question of which I have given him private Notice. A report has reached me of some serious occurrence in Madagascar. I do not wish, in the present state of my information, to put the Question in any form that would give colour to it; and, therefore, I will simply ask the Government, Whether they have any information on the subject which they can communicate to the House?

MR. GLADSTONE

Sir, we have received, within the last 24 hours, a tele- graphic communication from Zanzibar and Madagascar with regard to the occurrences in Madagascar, which is not complete, but of which I will endeavour to lay the substance before the House. This House is aware—I believe it has been made aware by my noble Friend the Under Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs—that Tamatave was occupied by the French on the 14th of June, and that a state of siege was proclaimed there. The British Consul was, unhappily, at the time very ill, and the information that we have received is to the effect that his illness was seriously aggravated by the political crisis. One incident of that crisis was that his Secretary was arrested in his presence. In these circumstances, he received an order from the French Admiral to quit the place within 24 hours. Before the expiration of that 24 hours—seven hours before that time had expired—he died. The French Admiral subsequently invited the British to attend the funeral. They did attend in considerable numbers. The British officers and men of Her Majesty's Ship Dryad and several of the French officers likewise attended the funeral. The French Admiral stopped communications between the British man-of-war and the shore. The captain was allowed, but only verbally, to protest against the proceedings, and the flags of all foreign Consuls, as we have understood, have been hauled down in Tamatave. Besides that, there is a portion of the telegram affecting another person. It says that in addition to the Secretary to the Consul one British subject, a Mr. Shaw, who, I believe, is a Missionary of the London Missionary Society, was arrested on the 16th, and remains in prison. The charge against him has not been made public; but it is surmised or presumed to be for correspondence with the enemy—using what I believe would be the French phrase under the circumstances. Inquiry has been made, but the only answer received is that the law must take its course. In announcing this grave and painful occurrence I have only now to say that we wait for further information as to the facts, and we wait also for those communications from the Government of France which the case may require, which we have intimated to the French Government that we anticipate, and which it would have been our duty to make to any Foreign Government under similar circumstances.

SIR GEORGE CAMPBELL

asked whether the nationality of the Secretary who was arrested was known?

MR. GLADSTONE

It is a native name; but that is a mere surmise, and we have no information in the telegram on the subject.

MR. A. J. BALFOUR

inquired whether there was any truth in the rumour that a British subject had been arrested in Tunis and had not been given up to the British Consul?

LORD EDMOND FITZMAURICE

We have received no information on the subject.