§ LORD RANDOLPH CHURCHILLasked the First Lord of the Treasury, Whether Her Majesty's Government will instruct Her Majesty's Representative at Cairo to impress upon the Government of the Khedive the necessity, in the interests of justice in Egypt, of allowing the counsel of Ahmed Bey Khandeel and others, generally charged with complicity in the massacres of the 11th Juno at Alexandria, to have free 48 access to the prisoners for the purpose of preparing and assisting them in their defence? He asked this Question of the Prime Minister because it was by his interposition that the life of Arabi was saved, as if he were left in the hands of the Foreign Office he would undoubtedly have been hanged.
MR. GLADSTONEIf the courteous—or what he intends to be the courteous—announcement with which the noble Lord concluded his Question was its real basis, I ought to decline to answer it, as I claim no such merit as he gives me in the matter in contradistinction to any of my Colleagues. The Under Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, in his answer to this Question the other day, referred entirely to the preliminary inquiries; but the arrangement made is that counsel will have access to the prisoner for the purpose of his defence before the court martial at Alexandria.
§ LORD RANDOLPH CHURCHILLasked the Prime Minister, whether he was aware that the Hon. Mark Napier, who was retained as counsel for Ahmed Bey Khandeel, had left Alexandria, having been refused access to his client, who was, therefore, left absolutely without any counsel whatever?
MR. GLADSTONEsaid, that the Government had no official information on the subject. He would be extremely sorry if what the noble Lord stated were the case; but, if it were so, of course the matter was beyond the control of the Government.