OBSERVATIONS. (Hansard, 25 March 1884)

§ MR. ASHMEAD-BARTLETT

rose, pursuant to Notice, to call attention to recent events in Madagascar; and to move— That Her Majesty's Ministers have failed to protect British commerce and the interests of Her Majesty's subjects in Madagascar, and to obtain adequate reparation for the affronts offered by French Commanders in that Island to the British Flag. The hon. Gentleman said, he was glad that the machinations of the Government had signally failed on that occasion; and it was extremely unworthy, in his humble judgment, and he believed in the judgment of the country at large, that a Government possessing such resources and such a majority as the present Government commanded, should, after taking from private Members their proper rights on Tuesday, be forced to resort to such expedients as they had had recourse to that evening. On three previous occasions he had attempted to bring forward that question; but the Government had succeeded in shelving it by tactics similar to those that had 795 been adopted that night. By the action of the French Government and of French Agents British trade in Madagascar to the value of nearly £1,000,000 a-year had been destroyed, and many hundreds of British subjects had been deprived of their livelihood and their property with out compensation. From the debate which took piano the day before in the French Assembly, it seemed probable that an expedition consisting of 6,000 French troops was to be sent to conquer Madagascar; and the object of that expedition was openly avowed by the speakers in the Assembly to be to drive out of the Island British traders and Protestant missionaries. The particular hostility of the French was directed towards what they described as "Independent Methodism" on that Island. It was interesting to notice how many Representatives of the Nonconformist Bodies, and of the trading communities of the North, for whom the Malagasy markets were so important, had taken the trouble to be in their places to-night. He hoped that the hon. Member for Shrewsbury (Mr. Cotes) would cease trying to persuade Members to leave the House. A wanton and unprovoked attack had been made on Madagascar by the French; gross insults had been offered to British officials and British subjects in that Island; and no adequate reparation or apology had been tendered. If Her Majesty's Government denied any of his facts, the responsibility for any inaccuracy rested with them, because they had furnished to the House a Blue Book which was one of the most disgraceful official compilations over presented to Parliament. The Government had suppressed every item of information they possibly could, and tilled the Blue Book with irrelevant details as to Treaties with the United States, and other matters of comparatively little importance. He did not blame the noble Lord the Under Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs for that compilation, but was rather disposed to ascribe it to the President of the Local Government Board, whose powers of concealment and inaccuracy had been so largely developed since he had held an official position in that House. Mr. Pakenham, the British Consul at Tamatave, was ordered to haul down his flag within 24hours and to leave his Consulate. His secretary was arrested in his presence, and Mr. Pakenbam's death 796 was undoubtedly accelerated by the insulting treatment to which he was exposed. The British Flag was hauled down by the French. The gallant Commander of Her Majesty's ship of war Dryad and his officers were treated with the utmost indignity. All communication with the shore was forbidden to them, and they were not allowed even to write to Mr. Shaw, a British subject, unjustly and cruelly imprisoned. Admiral Pierre sent several insulting letters to Commander Johnstone, adopting a tone to which no British officer had been subjected without reparation for many a year. The Taymouth Caste, a British packet ship, was boarded by the French, and sentries placed on her decks. Her mails were taken by the French Admiral and overhauled by him, and the outgoing mails treated in the same way. Even the Consular despatches were demanded by the French, and the captain of the packet ship was forbidden to receive them. Commander Johnstone then ordered the Taymonth Castle to get up steam and follow him. With his decks cleared for action, he steamed through the French Fleet into the offing, and there sent his despatches on board on a man-of-war's boat. This was a noble example of courage and resolution, and one which it was a pity Her Majesty's Ministers could not sometimes imitate. These events were at first justly described by the Prime Minister as being very grave and painful circumstances, yet no sufficient apology had been made for them by the French Government. Their despatch merely declared that the legitimacy of the measures taken by Admiral Pierre could not be contested, while they admitted that the tone of the communications from him ceased to have that friendly character which was to have been desired. There had been no salute of the British Flag, no recall of Admiral Pierre, and no distinct retraction of the acts of hostility that had been committed. With reference to the affronts that had been offered to Mr. Shaw, which was a distinct question into which he did not intend to go, if the Government were satisfied, if Mr. Shaw was satisfied, and if the country was satisfied that an English missionary—a man of blameless character—should be imprisoned in the hold of a French ship, fed on the bread and water of affliction, forbiddern access to any means 797 of legal defence, prevented from seeing his wife, and from receiving letters from the British officials, without apology from those who had been guilty of such treatment, all he could say was that such conduct would not have occurred in the time of Mr. Pitt, Lord Palmerston, or Lord Beaconsfield. If the Government thought that affronts of that kind could be atoned for by the payment of £5,000 without any apology at the same time being offered, he thought a large number of foreign Admirals and Commanders would take a cheap satisfaction in vindicating their potty authority on British subjects in a similar manner. Before leaving the case of Mr. Shaw, he should like to call attention to one or two instances of inaccuracy he had lately discovered by comparing the Blue Books with the answers of the Government. They were cases of almost incredible inaccuracy on the part of the Prime Minister and other Members of the Government. The Prime Minister, on the 21st of August last, informed the House — I have not the smallest doubt in my own mind that Mr. Shaw has perfect means of providing himself with legal assistance."—(3 Hansard, [283] 1509.) The House, however, would note that, according to the official despatches and from other information, Mr. Shaw was not allowed to have any communication with anyone off the French ship or with his wife, and that he was refused all means of communication with the British Commander's Acting Consul. At the timo the Prime Minister made answer this information had been in possession of the Government for at least a fortnight. Another remarkable statement was made by the Prime Minister. Some Member pointed out that Commander Johnstone was the Representative of the Queen. "With regard to that the Prime Minister said he— Is not Acting Consul at all; but he is a gallant Officer, who had no authority to net in. a civil capacity. He (Mr. Ashmead Bartlett) desired to point out that the Foreign Office had been in possession for three weeks of despatches, showing that Commander Johnstone had authority to act as the representative of Consul Pakenham. He had been appointed his Vice Consul and successor by Consul Pakenham. 798 He had been recognized as Acting Consul by Lord Granville, and formally thanked by the Foreign Office, and yet the Prime Minister was so badly informed or so reckless that he could deny in the House that Commander Johnstone had any civil authority at all. That was only a specimen, too common, he regretted to say, of the way in which Ministers deluded the House and the country. All these despatches were in the Blue Books. Had there over been such an instance of official ignorance? It showed, in his opinion, the recklessness with which statements were made in the House even by persons of the highest authority.

Notice taken, that 40 Members were not present; House counted, and 40 Members not being present,