§ MR. W. F. LAWRENCEasked the Under Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, Whether it is the case that the British barque Mary Mark, when lying at anchor at British Honduras, was on 9th July 1883 run down by a Spanish man-of-war, owing to the sole negligence of the latter, as certified by a Court of Inquiry held at Belize 7th August 1883; that the claim of the owners, in respect of the loss thereby sustained, was submitted to the Spanish Government by Her Majesty's Foreign Office in March 1884, but that up to the present no compensation has been awarded; and, what 1199 steps Her Majesty's Foreign Office propose to take to insure the prompt settlement of the reasonable demands of the owners, so long neglected?
§ THE UNDER SECRETARY OF STATE (Mr. BRYCE)The facts of the case are correctly stated by the hon. Member; but it must be added that the Spanish Government do not recognize the sufficiency of the inquiry held by British authority at Belize, and are prosecuting a further investigation of their own. Sir Clare Ford, Her Majesty's Minister at Madrid, was assured, on the 12th ultimo, that the case would receive immediate consideration, and he will continue to press the matter on the attention of the Spanish Government.