§ MR. E. ROBERTSON (Dundee)asked the Under Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, Whether a sum of about £3,000 has been illegally exacted from the firm of Bowman's Heirs (of Dundee and Pernambuco), British merchants, by the Brazilian Customs, under the authority of a mere "aviso," or Circular of the Minister of Finance; whether, as regards £1,100 of this sum, the Circular was made retrospective, and applied to goods imported before its date, execution being levied on buildings belonging to the 1349 firm, and public advertisement of their sale being made, notwithstanding the firm's protest that the exaction was illegal; whether the Government of Brazil have admitted the illegality of the exaction, but have let five years pass without granting restitution; and, whether the Government are prepared to take any, and what, steps to obtain restitution of these moneys, and to prevent the recurrence of such, illegal proceedings?
§ THE UNDER SECRETARY OF STATE (Sir JAMES FERGUSSON) (Manchester, N.E.)So far as the Secretary of State is aware the facts as stated in the first and second paragraphs of the Question are substantially correct; and, if so, a great hardship and injustice has undoubtedly been inflicted on Bowman's Heirs. Her Majesty's Government are not aware that the Brazilian Government have admitted the illegality of the exaction. Her Majesty's Minister at Rio has been instructed, if on inquiry it should appear that Bowman's Heirs have exhausted all the legal means open to them to obtain redress, to ask the Brazilian Government for a settlement of their longstanding claim.