§ MR. DONKIN (Tynemouth)asked the Under Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, What action Her Majesty's Government propose taking with regard to the English steamer Carn Brea, now arrested at Pasagus by the Spanish authorities for a sum of £5,000, owing to an alleged clerical error of the ship's manifest in reducing her cargo from bushels to kilos, whereby two 00 had inadvertently been omitted, making the Spanish kilos 20,992 instead of 20,992,00; if it be correct that the Spanish authorities have refused the bail of respectable London bankers; and, whether Her Majesty's Government will take steps to recover the great loss incurred by the ship's detention?
§ THE UNDER SECRETARY OF STATE (Sir JAMES FERGUSSON) (Manchester, N.E.)Her Majesty's Minister at Madrid has actively interested himself in this case, which I believe is such as is described in my hon. Friend's Question. We have received a telegram to-day that the Spanish Government have decided the case, remitting the fine imposed on the ship, and that it will be released immediately. With regard to the last Question, inasmuch as the detention was owing to an error in the ship's manifest, there would be no grounds on which Her Majesty's Government could ask for compensation for her detention pending the decision in the case.