§ MR. ATHERLEY-JONESasked the Under Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, Whether, in consequence of a telegram from Sir Evelyn Baring, the Foreign Office has intimated to Mr. A. B. Wylde that he will not be permitted to land at Suakin; whether Mr. Wylde is not a British subject and a merchant at Suakin, who has been for the past 14 years associated with the Eastern Soudan and Abyssinia; whether he will state the reason of this action of the Foreign Office; and, whether, in view of the fact that Mr. Wylde purposed leaving for Suakin early next week as Foreign Correspondent for a British News Agency, and with the view of opening up, on behalf of a number of gentleman with whom he is associated, negotiations with the tribes in the neighbourhood of Suakin, he will give immediate directions that no obstacles are to be placed in the way of Mr. Wylde's visit to Suakin?
§ THE UNDER SECRETARY OF STATE (Sir JAMES FERGUSSON) (Manchester, N.E.)In answer to the Question of the hon. Member, I have to say that Mr. Wylde, who is what he is described in the second paragraph of the Question, has been warned that, in present circumstances, Sir Francis Grenfell considers that his presence at Suakin would be inopportune; and that, Suakin being in a state of siege, the commanding officer has absolute discretion as to permitting or forbidding the landing of any individual. He was, therefore, dissuaded from starting. It is clear that while Suakin is actually besieged the military authorities, who are responsible for the defence, must be free to judge as to what channels of communication and negotiation shall be employed or permitted. When hon. Members desire 342 to have answers to Questions of importance, and at very short Notice, it would be a great convenience to Members of the Government if they would let them know the night before. I only received Notice of this Question from the Notice Paper this morning.
§ MR. ATHERLEY-JONESI only received information of it last night. Would the right hon. Gentleman state what is the reason of this action of the Foreign Office?
§ SIR JAMES FERGUSSONThe reason appears in the Question of the hon. Member.
§ MR. JOHN MORLEY (Newcastle-upon-Tyne)May I ask the right hon. Gentleman to consider if the Government thought it expedient to enter into negotiations with the Arabs, whether it would not be well to have Mr. Wylde on the spot, who is intimately acquainted with Arabic and the Arabs, and has been resident at Suakin for some years?
§ SIR JAMES FERGUSSONI can give the right hon. Gentleman no further answer at present. If he will give Notice of it for Monday, it will be considered by the Government.
§ SIR WILLIAM HARCOURT (Derby)The right hon. Gentleman has said that the military authorities are responsible in these matters. A Question has been asked on two successive days to which no answer has as yet been given. Who is responsible, politically, at Suakin for the relations of the Egyptian Government and the English Government there? The First Lord of the Treasury when asked, said he was not aware. Now I ask the right hon. Gentleman who is the person responsible for the political relations at Suakin?
§ SIR JAMES FERGUSSONIf the right hon. Gentleman had asked me the Question yesterday I could have given him the information he desires; but, no doubt, hon. Members are aware that the House met early, and I had no opportunity of communicating with the First Lord of the Treasury before he entered the House. The Egyptian Government is represented by Colonel Smith, Governor General of the Red Sea Littoral. There is also Her Majesty's Consul at Suakin, who represents the Government of this country, and who is a direct subordinate of Sir Evelyn Baring. That officer is at present on leave; but the 343 duties are discharged by the senior naval officer at Suakin. In a political sense, therefore, there is an officer representing the Egyptian Government, and one representing Her Majesty's Government.
§ MR. ATHERLEY-JONESWill the right hon. Gentleman cause inquiries to be made as to the causes that operated with Sir Evelyn Baring in preventing Mr. Wylde from landing.
§ SIR JAMES FERGUSSONI have already stated that it is not Sir Evelyn Baring, but the authorities at Suakin, who might prevent him from landing in the circumstances mentioned.
§ SIR WILLIAM HARCOURTI have not received quite the answer I wished to my Question. I want to know who is the individual to whom Her Majesty's Government here would communicate their instructions with reference to any political or diplomatic action at Suakin in reference to the troops of the Mahdi? The right hon. Gentleman has said that there is a person who represents the Egyptian Government; but I conclude that it is not through him that, the instructions of the Cabinet here would be given. He also said that there was a Consul at Suakin under Sir Evelyn Baring, but that he is absent at present. Am I to understand that it is the naval officer through whom the instructions of the English Government in these matters are given?
§ SIR JAMES FERGUSSONNo, Sir; not at all. It is manifest that the responsible officer is Her Majesty's Consul General in Egypt, Sir Evelyn Baring, who communicates with the officer immediately responsible to him. He has another channel of communication, and that is the Egyptian Government, with whom, I am glad to say, he is on the most friendly and cordial terms. The Egyptian Government communicate with Lieutenant Colonel Holled Smith, Governor General of the Red Sea Littoral, and, of course, with the military commander. Then, of course, on purely military matters, there is a channel of communication—namely, through the War Office to the British officer in command.
§ SIR WILFRID LAWSON (Cumberland, Cockermouth)I wish to ask the right hon. Gentleman a Question which, if it is not convenient to answer, I will give him Notice of. Mr. Wylde is, I 344 understand, a newspaper correspondent. Are all newspaper correspondents to be prohibited from landing?
§ SIR JAMES FERGUSSONI think the hon. Baronet had better give Notice of the Question.
§ SIR WILFRID LAWSONI will repeat the Question on Monday.
§ SIR GEORGE CAMPBELLI wish to ask whether the Egyptian Government propose to hold any other port of the Red Sea Littoral besides the town of Suakin? I should also like to know whether General Grenfell is directly under the War Office?
§ SIR JAMES FERGUSSONNo, Sir; he is not. The hon. Gentleman must be aware that the Egyptian Government hold many other ports besides Suakin on the Red Sea Littoral. Again, I must say I think it would be better if Notice were given of these Questions.