§ MR. MACNEILL (Donegal, S.)I beg to ask the Under Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether the attention of Lord Salisbury, in his capacity of Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, has been called to the following statement of the Lisbon correspondent of the Daily News, which appeared in that paper on February 3rd, 1890:—
Wealthy Englishmen trading with Portugal can smilingly look on at the rage of the Portuguese, but the English clerks settled in this country are really victims of the quarrel. Forty of them who have just been discharged here are absolutely destitute. They have asked the Consul to send them home, but indeed he has no funds for that purpose. If their dis- 191 tress were known in England something would doubtless be done for them. Many of the clerks have families, and if they were dying of want no neighbour would throw them a crust.And whether the Government intend to take any and what steps to give suitable employment to men who, by reason of their British nationality, have been deprived of the means of earning subsistence?
§ THE UNDER SECRETARY OF STATE FOR FOREIGN AFFAIRS (Sir J. FERGUSSON, Manchester, N.E.)No report has been received at the Foreign Office to the effect stated in the hon. Member's question.