§ DR. TANNERI beg to ask the Under Secretary of Stats for Foreign Affairs whether any intelligence has been received by the Government relative to the attack by gendarmes upon Christians in the province of Messara, in the Island of Crete, on Saturday last; whether it is a fact, as reported in the Daily News of 19th instant, the gendarmes, without provocation, fired several times upon four Christians; if it is true, as given, that—
The next day 30 notables of the village complained to the Commandant of the troops. The Commandant, treating this complaint as seditious, arrested five of them, and imprisoned them in a stable, demanding at the same time large sums of money from four villages of the province. The sum is said to have been so great that had the inhabitants given up all they possessed it would have been insufficient;and whether, in the event of the statements proving correct, any remonstrance will be addressed to the Porte with a view to the further continuance of such outrages on Christians?
§ * SIR J. FERGUSSONNo such information has reached Her Majesty's Government.
§ DR. TANNERWill the right hon. Gentleman telegraph for information?
§ * SIR J. FERGUSSONI do not think it is to be expected that we should telegraph to ascertain the correctness of every statement which may appear in the newspapers.
§ DR. TANNERWill the right hon. Gentleman be able to give me the information in the course of a week?
* SIR J. FFRGUSSONThat depends upon whether we receive the information the hon. Gentleman requires.