§ SIR GEORGE BADEN-POWELLI beg to ask the Under Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether Her Majesty's Government have received any proposals to permanently improve the navigation of the Limpopo River; whether the right of free passage to the sea by that river has been reserved for the States or Colonies situated on its inland waters; and whether the Govern- 680 ment are in possession of any recent surveys of the mouth of that river?
§ THE UNDER SECRETARY OF STATE FOR FOREIGN AFFAIRS (Sir J. FERGUSSON, Manchester, N.E.)It is not for Her Majesty's Government to receive proposals for the improvement of the navigation of this river, as they have no control over its navigable waters. If the Convention of the 20th of August had been ratified, the freedom of its navigation would have been secured by the 11th Article. The question whether Her Majesty's Government are in possession of any recent surveys should be addressed to the Admiralty.