§ MR. LABOUCHERE (Northampton)I beg to ask the Under Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether, when the news of the invasion of Manicaland by the South African Chartered Company reached Lourenço Marques, the Portuguese Governor of the Province officially complained to the British 1469 Consul (or Vice Consul), stating that Mr. Colquhoun was probably not aware of the modus vivendi, and begging the Consul to inform him of it; whether a letter was written by the Consul to this effect, and sent up to Mr. Colquhoun under the care of a Portuguese lieutenant and five Portuguese soldiers; whether, on their arrival at their destination, they were all detained as prisoners; and whether all Papers in respect to this matter will be laid upon the Table of the House?
§ THE UNDER SECRETARY OF STATE FOR FOREIGN AFFAIRS (Sir J. FERGUSSON, Manchester, N.E.)The Governor General of Mozambique made a verbal communication to the Acting Consul at Mozambique, not at Lourenço Marques, respecting events in Manica, and the Consul, not being aware that the agents of the South African Company had received news of the modus vivendi from the Cape, sent through the Governor General a letter to inform them of it. Inquiry has been made as to the reported arrests, and we have received information that there is no truth whatever in the statement, and that the messenger bearing the Consul's letter returned with an acknowledgment of its receipt. The correspondence on the subject will be included in the next set of Papers respecting South African affairs.