§ MR. S. SMITH (Flintshire)I beg to ask the Under Secretary of State for India whether his attention has been drawn to the Memorial from Pastor Haegert, of the Bethel Santhal Mission, to the Lieutenant Governor of Bengal, alleging that he was being dispossessed of the church, hospital, and school, in which he had laboured for 19 years, on the complaint of the Headsman of the village, who confessed in Court that he had been a Chowkidar, and was dismissed from the service for some criminal offence, and sent to gaol; whether he is aware that Pastor Haegert offered to pay for the land five times as much as it might be valued at; and whether the Government have power to order the case to be tried again by another Magistrate?
§ SIR J. FERGUSSON (for Sir J. GORST)The attention of the Secretary of State has only been called to this matter by the question. The case appears to be one of title to land raised in the ordinary way in the Courts of the country, with which the Executive Government cannot interfere.