§ MR. NORRIS (Tower Hamlets, Limehouse)I beg to ask the Under Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether the Rajah of Sarawak has taken forcible possession of a great portion of the territories of the Sultan of Brunei, in Borneo; if peaceable and undisputed possession of this territory had been guaranteed to the Sultan by Her Majesty's Government; and having regard to the fact that Her Majesty's Consul, who was specially instructed to examine into all the circumstances, has advised the Sultan to surrender half his lands to the Rajah if the Rajah gives up possession of the remainder, and that the Sultan has refused to entertain such an offer, what steps Her Majesty's Government propose to take to carry out their Treaty obligations with him?
§ THE UNDER SECRETARY OF STATE FOR FOREIGN AFFAIRS (Sir J. FERGUSSON,) Manchester, N.E.As has already been stated, the Rajah of Sarawak has annexed the Limbore district nominally, or at least under the sovereignty of Brunei, but the occupation does not appear to have been recognised by the inhabitants for some years past. The relations between Her Majesty's Government and the inhabitants of Brunei are regulated by the terms of the agreement made in 1888. The Reports of Her Majesty's Consul, which have recently been received, are now under consideration, and the rights 1202 of the Sultan will be borne in mind in any settlement that is arrived at in the matter.