§ MR. WATT (Glasgow, Camlachie)I beg to ask the Under Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether the Government are aware of the fact that a large number of sailors and other British subjects are being forcibly detained in the service of the Chilian Insurgents; and whether he will state what instructions have been sent out to Her Majesty's Representatives for the protection of life and property in connection with the Chilian Revolution?
§ SIR J. FERGUSSONThe only Report of any circumstance of this kind is contained in a Despatch from the Vice Consul at Punta Arenas of the 4th February last. He mentioned that there were on board the Almirante Lynch, which had declared for the Chilian Government, about 30 sailors of British nationality besides some of other nations, and that the engineers were English, and that it was reported that they were kept on board against their wishes under promise of double pay. But the Almirante Lynch and her consorts went at once to Monte Video, and 56 new crews were sent to them overland from Santiago. Neither the Admiral nor Her Majesty's Minister at Santiago have alluded to any incident of the kind in their Reports. Their instructions are, generally, to protect British subjects and vessels to the best of their power from illegal molestation; and they seem to have exerted themselves very effectively for the purpose. It is scarcely possible that any large number of British subjects should have been illegally detained in the manner described without their having mentioned it. But inquiries will be addressed to them by telegraph.