§ MR. LABOUCHEREI beg to ask the Under Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether his attention has been called to the mode in which a Treaty between the King of Uganda and the British East Africa Chartered Company was received from that Monarch by Captain Lugard; and whether any steps were taken to learn whether the King was a free agent in the matter before the Treaty thus obtained was recognised by Her Majesty's Government?
MR. J. W. LOWTHERThe Reports respecting the conclusion of the Treaty were carefully considered. They show that the King signed voluntarily, after full and careful explanation of its contents and after having taken time for consideration. The force with Captain Lugard was far too small to coerce or overawe so powerful a Chief.
§ MR. LABOUCHEREAm I to understand that Captain Lugard was wrong in his conclusion when he wrote in his Report that the Treaty was signed by the King in the presence of a body of picked men with fixed bayonets?
MR. J. W. LOWTHERThe hon. Member must not understand anything more than the Report contains. If my memory serves me aright, the Report says that there were 20 men with bayonets in a tent, but that the tent was surrounded by a large crowd of the Uganda people.