§ MR. AINSLIE(for Mr. ISAACS,) New-821 ington, Walworth I beg to ask the Under Secretary of State for the Colonies is there any truth in the statements made by the Colonial Press that notwithstanding the undertakings in the various Conventions of 1881, 1884, and 1890, made with the South African Republic, each containing a declaration that the Swazis should remain independent, and in view of the necessity of further repressing the sale of female slaves still carried on in Swaziland, Her Majesty's Government have made a promise to the President of the South African Republic to cede Swaziland to that Republic before the expiration of the Convention of 1890; is he aware that about six millions sterling of British capital have been invested in Swaziland on the strength of the statement made in the House of Lords on the 4th August, 1890, that it was not the intention of Her Majesty's Government to hand over Swaziland to the South African Republic; and is he also aware that Mr. Cecil Rhodes, Prime Minister of the Cape of Good Hope, has proposed to obtain the consent of the South African Republic to join a Customs Union of all the South African Colonies and States in exchange for Swaziland?
§ *THE UNDER SECRETARY OF STATE FOR THE COLONIES (Baron H. DE WORMS,) Liverpool, East ToxtethHer Majesty's Government have made no promise to the President of the South African Republic to cede Swaziland to that Republic. The Secretary of State is not aware of the amount of British capital, if any, which has been invested in Swaziland since August, 1890. As regards the last paragraph of the question, the Secretary of State has no knowledge of any such proposal.