HC Deb 21 December 1893 vol 20 cc95-6
MR. LABOUCHERE (Northampton)

I beg to ask the Under Secretary of State for the Colonies whether his attention has been called to a speech made on Tuesday last by Sir Horace Farquhar, a Director of the South Africa Chartered Company, when presiding over a meeting of the Exploration Company, in which, speaking of the properties apparently held by the latter Company in Mashonaland, he said, that there is every hope that Lobougula will be taken or killed; and whether, in view of the fact that Imperial Forces are acting in conjunction with the forces of the Chartered Company, Her Majesty's Government propose to take any steps to prevent the killing of that Monarch?

THE UNDER SECRETARY OF STATE FOR THE COLONIES (Mr. S. BUXTON,) Tower Hamlets, Poplar

Her Majesty's Government are in no way responsible for anything Sir H. Farquhar may say. But, as he has addressed a letter to me on the subject of the question, I will read it to the House— I notice Mr. Labouchere has a question in the House to-day referring to my speech at the Exploration Company's meeting. This Company has interests in Mashonaland, and in dealing with these I alluded to the military operations in Matabeleland. I stated that the war was practically over, and that I hoped the next news would be that Lobengula had been taken prisoner or killed in war. My remark referred to the resistance to Captain Wilson, of which there has been cable news. From this it seemed apparent that Lobengula, much to my regret, did not intend to surrender. As regards the last question, I am quite confident that it is the anxious desire of the Commanders of both the Bechuanaland Police and of the Chartered Company Forces that Lobengula should not be killed or injured; and I repeat that Her Majesty's Government, so far as lies in their power, intend that Lobengula, if captured, shall be treated with every consideration: a consideration which he fully deserves by his conduct to the whites during the war.