§ MR. J. CHAMBERLAIN (Birmingham, W.)I gave notice of a question to the Prime Minister for to-day, but, as I gathered that his speech on Friday night contained an answer to that question, I asked that it should be withdrawn from the Paper. I understand, however, that my right hon. Friend wishes that it should be put, and I therefore beg to ask 555 him what arrangements have been made for the preservation of the peace in Uganda in the interval between the time of Sir Gerald Portal's Report and the decision of the Government on the question of the retention of the country?
§ MR. W. E. GLADSTONEI am obliged to my right hon. Friend for putting this question, because now for the first time, instead of speaking from memory, with a liability to it certain degree of error, the House has full documents before it which contain statements that must be regarded as authoritative. The House is aware, from the Speech from the Throne, that Sir G. Portal has undertaken the important charge which was named in the Queen's Speech, he being already Her Majesty's Commissioner for the British sphere of influence, lying to the north of the German sphere of influence. He therefore has, it may be said, a double title in this matter which comes within the cognisance of the House. In the former capacity he has received instructions from Lord Rosebery, winch will be banal at pages 50 and 51 of the Papers circulated this morning. The part that is material, perhaps, for the present subject is paragraph 8 of that Instruction, which runs as follows:—
A Mission to Central Africa cannot, of course, be conducted according to ordinary precedent. The infrequency and difficulty of communication may require a latitude beyond what is usual, and in intrusting to you these important duties Her Majesty's Government reckon with full confidence on your meting with firmness and caution every occasion that may arise.That is the Instruction to Sir G. Portal as charged with the present inquiry. But we have already received—in a document that has been for some time before the House, but which may have escaped the memory of the House—a very full statement of the powers which accrue to him in his capacity as Commissioner in the sphere of influence. That document will be found at pages 1 to 3 of the Papers "Africa No. 4" of 1892, and the passage which I will read to the House, because I think it contains the pith of the matter, is on page 2. It is a rather long pant-graph, of which the first part refers to the conduct of Sir G. Portal in the districts where the Company is now in the full exercise of its functions, and that I need not read. It will only distract the 556 attention of the House, inasmuch as the arrival of Sir G. Portal can only take place on the eve of the withdrawal of the Company and its evacuation of the country. The sixth line of that paragraph contains the material Instruction with respect to the territories where the Company is not in active operation, and it runs thus—You should endeavour, so far as your opportunities go, to make British influence felt by the natives, to maintain peace and order, to develop legitimate trade, to secure the safe circulation of traders and travellers and generally, without undue interference with tribal government and native habits and customs, to pave the way for conferring on the natives the benefits of civilisation, which on the suppression of the evils of the Slave Trade should accompany the revival of prosperityOf course, those Instructions by Lord Salisbury were given without any special reference to the present special function; but those are powers that are still in full operation, and which nothing has been or can be done either to restrain or to alter in any manner. I think, therefore, it will be seen, first of all, that in his capacity with respect to the present inquiry, which was mentioned in the Speech from the Throne, Sir Gerald Portal has a large discretion under the Instructions that have been given to him. It will also be seen that in his capacity as Commissioner he has ample authority to make whatever arrangements he may find in the exercise of wisdom and prudence to be necessary and to be within his power, so far as regards the time when he is in Uganda himself, or—if he should think fit or should find it necessary to leave Uganda—to make an arrangement, which will operate during Ins absence. I wish to make ail apology to my hon. Friend the Member for Northampton (Mr. Labouchere) and to the House for one expression I used on Friday, speaking from memory, which was not quite accurate. I said Sir G. Portal would busy himself with respect to the peace and order and well-being of Uganda, and I said he would do it "unofficially." That was certainly not an accurate expression, because for the moment I seemed to have overlooked, and did overlook, the fact that as Commissioner he was in possession of powers which would enable him officially to exercise legitimate influence and to exert himself with reference to the peace and good order of the country.
§ MR. LABOUCHERE (Northampton)I wish to ask the right hon. Gentleman whether we are to understand that Sir Gerald Portal will not increase in any sort of way Imperial responsibility by any intermixture in the tribal government of Uganda, or by assuming any governmental functions for the Imperial Government until his Report is before us?
§ *MR. BURDETT COUTTS (Westminster)May I put another question to the right hon. Gentleman in order that we should better and more accurately under-Stand What Sir Gerald Portal's powers are in reference to the safety of lives that are valued in this country in Uganda? I will put to him a case if I may—If the Mahomedans, who are now overhanging the country, attack the King, is Sir Gerald Portal empowered by force of arms to resist that attack? If the two factions attack each other, is Sir Gerald Portal empowered by force of arms to intervene to maintain peace?
§ MR. W. E. GLADSTONEIn answer to the two questions that have been put to me, I must say in regard to that put by my hon. Friend the Member for Northampton that, in my opinion, I took the safest and wisest course in reading to the House fully and amply the documents that are really authoritative—the documents which will be for the guidance of Sir Gerald Portal in the important function that he has in Uganda. Any opinion of mine in regard to these documents is evidently an opinion given in this country and not within hearing of Sir Gerald Portal, who is two or three months off, if I am to define the distance by time, and, consequently, is um opinion only. As I have said, our object and desire undoubtedly is, as appears from the documents, to ask Sir Gerald Portal to report oil matters of the utmost importance. We desire him to approach that question with a perfectly free discretion, and therefore there ought not to be intercepted any intermediate engagement of any sort. With regard to the question of the hon. Member opposite, the hon. Member raises a supposititious case which may or may not come under the consideration of Sir Gerald Portal. If it does come under Ids consideration Sir Gerald Portal will have all the local knowledge, all the information, and all the advice of those around him in order to enable him to form a judgment upon 558 it. The hon. Member asks me to form a judgment upon that question, and give it to him now in the House of Commons. I must say I am not prepared to undertake that task.
§ SIR GEORGE BADEN-POWELL (Liverpool, Kirkdale)I wish to ask whether, in the opinion of the Government, Sir Gerald Portal has a sufficient force With him to carry out, if necessary, his powers as Her Majesty's High Commissioner in East Africa?
§ MR. W. E. GLADSTONEWe are of opinion that the force Sir Gerald Portal has With him is amply sufficient for the purpose for which he has gone out.
§ MR. A. J. BALFOUR (Manchester, E.)I have no reason to complain of the general statement of the right hon. Gentleman. I want to put a question which will not be put in a controversial tone. The right hon. Gentleman has stated that very full powers have been given to Sir Gerald Portal; and that included in these powers are powers to make arrangements in the country after he himself shall have left. I would ask the right hon. Gentleman whether, as he has given such full Instructions to Sir Gerald Portal during, the time he is to be there, it would not he well if it were possible to suggest to him specifically that he should have in view the making of those arrangements which he is empowered to make should he think fit?
§ MR. W. E. GLADSTONEI make no complaint whatever of the tone and which the right hon. Gentleman has put his question I think it is a very fair question. But I own, if he puts it to me, my opinion is that it would be safer for us, standing as we do at the distance at which we find ourselves, to leave that matter in the discretion of Sir Gerald Portal, who is aware of the objects that we have in view, rather than to send him Instructions which, however carefully framed, might, under possible circumstances, be found to limit his discretion, and therefore to interfere with the objects in view.