§ MR. CHARLES DARLING (Deptford)I beg to ask the First Lord of the Treasury whether the Government have any information to the effect that Sir Gerald Portal has proclaimed a Protectorate over Uganda in the name of Her Majesty?
§ MR. W. E. GLADSTONENo such information as is referred to in the question has been received at the Foreign Office. In point of fact, no information has been received since the arrival of Sir Gerald Portal in Uganda. Perhaps I may say, concerning reports of that kind coming from a district so distant and so inaccessible, unless they are absolutely certified, that I would recommend hon. Members to be cautious in putting their interpretation on statements so derived.
§ MR. DARLINGI desire to say, by way of personal explanation, that it is precisely because I am so very cautious that I have asked the question.
§ MR. W. E. GLADSTONEI gave no special advice to the hon. and learned Member. I only said that I thought it would be convenient to receive with due caution statements of this kind, which are necessarily subject to considerable uncertainty.