§ MR. SNAPE (Lancashire, S.E., Heywood)I beg to ask the Under Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether his attention has been drawn to a paragraph from Trincomalee, that appeared recently in a Colombo newspaper, in which it was stated that the Kumpam festival of the Hindoos had just been held; that some of the devotees had iron hooks inserted into the flesh of their backs, and were pulled with a rope by another in the fashion of a driver; that the ground was covered by the blood from a great sacrifice of slaughtered animals; and that these proceedings were for the purpose of driving away evil spirits; whether he has also been informed of the further statement in the paragraph that, for the observance of this festival, a special public holiday was granted by Government on the recommendation of Mr. Nevill, the late assistant Government Agent: and what action the Foreign Office proposes to take with reference to the sanction of these barbarous proceedings by the Government authorities of Ceylon?
§ MR. S. BUXTONMy hon. Friend has asked me to answer this question. My attention has not been drawn to the 1699 newspaper statements referred to; but if my hon. Friend will give me the date and name of the newspaper to which he alludes the Governor of Ceylon will be asked for a Report on the subject.