THE MATABELE. (Hansard, 28 November 1893)

§ THE UNDER SECRETARY OF STATE FOR THE COLONIES (Mr. S. Buxton,) Tower Hamlets, Poplar
The House will remember that yesterday the hon. Member for Northampton asked me a question in reference to information about the condition of the Matabele wounded in the engagements with the Company's forces. I informed the House later in the day that I had received a telegram from the Company in London to the effect that they had communicated with the Company at the Cape, requesting that information in regard to the matter should be sent. At that time they had not received the information. I have now received a communication from the Company, and I think that, in justice to them, and seeing that the matter has been raised in the House more than once, the House would desire me to read the material portions of that telegram. They say, speaking with the authority of the British South Africa Company——

MR. LABOUCHEKE (Northampton)
Who are "they"?

§ MR. S. BUXTON
The British South Africa Company in London have sent this telegram, which was received from the Company at the Cape. They say that the information contained is supplied by Captain White and the Hon. Maurice Gifford, both of them officers of 2005 the Company's troops. Those officers say that there is no foundation whatever for the imputation that the Mashonas wore allowed to kill the wounded Matabele. The Mashonas never left their laager for a long time after the tight— till the white men were at least a mile away. The Matabele wounded were all taken into laager and were attended the same as ours in every respect. All the wounded Matabele still in hospital at Buluwayo are being attended to by the Company's doctors.

§ MR. LABOUCHERE
I gather that this telegram is from the Secretary of the Company at the Cape?

§ MR. S. BUXTON
It is sent to me by the Company here. They sent it on the authority of their representative at the Cape, and the statement I have read is information supplied by Captain White and the hon. Maurice Gilford, both of them officers actually present with the Company's troops at the engagement.

§ MR. LABOUCHERE
Then I will ask my hon. Friend to be good enough to telegraph to the Cape to know whether the hon. Maurice Gifford and another Englishman imprisoned two Matabele in a hut, and when one of these Matabele snatched up a gun and shot this other gentleman, whose name I forget, the Hon. Maurice Grifford burnt down the kraal, and when the people rushed out shot them down. I would also ask him whether he will obtain the following information from the Secretary to Sir H. Loch, who is now at Buluwayo: How many wounded Matabele there an; at present at Buluwayo? for, by a moderate estimate, the numbers said to be killed and wounded were about 3,000. Now, it is a well-known fact that in English battles the maximum killed is one in eight. Assuming in this particular ease that one out of every three were killed and wounded there would be 1,000 Matabele wounded at the present moment in Buluwayo, and what I want to know is, How many wounded there are in Buluwayo? Then, when we get that from an independent source, we shall be able to judge of the veracity of these statements.

§ MR. S. BUXTON
With the leave of the House, I will just say a word in reply to the hon. Gentleman. The position is this: My hon. Friend makes an 2006 allegation without any evidence of any sort or kind before him. He made practically an allegation on the 9th of November last against the Company that they had allowed their Mashona allies to slaughter wounded Matabele.

§ MR. LABOUCHERE
I beg pardon. I asked what had become of the wounded, and then I asked whether they had been killed, or what had become of them?

§ MR. S. BUXTON
Yes; but the impression left on the House was that my hon. Friend was making an allegation against the Company that they had allowed their Mashona allies to slaughter the wounded.

§ MR. LABOUCHERE
Or left them on the field to die.

§ MR. S. BUXTON
That allegation is entirely and absolutely denied by the Company; and unless my hon. Friend can produce some better evidence than he produced before, which was no evidence, it is impossible to regard it as any evidence at all. This further allegation, that there ought to be 1,000 wounded Matabele, is absolutely incorrect, and I am bound to say that I do not see that we can at the present moment take any further steps in the matter. If he can bring any evidence throwing doubt upon the statement of the Company further inquiry will be made; but in the statement as it stands—a statement which I, for one, accept as correct—I do not see that we can for the moment make any further inquiry of the Company. With regard to the question about the Hon. Maurice Gifford, I must say that I have not heard of the allegation against him before. If my hon. Friend will supply me with any facts in regard to the matter I am sure that inquiry will be made if a primâ facie ease is made out. In all cases where primâ facie evidence is produced of cruelty on the part of the Company's troops or of the Imperial troops the Government have caused inquiries to be made, and I can assure the House that the Government will continue to make inquiries.

§ MR. LABOUCHERE
Then do I understand that the hon. Member declines to send to Major Sawyer to ask him the simple question how many wounded there are at present in Buluwayo?

§ MR. S. BUXTON
What I do say I is that Major Sawyer is there, and will report in regard to the general position and occurrences. What I understand the hon. Member to ask is that we should telegraph what is practically a further j imputation on the Company. This is what I object to, as my hon. Friend has produced no evidence whatever. I do not think that that is a position we ought to take up.

§ MR. PICTON (Leicester)
After every battle we usually have statistics of the killed and wounded. Is it not possible to ascertain how many wounded Matable there are being cared for at present? Surely that is possible; and, if possible, I think the Government ought to afford the evidence.

SIR J. FEKGUSSON (Manchester, N.E.)
The House will remember the expression used by the hon. Member for Northampton on a former occasion—and he used it in my hearing—was that he had good reason to believe that the British officers had permitted the Mashonas to massacre the wounded Matabele. That, unsupported by evidence, was a scandalous suggestion.

§ MR. LABOUCHERE
Sir, I rise to Order. I wish to ask whether the word "scandalous" addressed by one Member to another is in Order?

§ * MR. SPEAKER
It is not out of Order to say that a particular suggestion is scandalous.

§ SIR J. FERGUSSON
And I say, Sir, too, that when the hon. Member throws such gross aspersions on his fellow-countrymen without any evidence, those suggestions being now directly contradicted by credible witnesses, that it is too much to ask that further inquiries shall be made upon suggestions equally unfounded.

§ MR. LABOUCHERE
Then, Sir, I beg to say that it is a scandalous action on the part of the hon. Gentleman to support such a wretched, rotten, bankrupt set of murderers and marauders as the Chartered Company.