§ MR. CROMBIE (Kincardineshire)I beg to ask the Under Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether it is 346 the case that the Mala Real Portugueza Company, which became bankrupt about a year ago, while it has been settling local claims on the bankrupt estate, refuses to pay the sum of several hundreds of pounds due to the staff of British engineers employed on the steamers of the Company both before the failure and since; and whether Her Majesty's Government can do anything to help these engineers to recover the sum due to them?
§ THE UNDER SECRETARY OF STATE FOR FOREIGN AFFAIRS (.Sir E. GREY, Northumberland, Berwick)The Report just received from Her Majesty's Minister at Lisbon is substantially in accordance with the facts stated in the question. The Minister has been endeavouring to get the claim settled, and will continue to do so.