§ MR. PICTON (Leicester)I bog to ask the Under Secretary of State for the Colonies, in reference to the recent expedition against the Sofas, whether the Colonial Office in November last had information not possessed by the Governor when he judged it sufficient to send a pacific mission of inquiry; if so, whether this information can be communicated to the House, or was there any other reason for over-ruling the decision of the Governor?
§ THE UNDER SECRETARY OF STATE FOR THE COLONIES (Mr. S. BUXTON,) Tower Hamlets, PoplarMy hon. Friend's inquiry was practically answered by me on February 16 in reply to a question by my hon. Friend the Member for South-East Lancashire, and I must refer him to that answer. I can only add that, while allowance is made for the fact that the Governor had but recently returned to the colony after leave of absence, he did not appear to fully appreciate the facts of the case. Her Majesty's Government were satisfied as to the atrocities committed by the Sofas and the necessity of their prompt punishment—an opinion which has been amply justified by the facts reported in the published Despatches of the gallant officer commanding the expedition, whose subsequent death, owing to the hardships of the campaign, is greatly deplored by Her Majesty's Government.