§ MR. J. A. PEASE (Northumberland, Tyneside)I beg to ask the Under Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether Her Majesty's Government, having regard to the fact that terms have been now concluded with the Imperial British East Africa Company, will take steps to construct a railway from Mombasa towards Lake Victoria Nyanza; what number of slaves up to the present time have been engaged at Zanzibar as porters upon which a deposit has been paid to the Government agent under the Proclamation of 17th October, 1894, and what is the amount of the deposit; and whether the representatives of Her Majesty's Government at Zanzibar have yet reported as to the best method of promptly terminating the institution of slavery; if not, when was the Report asked for, und when is it expected?
§ THE UNDER SECRETARY OF STATE FOR FOREIGN AFFAIRS (Sir EDWARD GREY, Northumberland, Berwick)The terms offered have only just been accepted by the East Africa Company, and I cannot add to the answer which was given by the Chancellor of the Exchequer the other day. We have no information as to the second paragraph of my hon. Friend's question. The despatch to Mr. Hardinge, instructing him to send the Report in question, was sent on the 27th of November last; the Report was received last Wednesday. Mr. Hardinge has since telegraphed to ask that a final decision as to the steps to be taken may be postponed till further information which is being collected has been received. The Vice Consul is now taking up his residence at Pemba, about the interior of which nothing has hitherto 715 been known, and we expect to receive further and important information from him.