§ MR. HUGH HOARE (Cambridge, Chesterton)I beg to ask the Under Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs—whether a Kurd, named Hussein, now living at Van, who came from Patnotz, in the vilayet of Erzeroum, has got possession of 20 Armenian girls, brought to him by soldiers as spoils of war; (2) whether Hussein is the same man as the Hussein of whom it was reported, five years ago, by the English Consul at Erzeroum, that he had committed 13 murders and 5 rapes, besides countless robberies of money, sheep, cattle, and property of all sorts; (3) whether, after adding to his crimes during the last five years, he was made a Pasha two years ago, and given rank in the Kurdish Cavalry; and (4) whether a large number of Armenian women and girls have been carried off and are now scattered about among the Kurds and Turks in Turkish Armenia?
§ THE UNDER SECRETARY OF STATE FOR FOREIGN AFFAIRS (Sir EDWARD GREY,) Northumberland, BerwickHussein Pasha is the same person whose record is given in Parliamentary Paper, Turkey, No. 1, 1892. It is not known whether he has any rank in the Kurdish Cavalry. A statement has been made that he has obtained possession of 20 Armenian girls, but not upon evidence which can be considered conclusive. Similar reports to that alluded to in the last paragraph of the question have, I regret to say, reached Her Majesty's Government. Her Majesty's Ambassador will be instructed to call for an inquiry.