§ MR. SCOTT (Lancashire, Leigh)I beg to ask the Under Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether, having re-gad to the apparently small number of Dervishes who received aid after the battle of Omdurman, he can give any information as to the proportion they bore to the total number of wounded; and, whether he can give any idea of the numbers of those who died on the battlefield without receiving any aid whatever?
§ SIR J. FERGUSSON (Manchester, N.E.)Before the right honourable Gentleman answers, I should like to ask whether it is not within his knowledge that encouragement was given to the relations and friends of wounded Dervishes to go out and take care of them, and whether the regimental transport was not sent with them to give assistance; and, secondly, whether, after the battle of Omdurman, the Sirdar's Army did not march for many miles, and was then engaged in heavy duties, so that it was impossible for it to be occupied in collecting and relieving the enemy's wounded?
§ MR. BRODRICKI believe that what my right honourable Friend has just stated is substantially correct. The great distance over the field of battle and also the heavy work which fell to the troops on that and the following day made it impossible for the troops to do more than they did do. As regards the question of the honourable Member for Leigh, I have to say that 333 we have no information except that given in the Memorandum by Sir R. Wingate, which has just been published.
§ MR. SCOTTI beg to ask the Under Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether, in view of the fact that Lord Cromer's Report, just published, makes no reference to the charge made by a number of eye-witnesses that, on the day of the battle of Omdurman, camp followers of the Sirdar's Army came out and murdered and plundered wounded Dervishes, as to which a Report was promised, he will request Lord Cromer to make a further Report on this subject?
§ MR. BRODRICKThe Sirdar has denied all these allegations, and I do not think any public purpose would be served by asking Lord Cromer for a further Report.