HC Deb 01 February 1900 vol 78 cc258-60
MR. S. T. EVANS (Glamorgan, Mid)

I beg to ask the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether his attention has been called to the letters and telegrams passing between the late Assistant Permanent Under Secretary for the Colonial Office and the solicitor to the Chartered Company of South Africa, which were published in the Independance Belge, on the 5th January last, and which were afterwards republished in some of the press of this country; whether inquiry has been made as to the authenticity of those letters and telegrams; and whether such letters and telegrams are authentic and accurate; and if so, whether he knew of them at the time they passed, or at what date they first came to his knowledge.

The following question also appeared on the paper—

MR. BAINBRIDGE

To ask the First Lord of the Treasury whether the attention of the Government has been drawn to the publication during the present month in the Independance Belge of certain letters purporting to be correspondence relating to the South African Commission, and whether it has been thought desirable to inquire whether such letters are genuine.

THE SECRETARY OF STATE FOR THE COLONIES (MR. J. CHAMBERLAIN,) Birmingham, W.

The answer to the first paragraph of the question of the hon. Member for Mid Glamorganshire is in the affirmative. I have only personal knowledge of two or three letters from Mr. Fairfield and one to the Colonial Office. These are substantially, but I think not verbally, correct. As to the remainder, I have been informed by Mr. Hawksley that it has recently come to his knowledge that they had been stolen from his office by a clerk who was summarily dismissed in October, 1897. Mr. Hawksley does not say whether they are genuine or not. I had no previous knowledge except of those to and from Mr. Fairfield, and was only informed of their existence a few days before they were published.

MR. S. T. EVANS

My question was confined to the documents passing between Mr. Fairfield and Mr. Hawksley. May I point out that the right hon. Gentleman has not answered the last part of the question, whether he knew of the letters and telegrams at the time they passed, or at what date they first came to his knowledge?

MR. J. CHAMBERLAIN

If the hon. Member refers solely to the letters of Mr. Fairfield, I do not think I saw them at the time, but I have no doubt they were sent under my instructions.

MR. SWIFT MACNEILL

I beg to ask the First Lord of the Treasury whether his attention has been directed to a series of letters published on the 6th inst. in the Independance Belge, written by the late Mr. Fairfield, the head of the African section in the Colonial Office, and Mr. Hawksley, the solicitor of the Chartered Company, of various dates from 11th February, 1896, till April, 1897, and more especially a letter dated 20th February, 1897, written by Mr. Hawksley to Earl Grey, a prominent director of the Chartered Company, and the administrator of the Chartered Company in succession to Dr. Jameson, C.B.; whether he is aware that these letters support the charge that the Secretary of State for the Colonies was cognisant of the Rhodes-Jameson plot against the Transvaal, that the Colonial Office had arranged to secure the acquittal of Dr. Jameson, C.B., and the Right Hon. Cecil Rhodes by the Select Committee of the House of Commons, and that an agreement had been effected for the suppression of the series of letters and cablegrams known as the Rhodes-Hawksley Correspondence; has he any reason to believe that these letters are forgeries; and what steps, if any, do the Government intend to take when a member of the Cabinet is deliberately charged with personal dishonour and public falsehood.

MR. A. J. BALFOUR

I understand that this question has been answered already by my right hon. friend.

MR. SWIFT MACNEILL

No; the former question dealt with the authenticity of the letters, and not their import. I will read the paragraph.

MR. SPEAKER

The hon. Member would not be in order in doing that.

MR. A. J. BALFOUR

It seems to me that all the questions have been answered except that in the last paragraph of the hon. Gentleman's question, a question which I suppose he hardly means seriously.

MR. SWIFT MACNEILL

Yes, I do.

MR. A. J. BALFOUR

If he does, my view is that such accusations should be treated with contempt.

MR. SWIFT MACNEILL

That does not answer the second paragraph. Will the right hon. Gentleman answer or decline to answer it? I do not care which.

MR. A. J. BALFOUR

I will answer that in the negative.