§ MR. FIELD (Dublin, St. Patrick)I beg to ask the President of the Board of Trade whether any further information has been received regarding the death of Robert Power, sixteen years of age, an apprentice on board the "Eurydice," who was found on the 25th November, 1899, in the harbour of Bahia with a cut on his head; whether he will cause inquiry to be made regarding this occurrence; and whether he is aware that the ship "Eurydice" is on her return vovage.
§ THE PRESIDENT OF THE BOARD OF TRADE (Mr. GERALD BALFOUR, Leeds, Central)No, Sir; no further information beyond that communication to the father of Robert Power has been received with regard to the circumstances to which the hon. Member refers. The Board of Trade obtained statements from members of the crews of the two vessels lying near the "Eurydice," and also from the master and four of the crew of that vessel on her return to this country. They have also communicated with His Majesty's Vice-Consul at Bahia Blanca, and the Foreign Office have made inquiries through His Majesty's Charge d'Affaires at Buenos Ayres, but I regret to say that no light has been thrown upon the circumstances of Power's sad death. There seems, however, no sufficient reason to believe that the lad met with foul play, and I fear 833 that further inquiries would not be likely to lead to any useful result.