§ MR. CAINEI beg to ask the Under Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs if the Secretary of State has received any communication from His Majesty's Chargé d'Affaires at Valparaiso concerning the arrest as an Argentine spy and the detention in solitary confinement of Mr. Marshall Patterson, a British subject resident in Valparaiso; is he aware that Mr. Patterson's innocence has been established, and that all reparation or compensation has been refused by the Chilian Government; and, seeing that other instances of similar treatment of British subjects are frequent in Chili, will he take the opportunity of this case of Mr. Patterson to secure not only proper compensation but some better protection for the increasing number of British subjects residing in Chili and other South American Republics.
§ *THE UNDER SECRETARY OF STATE FOR FOREIGN AFFAIRS (Lord CRANBORNE, Rochester)A despatch has been received from His Majesty's Charge d'Affaires at Santiago to the effect that Messrs. Patterson and Paine, two British subjects staying at a hotel in Valparaiso, were arrested by the Chilian Authorities on suspicion of being Argentine spies. They were imprisoned for one day and were released as soon as there innocence was recognised. Messrs. Patterson and Paine have put forward claims for compensation, but His Majesty's Chargé d'Affaires has not yet presented them to the Chilian Government, as there is no evidence at present to show that the authorities acted beyond their powers in the matter. A further report will be called for and on its receipt the question of demanding compensation will be considered. The statement that other instances of similar treatment of British subjects are frequent in Chili is not in accordance with our information.
§ MR. CAINEIs the noble Lord aware that the gentlemen in question were in the employ of a well-known firm in Valparaiso, and had been resident there 47 years.
§ *LORD CRANBORNEI was not aware of that.