§ MR. MARKHAM (Nottinghamshire, Mansfield)I beg to ask the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether, on 28th February, 1900, he received from the Chartered Company a copy of a letter sent by this Company on the same day to the War Office, in which an appeal was made to His Majesty's Government to send an armed force to the aid of the Company owing to an expected rising of the natives in Rhodesia; whether he will state the date in 1900 when His Majesty's Government first sent troops to Rhodesia; and whether he has any information of the causes which compelled this Company to again appeal in 1900 for armed assistance from His Majesty's Government to enable them to prevent the native population from rising.
§ MR. J. CHAMBERLAINThe answer is in the affirmative. The first troops reached Beira in April, 1900. The original and main object of sending the troops was to defend Rhodesia in the event of the Boers trekking to the north and invading the country, and not for internal defence.
§ MR. MARKHAMCan the right hon. Gentleman tell me the reason why, when I last asked this Question, he gave me an answer in the negative?
§ MR. J. CHAMBERLAINI have not the least objection to replying to the hon. Member. The Question last week was quite a different Question.‡ He then asked me for the particulars of a recent appeal by the Company for assistance from the Government. I had no conception that in talking of a recent appeal he had any intention of alluding to a thing that was disposed of two and a half years ago.
§ MR. MARKHAMMy Question contained no word relating to a recent-rising.
‡ Refer to page 502 of this volume.
§ MR. SPEAKERIt is contrary to the Rules of the House, when a Question has been asked and answered, to proceed to ask another Question referring to a previous answer.