§ COLONEL NOLAN (Galway, N.)I beg to ask the First Lord of the Treasury if he will grant a return of all sentences passed and executed on all rebels born in the Cape or Natal Colonies where the crime was simple rebellion; or, if this return would be costly or tedious to obtain, would he now state what was the ordinary or average sentence enforced against Cape or Natal rebels.
§ THE PRIME MINISTER AND FIRST LORD OF THE TREASURY (Mr. A. J. BALFOUR,) Manchester, E.Under the Cape Indemnity Act special tribunals were established, and the rank and file rebels were disfranchised for five years. That Act expired in April, 1901, and after that date rebels were tried by military courts-martial, and the return of the sentences of the military courts has been published. At the end of the war all unexpired sentences of the military courts were reviewed by Lord Alverstone's Commission, the report of which has been issued as a Parliamentary paper. At the time of the surrender of the Boer forces it was decided that the rank and file of the rebels who surrendered should be disfranchised for life, and a proclamation was issued giving effect to this. The Natal Government give it as their opinion that the rebels should be dealt with according to the law of the Colony. I have no further information in regard to Natal, but I have no doubt it can be obtained if the hon. and gallant Member so desires.