§ MR. EMMOTT (Oldham)I beg to ask the Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether the attention of His Majesty's Government has been called to an announcement made in the Mouve-ment Geographique, to the effect that the Commission of Inquiry into the condition of the Independent State of the Congo left Boma for Antwerp on 31st January last; and, if so, will he say whether he has any official information to this effect; and whether Vice-Consul Mackie or Acting-Consul Nightingale have, so far, attended any meetings of the Commission of Inquiry.
§ EARL PERCYThe Answer to the first paragraph is in the affirmative, but His Majesty's Minister at Brussels reported on February 9 that Monsieur de Cuvelier had no reason to believe that the report was correct. It was not possible for Mr. Nightingale to leave his post in order to attend the meetings of the Commission pending Mr. Mackie's arrival. The latter left Boma for the Upper Congo on January 20.