MR. CHARLES Mc ARTHUR (Liverpool, Exchange)I beg to ask the First Lord of the Treasury whether the report of the sinking of the British steamer "St. Kilda" by a Russian cruiser is substantially correct; what action has been taken by His Majesty's Government on behalf of the owners of the ship and cargo; and what is the present position of the master and officers?
§ MR. A. J. BALFOURIn answer to my hon. friend I have to say that I fear it is true that the ship to which he refers has been sunk by a Russian cruiser. It would be unnecessary to inform my hon. friend that we took immediate steps in the matter. A correspondence is now going on between us and the Russian Government, of which I should be reluctant to speak at the present moment, because it is not concluded. My hon. friend will realise that His Majesty's Government take a very grave view of the matter, because it is not denied in any quarter that we had received a most specific assurance that no such action would be taken in the future by Russian cruisers.
MR. GIBSON BOWLESMay I ask whether His Majesty's Government have now received any satisfaction from the Russian Government as to a similar act, the sinking of the "Knight Commander," 1114 which the right hon. Gentleman himself characterised as a gross outrage; and whether they pressed for satisfaction in respect of that outrage? If not, it is perhaps due to that that this second outrage has occurred.
§ MR. A. J. BALFOURI do not think the second outrage has any relation to the first, except that the action taken by His Majesty's Government was intended to prevent the frequent repetition of these breaches of international law. If my hon. friend will put a Question to-morrow as to the matter of fact I will endeavour to answer it.