§ MR. C. J. O'DONNELL (Newington, Walworth)I beg to ask the Prime 972 Minister a Question of which I have given private notice. Is it possible for the right hon. Gentleman to give the House an early opportunity to consider the present disturbed condition of a great Indian population of 50,000,000 in Bengal, and the acute discontent in that province caused by numerous illegalities and violences to a people peacefully protesting against an arbitrary partition of their country; whether a great meeting of the National Convention, numbering thousands of delegates was not broken up by the police?
§ * MR. SPEAKERThis is not an opportunity for the hon. Member to give information, only to seek it.
§ MR. C. J. O'DONNELLIs the right hon. Gentleman aware that the meeting was being held on private ground, and that a number of persons were brutally assaulted by the police with batons in the presence of two members of the Legislative Council of Bengal?
§ SIR H. CAMPBELL-BANNERMANI think my hon. friend will see that notice ought to be given of a specific Question of that kind, especially when it is not addressed to the Minister who is most particularly conversant with the affairs of India. But, in answer to the Question of which my hon. friend has given notice, I have to say that I do not understand that the present condition of Bengal answers to the description given in the Question. My hon. friend may rest assured that the Secretary of State is giving close attention to the proceedings in the province, and there seems to be no such emergency as would justify the interruption of public business for discussing it at the present moment.
§ * MR. REES (Montgomery Boroughs)May I ask whether it is not the fact that the advices from India are by no means of one tenor, and that the state of Bengal has been grossly exaggerated.
§ [No Answer was given.]