§ MR. WILLIAM REDMONDI beg to ask the Under-Secretary of State for the Colonies if he can state the circumstances under which Mr. Jellicoe has refused to continue the defence of Dinizulu; and whether obstacles were placed in Mr. Jellicoe's way in preparing his defence.
The following Questions on the same subject also appeared on the paper.
§ MR. RAMSAY MACDONALDTo ask the Under - Secretary of State for the Colonies whether he has any 27 information if, before declining to proceed as counsel for Dinizulu, Mr. Jellicoe presented to the Governor a written protest regarding the proceedings; and whether His Majesty's Government will lay the protest upon the Table of the House, together with further Papers in continuation of Cd. 3888.
§ MR. RAMSAY MACDONALDTo ask the Under-Secretary of State for the Colonies if, since the withdrawal of Mr. Jellicoe, His Majesty's Government has taken any steps to secure a fair trial for Dinizulu.
§ MR. T. DAVIES (Fulham)To ask the Under-Secretary of State for the Colonies whether his attention has been called to the fact that the learned counsel who went out to Natal specially to defend Dinizulu has retired from the case; and can he inform the House of the reason for his retirement.
§ MR. CHURCHILLWith the permission of the House and for convenience I will answer all the Questions upon this subject together. I have no information as to the circumstances which led to Mr. Jellicoe's retirement from the conduct of Dinizulu's defence except that contained in the public Press. I have, of course, read Mr. Jellicoe's statement, and it will receive close attention from the Secretary of State. But the Governor of Natal, in whose judgment His Majesty's Government have great confidence, is at present in Zululand upon a tour of personal inspection to which importance is attached, and in the absence of a full report from him it would not be wise to form an opinion upon Mr. Jellicoe's allegations. The fact, however, that Mr. Jellicoe has retired from the case left His Majesty's Government in some doubt as to the precise means by which full legal assistance was to be secured to Dinizulu, and a telegram was on Monday sent to the Governor upon that point. I shall hope to be able to give the House more information next week.