§ SIR HENRY COTTONI beg to ask the Under-Secretary of State for the Colonies, whether he has any official information showing that, since the voluntary surrender of Dinizulu to the civil authorities on 9th December last, the Government of Natal has closed Zululand to the outside world; that the lash has been freely used there; that unresisting natives have been shot dead; that hundreds of natives who were suspected of being likely witnesses for Dinizulu have been arrested and thrown into prison, and all information regarding their whereabouts kept absolutely secret; and whether His Majesty's Government will cause inquiry to be made into the matter.
§ MR. CHURCHILLI can say no more about these matters than that we are asking for information on many 194 points, and we hope that the Governor of Natal will be able to supply us with it on his return from Zululand. In the meanwhile I would advise the House to suspend their opinion. Very full accounts of all native affairs in Natal will be found in the Blue-book recently published, and they will be supplemented as soon as possible by a further publication.
§ *MR. REESMay I ask the right hon. Gentleman whether, in regard to such charges as these brought against the governors of British Colonies and Possessions, it would not be simpler to assume that they are true?
§ MR. CHURCHILLI have not found anything to complain of in any of the questions.
§ MR. JOHN ELLIS (Nottinghamshire, Rushcliffe)When does the right hon. Gentleman expect to be in possession of the information mentioned in the earlier part of his Answer?
§ MR. CHURCHILLsaid he did not quite know when the new information alluded to would be ready. The Government had already published a very full and comprehensive Blue-book on affairs in Natal. The information accumulated from time to time, and as soon as they got another batch of information it would be laid before the House of Commons,