§ 1. Mr. JOYNSON-HICKSasked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether His Majesty's Government has any official information to the effect that Peruvian officials connive, and in some cases actually take part, in the slave traffic between the Putumayo river and Iquitos?
§ The UNDER-SECRETARY of STATE for FOREIGN AFFAIRS (Mr. Acland)His Majesty's Minister in Lima has reported that accusations have been brought in a Peruvian journal against the house of Arana of traffic in peons with Brazil with the connivance of the late Peruvian Consul-General at Manaos. These accusations 1067 have been denied. His Majesty's Minister has also reported that two Government launches have been posted at strategic points on the river frontier between Peru and Brazil to prevent the traffic in Peruvian labourers.
§ 2. Mr. JOYNSON-HICKSasked whether His Majesty's Government has any Consular representatives at Manaos; if so, will the right hon. Gentleman inquire whether some time in August or September of this year the steamer "Manaos" brought down the Putumayo for sale eight boys and four girls which were re-embarked at the mouth of the Yavari river on the launch "Hamburg" for sale at Iquitos?
§ Mr. ACLANDHis Majesty's Government are represented by an unsalaried Vice-Consul at Manaos who is under the superintendence of His Majesty's Consul at Para. The incident referred to by the hon. Member has been mentioned in a letter from the Colombian Consul-General at Manaos to the British and United States Consul at Iquitos. It is, however, there stated that the Indians were shipped on board the "Manaos" at San Antonio at the mouth of the River lea, which is many hundreds of miles distant from Manaos, and were afterwards transhipped to the "Hemburgo" at the mouth of the River Javery for Iquitos. I will inquire whether there is any confirmation of this information.