5. Mr. F. HALL (Dulwich)asked if an ultimatum was recently presented to the Government of Haiti demanding payment of a large indemnity to a British subject as compensation for the destruction of his property during a recent revolution in the island; if the Haitian Government has agreed to pay compensation; if the American Government was advised before the ultimatum was presented; if the Monro doctrine has in practice been applied to this and other islands in the West Indies; and on what grounds the Government delays taking similar decisive action to exact 691 retribution for the murder of Mr. Benton in Mexico and to secure compensation for his relatives, the circumstances being almost identical?
§ Mr. ACLANDThe report of an ultimatum must be founded upon the fact that His Majesty's Minister at Port-au-Prince was instructed to leave the country in the event of the Haitian Government refusing to carry out the decision of an arbitral tribunal as regards the claim in question. The answer to the second part of the question is in the affirmative. There was no reason to advise the United States Government in advance of the action contemplated by His Majesty's Government and this was not done. The hon. Member will see that there is no analogy between this case and that of Mr. Benton, as is apparent from the answer returned to his question of April 22nd last and to the answer given to a question asked by the Leader of the Opposition on March 3rd.