§ 14. Sir W. DAVISONasked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether he has any information to give to the House as to the attempted assassination of the wife of the British Consul-General at Kashgar, in Chinese-Turkestan, and the shooting of other British members of the Consulate staff?
§ Sir J. SIMONAs already stated in an answer given on 21st March, in the course of fighting on 14th February between Tungans on the one hand and Andijani and Turki tribesmen on the other, the door of the British Consulate at Kashgar was forced and one British subject, a Consulate messenger, was shot dead. It now appears that immediately before this incident a body of Tungans advancing across a field below the Consulate opened fire on a group on the Consulate terrace consisting of the British Consul-General, Colonel Thomson-Glover, his wife and the British Vice-Consul. Mrs. Thomson-Glover was wounded, but is, I am glad to say, making a rapid recovery. Subse- 696 quently snipers opened continuous fire on the Consulate compound, in the course of which Dr. Schmidt, the physician of His Majesty's Consulate-General was wounded in the shoulder and a Consulate messenger in the leg. Another British subject was also wounded during the fighting outside the Consulate grounds. As I stated in the House on 21st March, a strong protest was lodged by my instructions on 7th March with the Chinese Government, insisting that proper steps should be taken immediately to ensure protection of the Consulate-General in the future.
§ Sir W. DAVISONWhy is it that two months have elapsed before the right hon. Gentleman has obtained these additional particulars about the firing at the Consulate? Is there no wireless communication with Kashgar, in view of the fact that the Russians have a number of powerful wireless stations in the same locality?
§ Sir J. SIMONI do not think our information came from the Russians. In view of the extremely remote area with which we are dealing, I do not think the time that has elapsed between our inquiry and the information reaching us, is extraordinary. I am in telegraphic communication constantly with His Majesty's Minister at Peking.