§ EARL CADOGANsaid, that, seeing the noble Earl the Secretary of State for the Colonies (the Earl of Derby) in his place, he wished to ask him a Question of which he had given him private Notice, relating to an important statement made by the Prime Minister in "another place" last night. The right hon. Gentleman was reported to have said—
Her Majesty's Government, therefore, with reference to the question of the Transvaal Convention, have determined to advise the sending out of a Special Commissioner to South Africa. The business of that Special Commissioner will be to consider our present relations with the Transvaal Government, and the terms and conditions of the Convention, now that they have been illustrated by the working of a certain time, and by the experience thus afforded. The functions of the Special Commissioner will, of necessity, bring within his view the state of Bechuanaland, which it will be his duty to consider in concert with the High Commissioner at Cape Town.655 He (Earl Cadogan) had no desire, in putting a Question on this subject, to enter upon any controversial matter, and that more especially as his noble Friend (the Earl of Carnarvon) had a Notice of Motion on the Paper in regard to South African affairs generally. He might, however, be permitted to remind their Lordships that it was two years since the late Secretary of State for the Colonies (the Earl of Kimberley) announced to Parliament and the country that Her Majesty's Government had determined to re-cede the Transvaal to the Boers, under the Convention signed and ratified in October nearly two years ago. Considerable discussion took place in their Lordships' House upon the course which the Government then determined to adopt, and that course was viewed with considerable anxiety and interest all over the country. The noble Earl opposite the late Secretary of State for the Colonies himself would admit that the Opposition had not endeavoured to hamper the action of the Government in the very difficult position in which they found themselves at the critical period of the conclusion of the Boer War; but it could not be denied that the Government had taken a course which had originally excited apprehension; and, since then, the matter had been watched, and it was now viewed with alarm. Several attempts had been made this year in the other House to obtain from the Government explanations as to the policy they intended to adopt in the present position of affairs in the Transvaal. The Secretary of State for the Colonies in the late Government (Sir Michael Hicks-Beach) had made repeated attempts in the other House to elicit from the Prime Minister a promise to give them a day for the discussion of this question; but all of them had resulted in failure. One discussion, no doubt, had taken place, by which his right hon. Friend had elicited a certain amount of information; but he had not been able hitherto to obtain from the Prime Minister a day for the discussion of his Motion. On the previous evening his right hon. Friend had addressed another Question to the Prime Minister on this subject; and the result had been the announcement to which he (Earl Cadogan) had already referred. He must confess that, without entering upon any speculation or 656 prophecy as to the nature or results of the Commission which was foreshadowed by that statement, he could not but think that before it was sent out Parliament and the nation were entitled to more information as to this resolve of the Government; and he had, therefore, given Notice that he would ask the noble Earl whether he would have any objection to stating to the House and the country the Instructions which would be given to this Special Commissioner? He (Earl Cadogan) thought they ought to know the scope of the powers of the Special Commission. His business, as stated by the Prime Minister, would be to consider our present relations with the Transvaal Government and the terms of the Convention. He (Earl Cadogan) should have thought that that would have been the business of the Secretary of State. Nothing, it would be observed, was said by the Prime Minister as to any communications with the Transvaal Government. Therefore, he thought it right to ask whether the Colonial Secretary could give them any information as to the Instructions that would be given to the Special Commissioner? He had, besides, given the noble Earl Notice of another Question. He would be glad to know if the decision to send out a Special Commissioner had been arrived at after consultation with the Transvaal Government, or with the concurrence of that Government; and, if that Government had been consulted, he should like to ask the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether he could give them any hope that he would be able to lay on the Table of the House the Correspondence that had passed between the Home and the Colonial Governments upon the question? He asked these Questions with a sincere wish that the Transvaal Question might be settled satisfactorily; but he must confess that he had no very sanguine anticipation of this result. He must say that he did not look with much hope or with much pleasure on the steps the Government were now taking. With regard to the Convention, there were only two courses which could be adopted. It would be necessary for the Government either to drop the Convention altogether, or to enforce the observance of its terms. Any modification of the Convention would be entirely fruitless and nugatory. The only re- 657 sult, therefore, which he could anticipate from this course was one that he viewed with considerable regret—namely, that further delay would take place in this matter, and that all those evils which had now been accumulating clay by day over the whole of the South African Possessions and Dependencies of Her Majesty would go on increasing, and the remedies would be more difficult of application.
§ THE EARL OF DERBY, in reply, said, he was surprised at the course taken by the noble Earl opposite (Earl Cadogan), as the noble Earl knew that his noble Friend, a former Secretary of State for the Colonies (the Earl of Carnarvon), was about to bring the whole question before the House; but the noble Earl had not waited for an opportunity to be given to answer any Question as to the Mission to the Transvaal. He must also observe that it was not customary to discuss in that House the proceedings of the other; they had nothing to do with the question whether the late Secretary of State for the Colonies (Sir Michael Hicks-Beach) had, or had not, succeeded in obtaining a day for the discussion of this question in "another place." In regard to the Question asked by the noble Earl, the Government would be prepared, in due course, to lay upon the Table a copy of the Instructions to the Special Commissioner about to be sent out to the Transvaal; but it would not be to the public advantage to lay them on the Table in the present state of the negotiations. But another difficulty was in the way; the Instructions did not exist in any formal shape at present, as they had not yet been drafted, and, in any case, it was necessary that they should be in existence before they could be produced. With regard to the second part of the noble Earl's Question, as to whether there had been any consultation with or concurrence of the Transvaal Government, he need hardly remind their Lordships that, during the last two years, frequent dissatisfaction had been expressed by the Transvaal Government with the present state of things, and that there had been many expressions of desire on the part of that Government for a revision of the Convention. His noble Friend (the Earl of Kimberley), who had preceded him at the Colonial Office, had refused to hold out any hope 658 to them that their demands would be acceded to, his view being to wait a while and see how events were likely to proceed. That being the case, the Government had, under the circumstances, very little doubt as to the feelings of the Transvaal Government in regard to the Convention. The Government were informally acquainted with their views, and understood that they were willing to meet Her Majesty's Government half way in any attempt which might be made to settle the question; and, therefore, considering the Correspondence that had passed the last two years between the Government and the Transvaal authorities, he had not thought it necessary to consult the Transvaal Government, nor to ask its concurrence in regard to the sending out of a Special Commissioner. As he had said, he would be prepared, but not at the present time, to lay the Instructions on the Table.