* THE EARL OF DUNDONALD,in rising to ask Her Majesty's Government if they can give any information as to the alleged state of starvation of the natives about Suakin; and, if it is as stated, whether they purpose taking steps to relieve the sufferers, said: I will only occupy a very few moments of your Lordships' time while I amplify the question which is put down on the notice Paper of your Lordships' House in my name. It appears that information has been received from Suakin stating that the natives at that place are in a state of semi-starvation. I cannot do better than read to your Lordships an extract from a letter written by Mr. Bennett Burleigh, whose name will be well-known to your Lordships as a war-correspondent, which appeared in the Daily Telegraph a few days ago. He writes on the 10th March—
I have to-day received communications from official and private friends at Suakin, which, in the interests of humanity and for the sake of our country, cannot be ignored.Mr. Naggia writes that—There being a dearth of food in the country, the Arabs are seeking refuge in Suakin. By an Order issued by the Governor General there, 'no Arabs from the outside' are allowed to pass the night within the walls. The weather has recently been unusually inclement, and the Arabs prefer to lie still and die outright rather than venture back to wander over the plains or hills to die of cold or starvation.Mr. Burleigh also gives a short extract from a letter written by a naval officer at Suakin, who says—We are in a miserable state of starvation; mothers are discarding their children—children killed and eaten here in the town. I hear that a man buried yesterday afternoon was dug up and eaten during the night.Now I do not quote those extracts for the purpose of finding fault with any regulations which may have been made by the Governor of Suakin. He is res- 977 ponsible, of course, for the regulations which lie thinks it right to make, and it rests with him to say whether he will allow natives from outside to sleep within the town or not, but I do think that, as this country by abandoning the Soudan has made it a sanguinary playground, I may call it, for savage tribes, it should take steps to avert the famine which generally follows upon bloodshed in such countries, and I hope Her Majesty's Government—for, if my information is correct, it is greatly needed—will place at the disposal of the Governor of Suakin supplies of grain for the unfortunate Hadendowahs, and also that they will, during the inclement weather, place at his disposal fuel so that they may make fires and warm themselves during the cold nights. Then, if we are not to have a recurrence of this state of things during next winter, grain ought to be provided for seeding purposes. I feel certain that the noble Marquess at the head of the Government will, at all events, lend his sympathy to the object of my question. I think all who are acquainted with Africa will endorse my statement that his administration has inaugurated measures which, I trust, will be of immense future advantage to the natives of a large portion of Africa, and I, therefore, feel that the noble Marquess will sympathise with me when I say that it would be a sad thing if our noble and gallant adversaries, the Hadendowahs, should, after escaping from our bullets, at length die of starvation in the desert.
§ THE PRIME MINISTER AND SECRETARY OF STATE FOR FOREIGN AFFAIRS (The MARQUESS of SALISBURY)My Lords, I am sure that everyone will sympathise deeply with the sufferings of the unhappy natives of the Eastern Soudan. At the present moment, I do not think, from all the intelligence which we have received, that their sufferings have been exaggerated by the noble Lord. The famine is very severe, and the sufferings are very acute. That we all feel deeply, and when he appeals to those who listen to him for sympathy I am sure he will not appeal in vain. But when the noble Lord goes further and proposes, as I understand him, that we should put a Vote on the Estimates for the purpose of succouring those inhabi- 978 tants of the Eastern Soudan, I think he is proposing to us to take a perfectly new departure, and to take measures which have no precedent in our recent history, at all events, and which might lead us very far as a precedent in the future. The Egyptian Government, of course, feels a certain responsibility. A subscription has been opened, and I believe the Egyptian Government has largely subscribed to it, for the purpose of assisting these poor people, but the English Government, so far as I can remember, has never yet within recent times advanced the public money, that is to say the money of the taxpayer, for the purpose of relieving foreign distress of this kind, and feeding a foreign population. No doubt enormous contributions have been made by the private munificence and good feeling of Englishmen, but so far the unwillingness of the Government and the House of Commons has been very great in regard to sanctioning any gift for the relief of a foreign population. If my memory serves me right, even in the terrible misery of the Indian famine, which was far more terrible in its area and its magnitude, and its fearful consequences, than the famine to which the noble Lord has called attention—even in that crisis, all the public money spent was the public money belonging to India itself. Of course, I must guard myself in saying that, by adding that I do not forget the enormous supplies which the private munificence of Englishmen brought forward. The noble Lord will not imagine that I am depreciating the great suffering which prevails in the Eastern Soudan; but on the grounds I have stated, because the step he invites us to take would impose upon us a heavy and severe responsibility, which we have no right to impose on the British taxpayer, I cannot hold out any hope that his suggestion will be entertained.