I beg to ask the Under Secretary of State for the Colonies whether his attention has been drawn to a letter recently published by Mr. Donald Mackenzie, addressed to the Secretary of the Chamber of Commerce of Liverpool, relating to affairs in South Africa; whether his attention has been drawn to the statement therein that, out of a population of 400,000 persons in the two islands of Pemba and Zanzibar, 268,000 are slaves; that all labour in Zanzibar is done by slaves, as free labour does not exist, though solemn engagements were made between England and the Sultan of Zanzibar from 1873 to 1890 for the abolition of the slave trade, while in Aden and Port Said, where labour is free, there is no lack of men; whether the British Agent and Consul General is the official who directs the Sultan and the Zanzibar Government, and is responsible to the British Government for Zanzibar, Pemba, and East Africa; and whether it is with the sanction of Her Majesty's Government that such grave evils continue to exist?
I have not seen the letter, but full reports on the position of slavery in Zanzibar were laid in No. 6 Africa, 1895, and they deal with the points raised in the question. The whole question is now under consideration.
I beg to ask the Under Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs what steps the Government propose to take upon Mr. Hardinge's report to do away with Her Majesty's servants administering laws which acknowledge the legal status of slavery in the Island of Zanzibar?
I must point out to the hon. Member that the laws of Zanzibar are not administered by Her Majesty's servants. It was not found possible to come to a decision on Mr. Hardinge's reports till the position as to the future of the mainland had been settled. There will be as little further delay as possible in deciding what steps are to be taken.