March 16th. Mr. Wait asked the First Lord of the Treasury whether it was the intention of the Government to demand the punishment of the perpetrators of the treacherous massacre of Mr. Margary and his five servants at Manwine, while engaged on Her Majesty's Consular service, and what directions, if any, had been given on the subject.
Mr. Disraeli: We sent instructions to Mr. Wale, Her Majesty's Minister at Peking—and Hor Majesty's most able Minister at Peking, for it would be impossible to speak too highly of his qualifcations—to call upon the Chinese Government to wake a strict investigation into all the circumstances connected with the deplorable affair, and until we receive his report it will of course be out of our power to decide upon the steps we will take. The death of Mr. Margary is a public calamity. He was the son of ay officer in Her Majesty's service, and he was a young m: promise and ability, who had those qualities which were eminent career which I have no doubt him had his life been spared. This unhappy event occurred in a district in which it is doubtful whether the power of the Imperial Government was clearly established, and which is inhabited by a mixed popula of Shangs and Chinese. nomient the Gorernnient receive from Mr. Wade the result of his appeal to the Imperial Government, I shall have, U hope, to make a further communication to the House.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.