NEWS OF THE WEEK.
GRAVE incident occurred in the House of Commons on
Wednesday afternoon. Sir Stafford Northcote having inquired, in a, guarded and significant way, whether serious news had not been received from Madagascar, Mr. Gladstone replied in the affirmative, stating that, according to telegrams re- ceived via Zanzibar, Tamatave, the chief port of Madagascar, was occupied by the French on June 14th. The French Admiral proclaimed a state of siege, arrested the native 4‘ secretary" to the Consulate—" interpreter" would be, perhaps, a better description—imprisoned a Missionary, Mr. Shaw, for "communicating with the enemy," and ordered the British Consul, Mr. Pakenham, to quit the place in twenty-four hours. Mr. Pakenham, a man of eighteen stone and very sickly, died. seven hours before the expiration of the term. The Admiral invited the officers of H.M.S. Dryad' to attend the funeral, 'but subsequently stopped all communication between that vessel and the shore. Mr. Gladstone, in a very serious tone, pro- ceeded to say that the Government had communicated with that of France on this " grave and painful occurrence," and were " awaiting those explanations which it had been intimated to that Government were anticipated." Lord Granville on Thursday endorsed this statement, adding that he had com- municated with the French Chargé d'Affaires within a few minutes of receiving the telegrams, and that M. Challemel- Lacour, though ignorant of the facts, had admitted that the ex- pulsion of the Consul needed extreme circumstances to justify it.
