§ MR. DARBY GRIFFITHsaid, he would 1786 beg to ask the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, Whether any suggestion that this country should enter into any guarantee for securing the future political neutrality of Luxembourg has been made to, or entertained by, Her Majesty's Government during the late Communications on the subject?
LORD STANLEYSir, a great many communications, practicable and impracticable, wise and foolish, have been addressed to me by various persons upon the subject of Luxembourg in the course of the last few weeks; but all arrangements which will regulate the political future of that State must be made in the Conference. And I may now say that I have every reason to hope that Conference will meet at a very early date. I do not think it would be my duty to anticipate what will be there discussed; but think my hon. Friend has forgotten one fact of which he is, of course, aware—namely, that during the last twenty-eight years, since the Treaty of 1839, Luxembourg has been under a European guarantee, to which England is one of the parties. It is in the character of signitary to the Treaty of 1839 that we are now invited to discuss the future arrangements connected with Luxembourg.