WAYS AND MEANS— [INCOME TAX.] (Hansard, 29 November 1867)

§ MR. OSBORNE

said, he did not see the noble Lord the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs in his place, otherwise he should have wished to put a Question to him with regard to the Abyssinian business; because he thought the public opinion was fast coming to this—that that House had rushed into this affair without sufficient information, and that there was really nothing in the blue book to explain the reasons why this war had been entered upon. Acting upon this impression, he had placed upon the Paper a Question with reference to the information contained in the blue book which he had wished the noble Lord to answer. There was a complete vacuum in the information contained in the blue book as regarded events that had taken place between 1855 and 1860, and there was only one letter in 1862. Thus, no information whatever was supplied as to the instructions given to Consul Plowden from 1855 down to the time of his death. He had not the slightest intention of making any attack upon the Government by the step he was taking; but he hoped the House would support him in pressing upon Her Majesty's Advisers the necessity for laying before Parliament every circumstance which had led to the war. He almost believed that, were the whole facts before the House, it would be found that something might even be said in favour of King Theodore, unpopular as he might be at the present moment. It was impossible to doubt that there had been a great deal of blundering in the Foreign Office in past days, and possibly we might not be wholly innocent in this Abyssinian business. The House of Commons seemed willing to accept any explanations offered them with regard to the causes of the war. They seemed to say, "We have got into a mess, and we must get out of it as best we can." Now, it was quite possible that some day another Abyssinian case might arise in some other place, and therefore it was important that the House should sift this matter to the bottom, and should 449 ascertain distinctly what were the instructions which were given to Consuls Plowden and Cameron, and what was the policy of the late Government upon the Turco-Egyptian question. Unless this information was forthcoming, they could not know whether King Theodore was or was not a much wronged man by this country. In the absence of the noble Lord, however, he would not press the Question at the present moment. He intended, however, to persevere on Monday with the Motion which he had placed upon the Paper, and he trusted that sufficient interest was left in the House to compel the Government in case of refusal—though he had no reason to believe that that refusal would be made—to give a full exposition of all the papers relating to the Abyssinian business from the beginning, but more especially the papers which contained the correspondence of Mr. Plowden from the year 1855 down to his death in 1860. He had a shrewd suspicion that some matters would be divulged which would make out some case for the Emperor Theodore, and would furnish a warning to the Foreign Office and the House against plunging into expenses for wars in places with which we ought to have no concern.