§ MR. GOURLEYasked the Under Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, 335 To state the nature of the International Treaty recently made at Constantinople relative to the Suez Canal Dues on Merchant Shipping; also, what provision has been made, if any, for the use of the Canal by ships of war in the event of this or any other maritime Power having hostilities with the Turkish Government?
§ MR. BOURKEThere has been no International Treaty of the nature alluded to. An International Commission of the Maritime Powers was convened by the Sublime Porte in 1873. Those Powers sent their Commissioners. Their deliberations commenced in October and ended in December last. The result of them is contained in a Report signed by all the Commissioners on the 18th of December. This Report will be laid before Parliament immediately, and the Porte has called upon the Khedive to see that the company carry out the recommendations of the Commission. The question relating to the use of the canal by ships of war did not come before the Commission, who were restricted to the consideration of canal dues and international tonnage.
§ MR. GOURLEYasked. Whether it is the intention of Her Majesty's Government to bring the question of the navigation of the Suez Canal by ships of war before the Turkish Government?
§ MR. BOURKEsaid, that Her Majesty's Government had no such intention at present.