HC Deb 01 February 1878 vol 237 cc821-3
MR. POTTER

asked the Under Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, Whether, in addition to the other information furnished to the Foreign Office by Mr. Layard, the British Ambassador at Constantinople, he can lay before the House an approximate account of the number of Bulgarians, of either sex, who have been put to death by the Turkish authorities in the districts of Adrianople and Philippopolis during the last twelve months, with the charges upon which they were executed and the nature of the tribunals before which they were tried?

MR. BOURKE

All the information which is now in the possession of the Foreign Office with respect to the subject of the hon. Member's Question, will be found in the Blue Book "Turkey No. 1."

DR. KENEALY

asked Mr. Chancellor of the Exchequer, Whether his attention has been directed to the paragraph in the "Daily News," of the 31st January, quoting from the Paris paper "Le Gaulois;" and, if so, whether he can give the House any information upon the words, "the understanding of the Three Emperors is completely re-established with a view to the definitive settlement of the Eastern Question;" and, whether he has learned from the Turkish Government, or through any other source, what "the resolutions of the Three Emperors" are; and, if so, whether he can communicate them to the House?

THE CHANCELLOR OF THE EXCHEQUER

I can give no further information to the hon. Gentleman than that which I gave the other day—that we have no knowledge of the resolutions to which he refers. I may say that I have seen so very many paragraphs in the newspapers purporting to give information with regard to matters connected with this Government, or communications which are supposed to have been made to this Government, which I know to be incorrect, that I do not attach extreme weight to those which I see with regard to the proceedings of other Governments.

MR. E. JENKINS

asked Mr. Chancellor of the Exchequer, Whether any of the money proposed to be taken under the Vote of Credit has already been expended; and, if so, how much?

THE CHANCELLOR OF THE EXCHE-QUER

In regard to the second part of the Question put by the hon. Member, I can answer it at once by saying that none of the proposed Vote has been ex- pended. I can only further say, that if it be found that there has been any excess in our military expenditure, money to meet it will be asked for by the ordinary method of presenting a Supplementary Estimate.

THE MARQUESS OF HARTINGTON

Sir, I wish to ask the right hon. Gentleman the Chancellor of the Exchequer, Whether he can inform the House if it be true, as stated, that the Government has received intelligence that a document containing the bases of peace and of an armistice has been signed; and whether, if that be so, it is in his power to inform the House what are the terms so agreed upon?

THE CHANOELLOR OF THE EXCHEQUER

The information which we have received on this subject will be contained in a very short despatch, which will be laid on the Table to-night, and which I will read to the House. It is a despatch which will be sent by Lord Derby to Mr. Layard— February 1, 1878. SIR,—I have to inform your Excellency that the Turkish Ambassador communicated to me to-day a telegraphic despatch from the Ottoman Government to the effect that, according to advices received from their plenipotentiaries, the general bases of an armistice and of peace would be signed yesterday at Adrianople. We have no information that the document containing the bases of peace has been actually signed, and none as to their nature.