§ SIR JULIAN GOLDSMIDasked Mr. Chancellor of the Exchequer, Whether, considering that on more than one occasion he has stated that he has been unable to inform the House of the action taken by Her Majesty's Government in Egypt, and the reasons for such action, because the Government had been working in concert with France, and had not the consent of the French Government to any such information being afforded, M. Waddington obtained the consent of the English Government before giving to the French Chamber on Thursday last, the important account of the circumstances connected with the deposition of Ismail Pasha; whether he can explain to the House the divergence of 59 views entertained by the two Governments, as shown by his own statement that it was not in the interests of any private persons or creditors that the Governments had acted, and that made by M. Waddington in the following words:—
In the interests of such of our countrymen as have fortunes in Egypt, we were obliged to instruct our representative to invite the Khedive to abdicate;whether it is correct, as stated by M. Waddington—That the deposition of the Khedive has made no change in the privileges of Egypt, which is ruled by firmans bought at the cost of enormous sacrifices;and, if so, what is the reason why the new firman has not been published; whether it is true that at the present moment negotiations for the new firman are really not concluded because the Turkish Government wished to curtail the privileges enjoyed by the late Viceroy, and will only consent not so to curtail them, in return for a considerable additional tribute to be paid by the Egyptian Treasury; and, whether, considering that a public statement has now been made by M. Waddington, he will not, in accordance with the engagement understood by many Members to have been entered into, afford the House a very early opportunity of discussing the policy of the Government in their recent and present interference in Egyptian internal affairs?
§ THE CHANCELLOR OF THE EXCHEQUERSir, I cannot undertake, within the limits of an answer to a Question, to discuss the speech made by M. Waddington. But I would say that it is substantially correct that the deposition of the Khedive has made no change in the privileges of Egypt—that is to say, the last Firman which has been agreed to will leave the privileges of Egypt substantially as they were before. The terms of the Firman had, I believe, been settled; but the Firman has not yet been actually issued. There is no truth, so far as we are aware, in the statement that additional tribute was demanded in order to bring about the issue of the new Firman. As regards the other Egyptian Papers for which the hon. Baronet asks, I believe they will be out in the course of a couple of days, and there will then be an opportunity of discussing the subject.
§ SIR JULIAN GOLDSMIDgave Notice that he would bring the question before the House on the Motion to go into Committee of Supply.