MR. MAC IVERasked the Under Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, Whether he could give the House any further information with regard to the negotiations on the Commercial Treaty with France?
§ SIR CHARLES W. DILKEsaid, the hon. Member had not given him even private Notice of this Question; but Mr. Kennedy, of the Foreign Office, was now in Paris, and was in communication with representatives of the French Fo- 1084 reign Office and the Ministry of Agriculture and Commerce. There had been preliminary inquiries respecting the wool trade; but no formal Treaty negotiations had been begun.
MR. MAC IVERwished to know whether the House would have an opportunity of discussing the proposals before the Treaty was concluded?
§ SIR CHARLES W. DILKEsaid, he had already stated that Her Majesty's Government intended to keep the trades of this country thoroughly informed of what was going on.
§ MR. MITCHELL HENRYtrusted the hon. Baronet was aware that in the great centres of commerce, such as Manchester and Bradford, there was an opinion that it would be better that there should be no Treaty than one in a retrograde direction.