The Marquess of Londonderry, in rising to give notice, that, on Monday next, he would call the attention of the House, and particularly of his Majesty's Government, to the state of British relations with the Court of St. Petersburgh, which had been left for so long a time without any representative of the Crown of this country, wished to state, that he thought it necessary that some explanation of so singular a circumstance should be given. It was, he believed, in August, 1832, that Lord Heytesbury was removed from that embassy. In October, 1832, Sir Stratford Canning was appointed 1351 his successor, but, up to the present period, he had not repaired to his station, and his Majesty had had no fit representative at St. Petersburgh. He thought the present moment a proper opportunity for directing attention to the subject, in consequence of the recal, of which he had heard with the deepest regret, of an individual, who for five-and-twenty years had discharged the diplomatic functions attached to the post of Ambassador from the Court of St. Petersburgh to this country with exemplary fidelity, ability, and satisfaction to all with whom he held intercourse. No one, he felt satisfied, was more competent adequately to discharge the duties of the laborious and responsible office he filled. Upon what grounds, whether of etiquette or otherwise, his Imperial Majesty had thought fit to recal that illustrious individual, it was not for him to inquire; but he should certainly think himself justified in asking the noble Earl opposite why, our Ambassador having been recalled from the Court of St. Petersburgh, another of equal rank was not sent as the representative of his Majesty at that Court.
§ Earl Greysaid, with reference to the observations of the noble Marquess upon the character of the illustrious individual to whom he had alluded, every feeling of duty, and every private sentiment, respecting that individual called upon him to declare his entire concurrence in what had fallen from the noble Marquess. He concurred most sincerely in every word he had said. The immediate cause of his recal was his appointment to a situation of considerable trust and distinction. But, whatever the cause, he assured the noble Marquess, that no one could feel more regret at the circumstance than he did. In the course of his transactions in business with that illustrious individual, he had had opportunities of knowing how much advantage attended his presence here. Sure he was, that his continuance would have promoted the satisfactory settlement of those questions of, he might say, tremendous importance, which yet remain to be arranged.