§ Dr. Bowring, in pursuance of the notice he had given, begged to ask the right hon. Baronet, at the head of the Government, whether the building of the English Protestant Church at Jerusalem had been interfered with by the Turkish authorities; and, also, whether he had received a firman from the Porte to authorise the establishment of a Protestant bishopric at Jerusalem?
§ Sir R. Peelstated, that with regard to the first question of the hon. Gentleman 18 it appeared, that the Porte had never given its consent to the construction of a Protestant church at Jerusalem; but, on the contrary, that the Porte had stated, that the permission to construct such a building would be contrary to the Mahometan law. The Porte had not, however, taken any active steps for the purpose of preventing the progress of the building, according to the official information which the Government had received. But it was stated in the newspapers, that the Turkish authorities had interfered to put a stop to the construction of the church. The last official report which had reached the Government was dated in November last, and in that report it was alleged that the Turkish authorities viewed with considerable jealousy the progress of the building. The state of the case, therefore, as far as the official information went, was, that the Porte had never given its consent to the construction of the church; but no official report had been received by the Government which could enable them to give further information on the subject With respect to the establishment of a Protestant bishop in Jerusalem, the Porte had never formally recognised that bishop in his capacity of a bishop; but the Porte had never objected to his residence in that country.
§ Dr. Bowringgave notice, that he should take an early opportunity of calling the attention of the House to the circumstances to which the right hon. Gentleman had just referred.