HC Deb 20 July 1855 vol 139 cc1204-5
MR. DISRAELI

repeated the question put by him on a previous evening, as to whether the noble Lord at the head of the Government would have any objection to lay upon the table of the house a copy of the instructions given to Lord John Russell as the Plenipotentiary of this country at the recent Congress at Vienna?

VISCOUNT PALMERSTON

said, that as a general rule, instructions of this sort were not laid before Parliament, and for reasons the force of which the House would at once acknowledge. The reasons were that these instructions necessarily entered into discussion upon all matters connected with the mission, involving opinions upon the relations of the different Powers to each other and to this country, and providing for contingencies and cases which might or might not arise; and it would be exceedingly injurious to the public service that such opinions should be made public. But he conceived the object of the right hon. Gentleman in moving for copies of these instructions was to as- certain whether these instructions were or were not in accordance with the despatches which had been laid upon the table of the House. If that were the object of the right hon. Gentleman, perhaps he would inform him?

MR. DISRAELI

said, that it was somewhat irregular to ask what was his object in the course he had taken, and he must decline giving the noble Lord any reason for making the inquiry. He wished, however, to state that the noble Lord himself I had moved for copies of the instructions given in the cases of Mr. Ouseley and of Lord Ashburton, and he (Mr. Disraeli) had, therefore, only followed a great precedent in the course which he had taken.

VISCOUNT PALMERSTON

said, it was very hard when he was disposed to be courteous, that the right hon. Gentleman should be so very ungracious. What he was going to state was this, that if it was the opinion of the right hon. Gentleman, or of the House, that it would be a completion of the case if the Government laid before the House that part of their instructions which related to the specific points which had come under discussion, he would have no objection to give such extracts from the instructions as would complete that part of the case. He decidedly objected to giving the whole of the instructions for the reasons which he had stated, namely, that they treated of matters connected with the relations of the powers of Europe with each other and with this country, and that it would not be for the good of the public service to produce them. Subject to this limitation, he was perfectly ready to give extracts of the instructions, and he believed that when those extracts were in the hands of hon. Members they would be perfectly satisfied with that portion of them.