§ LORD CLAUD HAMILTON moved that an Address be presented for a Copy of the Treaty concluded by his Majesty the Emperor of Austria with the Sublime Porte, on the 14th day of June, 1854, relative to 594 the military occupation of the Principalities of Moldavia and Wallachia. He said that his object in making this Motion was to call the attention of the Government to the fact that no treaties, however important they might be, and however they might affect the interests of Great Britain, appeared in the volume of State Papers published every year, except those to which Her Majesty's name was attached as one of the high contracting Powers. Copies of other treaties could only be obtained by the cumbrous process of a Motion for an Address. He had selected this treaty because it was one still in operation, and because Her Majesty's Government was, to a certain extent, a party to it, inasmuch as a distinct allusion to it was made in the second article of the treaty signed at Vienna in 1854. The Principalities at the present moment occupied the attention of a Commission; their form of government was a subject of discussion, and so strong was the difference of opinion which prevailed on this point that he had read but to-day, in a letter from one of those intelligent correspondents whose letters appeared in the London journals, that Austria was said to be prepared to resist by force the junction of the Principalities. All these things rendered it desirable that this treaty should be readily accessible in the library of the House, as the course of events would probably lead to frequent references to it.
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Motion made, and Question proposed—
That an humble Address be presented to Her Majesty, that She will be graciously pleased to give directions that there be laid before this House, a Copy of the Treaty concluded by His Majesty the Emperor of Austria with the Sublime Porte, on the l4th day of June, 1854, relative to the military occupation of the principalities of Moldavia and Wallachia.
§ VISCOUNT PALMERSTONobserved, that the particular treaty referred to had already been laid before Parliament, and it would only be putting the public to additional expense to reprint it. With regard to the general question raised by the noble Lord, it was undoubtedly proper that Parliament should be made acquainted with all treaties containing engagements on the part of the British Crown; but with regard to engagements entered into by other Powers between themselves the Government had no official knowledge, and such treaties were not laid before Parliament because they did not bear on any action of the British nation. But if any particular treaty were concluded between 595 two foreign Powers, which by its nature was thought to bear in some degree on the policy of England, then, if any Member moved for its production, the Secretary of State applied to the contracting Powers for an official copy, which was laid before Parliament. He apprehended that the noble Lord desired some arrangements to be made by which all international documents of interest should he collected and placed in the library. That might be done, no doubt, if Parliament desired it, and assigned a sufficient remuneration to some responsible person for performing the duty; hut it was a question for the House itself to determine. Under the direction of the Foreign Office there was a particular collection made and printed for sale, containing not only treaties, but all European documents of interest. There was a volume of these for each year. This work was undertaken some years ago, and was continued backwards and forwards from the period of its commencement and a large number of volumes had been published. It was a work of great labour and required great research, the documents being collected from every source. The work was in the hands of a very intelligent gentleman, and, as far as it went, he believed it might be relied on for perfect accuracy. He had only to repeat that if the House wished to have a collection of its own of treaties and documents of international interest, that was a matter which the House itself must determine.
§ MR. DISRAELIsaid, that in the library of the House there was a great want of documents of international interest, but he was sure the noble Lord, in making his Motion, meant no reflection on the gentleman engaged in the duties of the library, for he did not think that there was any library managed better than the library of the House. What had fallen from the noble Lord at the head of the Government was apart from the question. The collection of the Foreign Office was in every respect satisfactory, except that it was always in a state of great arrear. Now, instead of the House appointing an officer of its own at some expense to originate a work, if a representation were made to the Foreign Office to show a little more energy in the production of their valuable collection, and if that office were to transmit a copy of each of its publications to their library (paying whatever additional remuneration might be just to the officer engaged), the object of the noble Lord 596 who made the present Motion would be accomplished.
§ Motion, by leave, withdrawn.