§ MR. MEAGHERsaid, he rose to ask the First Lord of the Treasury whether he could afford any information as to the present state of the river Danube, as far as its safe and proper navigation is concerned; and whether there be any reasonable hopes that the river now may be sufficiently clear to allow of spring shipments being made to and from the Danubian Provinces.
§ VISCOUNT PALMERSTONTwo Commissions have been appointed with regard to the Danube—the one a permanent Commission, consisting of delegates from the river-bordering Powers, in accordance with the article of the Treaty of Vienna; the other a temporary European Commission, composed of members deputed by Powers which are not river-bordering, but whose duty it is to take measures to keep the mouths of the river open for navigation by removing obstructions. This last Commission has met, but it has not been able to settle any measures for clearing away the obstructions which now exist. Some of the sand-banks within the delta have been removed, but there is one material point now under consideration—namely, as to which branch of the Danube is the one best calculated to be useful for the navigation of the river. Many think that the Sulina branch is not the best, but that the St. George's branch might be rendered so. No time, however, will be lost in making the necessary investigations incidental to the attainment of the object in view.