MR. KINGLAKEsaid, he would beg to ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether any Despatches have been recently received from Lord Elgin, and especially any Despatches communicating the fact of a rupture of the negotiations which had been opened with the Government of the Emperor of China; and, if so, whether there would be any objection to lay upon the table of the House copies of such Despatches, and of any other Correspondence respecting our differences with China; and whether, consistently with due regard to the Public Service, he can now state the intentions of Her Majesty's Government with respect to the prosecution of our demands against the Emperor of China?
THE CHANCELLOR OF THE EXCHEQUERSir, the hon. Gentleman is under an erroneous impression in supposing there has been any rupture in our negotiations with China. On the contrary, what the Emperor has done has not been to send a Minister of State to meet Lord Elgin at Shanghai, but to send a message to state that a Minister of State will be sent to Canton, and requesting that Lord Elgin will return to Canton to meet his Plenipotentiary there. Lord Elgin has, however, advanced towards the north. With regard to the second part of the inquiry, as to our intention to prosecute our demands, I beg to remind the hon. Gentleman that we are acting at present with allies, and therefore it would be inconvenient to lay upon the table any instructions, either those given by our predecessors or by ourselves subsequently. We are acting in unison with other Powers, and under such circumstances it would, I repeat, be inconvenient to the Public Service to lay the Papers on the table,
§ LORD JOHN RUSSELLsaid, he would give notice that he should ask the right hon. Gentleman to-morrow, whether any demand had been made upon the Chinese Government; and, if so, whether any an- 1449 swer to that demand had been received from them?