§ LORD WILLIAM GRAHAMsaid, he had by desire of the noble Lord the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, postponed the question which he now proposed to ask him. Rumours had been circulated for several days that orders had been received at Cherbourg and Brest that a large fleet should be collected. Peace had supervened, but that had only made those preparations still more extraordinary if they were still going on; and therefore he wished to ask the question of which he had given notice, whether Government has received any information respecting the formation of a large Channel Fleet at Brest and Cherbourg, with gunboats, and means for embarking and disembarking troops; and if so, whether they have demanded any explanations from the French Government on the subject.
§ LORD JOHN RUSSELLsaid, in answer to the question of the noble Lord, that the person to whom Government had applied for information on this subject was the gen- 1294 tleman who filled the office of Her Majesty's Consul at Brest, he being at present in Paris. That gentleman asserted his confidence that there were no extraordinary preparations going on cither at Cherbourg or at Brest. Such being the case, and there being no further information of any such preparations the Government had not thought it necessary to demand explanations from the French Government.