§ MR. W. EWARTsaid, he wished to ask the Under Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether there is a prospect of the completion of the road from Trebizonde to Erzeroum, important as an opening for British manufactures to the more central parts of Asia; also, whether the Government has information how far the new frontier line of Russia below the River Amoor extends; and whether the Russian Government has occupied a port opposite the south-west of the island of Sagalien?
MR. SEYMOUR FITZGERALDsaid, the only information he had it in his power to give in answer to the first Question was contained in a despatch of Sir Henry Bulwer, in which he stated that orders had been given to repair the roads to Erzeroum, but that he did not apprehend much good would be done, and that the construction of a new road would require considerably more funds than were at the command of the authorities. Sir Henry made a suggestion, to which he (Mr. FitzGerald) thought it was not very likely the Chancellor of the Exchequer would listen —namely, that if the British Government would advance the money the Porte would undertake the work and pay interest, but otherwise the Porte would be ready to make concessions to a private company. With regard to the second part of the Question, the Government were given to understand by the treaty of Tien-tsin, signed on the 15th of June last, that the boundaries between the Russian and Chinese empires were to be ascertained by a commission of engineers. They had no 825 official information whether that commission had been appointed, whether the limits had been traced, or whether any convention had been held on the subject. As to the last part of the question— whether Russia had occupied a fort opposite the south-west of the island of Sagalien —he had no information at all on that subject.