§ MR. AYRTONsaid, he wished to ask the Under Secretary of State for Foreign Af- 1948 fairs, Whether Her Majesty's Government have made any representations to the Government of Portugal with regard to the Claims of various British Subjects who invested their money, by request of the Minister of Public Works of that Country, in an undertaking called the Union Mercantile Company, the stock of which is guaranteed by Royal Decree, and by Acts of the Legislature; if so, what has been the result of those representations, and whether there would be any objection to lay any Papers upon the table connected with those Claims?
§ MR. LAYARDsaid, in reply, that Her Majesty's Government had made representations to the Government of Portugal with regard to those claims. It appeared that certain British subjects had invested a considerable sum of money in the Union Mercantile Marine Company, on the understanding that the money and the interest upon it were guaranteed by the Portuguese Government. It appeared that neither the money nor the interest had been paid, and Her Majesty's Government had urged on the Portuguese Government to bring those claims to a settlement. He sincerely trusted, for the credit of the Government of Portugal, that some arrangement might be come to whereby those British subjects would get paid whatever they might be entitled to. He had no objection to produce the Papers.