MR. YORKEsaid, he would beg to ask the First Lord of the Treasury, Whether there exists any extradition Treaty between Austria and Russia; whether his attention has been called to an Order published by General Mensdorf, dated Lemberg, March 16, 1864, and to a similar Order published by General Meckl, dated Cracow, March 12, 1864, ordering all Polish Refugees to be immediately sent back across the frontier; and whether Her Majesty's Ambassador at Vienna has been or will be instructed to use the friendly influence of this country, in order to put a stop to such inhuman practices?
§ VISCOUNT PALMERSTONSir, we are not aware of any treaty between Austria and Russia for the surrender of criminals. There may be some military arrangement about deserters that we do not know of. But when our Ambassador at Vienna reported to us that the state of siege and martial law had been proclaimed in Galicia, we were informed that any Russian subjects who were in Galicia and were provided with proper passports, were to be allowed to stay there if they showed that it was necessary for their private affairs that they should do so; and those who had not done this were to be required to go to some other part of the Austrian dominions. But it did not appear by that edict that there was to be any surrender of such persons to the Russian Government.
§ MR. HENNESSYsaid, he would beg to ask the noble Lord, whether he will lay on the table the Despatches of Lord Bloomfield on the subject, including his Despatch 1201 enclosing the proclamation of General Meckl?
§ VISCOUNT PALMERSTONI will look into the Despatches, and see whether there is anything which, consistently with the public service, can be laid on the table. If so, it will be laid before the House.