§ MR. DARBY GRIFFITHsaid, he would beg to ask the Under Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, Whether a Despatch from Earl Russell to Lord Bloom-field, at Vienna, of 18th January, 1864, to which an Answer was returned by Lord Bloomfield, of the date of the 19th January, from Vienna, printed among the Danish Papers, was sent by telegraph from this Country; and whether the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs would have any objection to direct that, in future, Despatches sent by telegraph should be distinguished from those sent by the ordinary means of communication, in order that the dates of Despatches may correspond with the facts of their transmission and answers, and be at once intelligible to Mem- 1653 bers of the House without further explanation.?
§ MR. LAYARDsaid, he must regret that he had been unable to explain himself clearly to the hon. Member the other evening. He would, however, again endeavour to do so. Those Despatches which were published were not sent by telegraph, but they were founded upon short telegrams sent in cipher. Each telegram was afterwards expanded into a full Despatch, in order that the House might have the whole matter before them. For the very obvious reasons that telegraphic messages must be very short, they could not be produced literally in their original cipher. Care was, however, taken, when acknowledging a Despatch, to state whether it was telegraphic or not. The hon. Gentleman would find from the answer, whether the original Despatch was sent by telegraph or not. If, for example, it was considered necessary to send a Despatch from London to St. Petersburg, with the view of receiving an answer on the same day or the day afterwards, it was evident that it must be sent by telegraph.
§ MR. DARBY GRIFFITHsaid, he must complain that the hon. Gentleman had not answered his question. He had given him notice of his question, which he wished to be answered by his chief, and he presumed that the hon. Gentleman would have come there to answer it on behalf of his chief.
§ MR. LAYARDsaid, he really did not know what answer he could give to the hon. Gentleman. It seemed to be quite impossible for him (Mr. Layard) to make the hon. Gentleman understand. In the very Despatch to which the hon. Gentleman alluded, the answer stated that it was a telegraphic Despatch. It would be an insult to the sense of the House to explain that a Despatch sent to St. Petersburg, which was replied to on the same day or the day afterwards, must have been sent by telegraph.
§ MR. DARBY GRIFFITHI ask the Under Secretary of State, whether he is prepared to answer this question on the part of the Secretary of State or only on the part of himself? ["Order!"]