§ MR. BAILLIE COCHRANEasked the First Lord of the Treasury, Whether he will lay upon the Table any Communications which have passed between Her Majesty's Government and Foreign Governments, or any Correspondence with Her Majesty's Representatives 1026 Abroad on the subject of the International Society?
MR. GLADSTONEI presume, Sir, that the Question of the hon. Member refers mainly to communications containing information respecting the International Society, and with regard to those communications I have no information to give the hon. Member, because they have been furnished to the Government in a confidential manner, and, therefore, it is not within their discretion to lay them before the House. The communications we have received on the subject are in reference to matters in which foreign Governments are principally interested, and, therefore, it is with those foreign Governments to determine the conditions upon which those communications shall be made public. There has been, however, one occasion on which a suggestion came from a foreign Government as to legislation upon the subject of the International Society, and unless Her Majesty's Government are placed under restraint they will have no objection to produce that Paper.
§ MR. BAILLIE COCHRANEsaid, he must remind the right hon. Gentleman that he had asked particularly as to communications that had been received, not so much from foreign Governments, as from Her Majesty's representatives abroad.
MR. GLADSTONEThere have been communications from Her Majesty's representatives abroad; but the information contained in them having been obtained from foreign authorities, must be regarded as being of a confidential nature.