THE MARQUESS OF HARTINGTONasked Mr. Chancellor of the Exchequer, Whether the arrangements for the introduction of three representatives of England into the administration of the Suez Canal are yet completed; and when the Government will be able to state to the House the nature of the arrangement, and when he will be able to give the House any information with respect to the negotiations between Colonel Stokes and M. Lesseps on the subject of the surtax on vessels passing through the Canal?
§ THE CHANCELLOR OF THE EXCHEQUERNo, Sir; the arrangements for the introduction of representatives of England into the administration of the Suez Canal cannot be completed until the general meeting of the shareholders of the Canal shall have been held, which will not be until some time in the month of May. Of course, the Government cannot state the nature of the arrangements until that meeting has been held, and it would not be convenient to have the subject discussed beforehand. With regard to the second part of the Question, I do not know that the noble Lord has rightly described the matter as 1327 negotiations between Colonel Stokes and M. Lesseps on the surtax. The surtax is a matter to be arranged between Her Majesty's Government and other Governments interested and the Khedive of Egypt and the Porte. Communications are now going on upon the subject.