THE MARQUESS OF HARTINGTONWith the permission of the right hon. Gentleman the First Lord of the Treasury, I wish to ask him, Whether the Government have received any intelligence respecting the reported outbreak of hostilities between Turkey and Servia, the Herzegovina and Montenegro; and, if the report be well founded, whether he does not think the time has arrived when the Papers relating to the recent negotiations on this subject may be presented to the House?
§ MR. DISRAELIMr. Speaker, Sir, Her Majesty's Government received intelligence yesterday, late in the afternoon, from the Queen's Ambassador at Constantinople, that the Servians had crossed the frontier with 30 guns; and about the same time they received news from Her Majesty's Consul at Ragusa, that he had heard that the Prince of Montenegro had declared war and left Cettigne, and placed himself at the head of his troops. But we have not received to-day any direct information from what I am afraid may be called the seat of war. That is the last and most authentic news in our possession. With regard to the Question of the noble Lord respecting Papers, unquestionably it must be felt by, and certainly it is felt by, Her Majesty's Government, that, the negotiations between the Porte and its subjects and vassals having terminated, the time has arrived when the Papers should be presented to the House; and every effort will be made to place them on the Table as soon as possible. At the same time, the House will kindly remember that the Papers are voluminous, and there are some among them which cannot be printed without consulting Foreign Powers.