§ MR. DODSONasked Mr. Chancellor of the Exchequer, Whether the meeting of the Suez Canal Company which he stated in April would be held in the course of May, has been held; and, whether the arrangements referred to by him on the 5th day of May as proposed by Colonel Stokes and M. Lesseps, or any other arrangements for the representation of this Country in the administration of the Company have been decided upon; and, if so, whether he will state to the House the nature of those arrangements?
§ THE CHANCELLOR OF THE EXCHEQUER, in reply, said, he had understood that the Suez Canal Company would hold a meeting in May, but a meeting had not yet been held. It appeared, however, that a meeting had been called for the 14th of June, and that subsequently M. Lesseps had given notice for a special meeting on the 27th of June, for the purpose of considering proposals that had to be made, He 1605 (the Chancellor of the Exchequer) proposed, on Monday next, to ask for leave to bring in a Bill to make provisions with respect to the shares in the capital of the Suez Canal Company, and he hoped to be in a condition to say then, or at least before that Bill was read a second time, what would be the arrangements for the representation of this country in the administration of the Company.
MR. GLADSTONEasked, Whether the Government were in a position to state what arrangements were to be made with regard to the proposed surtax?
§ THE CHANCELLOR OF THE EXCHEQUER, in reply, said, he hoped they would be able to lay upon the Table the correspondence on the subject both of the surtax and of representation.