§ SIR GEORGE CAMPBELLasked the Under Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, If he can give the House any information as to the course which Egypt is following or is likely to follow in the present war, and as to the position in which that country will be placed if she engages in active hostilities with a great European Power?
§ MR. BOURKESir, with every disposition to answer the hon. Member for Kirkcaldy as fully and as accurately as possible, I am afraid I am unable to give a decided and accurate Answer at once to some of the Questions he has put on the Paper. The first Question is "whether I can give the House any information as to the course which Egypt is following or is likely to follow in the present war?" I am afraid I can hardly give an Answer to that Question. With regard to the second Question, “as to the position in which that country will be placed if she engages in active hostilities with a great European Power," I am afraid I cannot answer that Question either. The hon. Gentleman does not say to what Power he alludes, and, if he did, it would not be safe to say what 105 might be the prospective circumstances I and consequences of going into war. At the same time, I am quite aware that, as he says, a great deal of interest is felt in this question out-of-doors, and I shall be happy to tell the House what we know. We have heard that the Khedive has been asked by the Porte to send further assistance, and he has promised to send such assistance as he properly can. He has also, I believe, appointed his son, Prince Hassan, to command the contingent which may be despatched from Egypt. At the same time, the Khedive has promised that none of the revenues pledged to Egyptian creditors shall be touched, and that he has the means of fulfilling all his engagements in regard to those creditors. Therefore, the assistance which the Khedive may send to the Porte will depend upon the amount of voluntary contributions which he can obtain from his subjects.
MR. GLADSTONEGrowing out of that interesting Answer, may I put a Question to the hon. Gentleman? He spoke simply of the monies due to Egyptian creditors. There is a very interesting question relating to the Turkish Loan of 1854, the payment of which is dependent upon remittances from Egypt. Is the hon. Gentleman in a position to tell me whether the intention of the Khedive to continue to make these remittances is included in what he said with reference to the fulfilment of his money engagements?
§ MR. BOURKEI hope the House will excuse me if I am a little cautious in answering Questions of this kind which are put without Notice. I can only say that we have received a general statement on the part of the Khedive which I have given to the House, and I have no reason for a moment to believe that there is any alteration in the intention of the Khedive on the subject to which the right hon. Gentleman has referred.