§ SIR HENRY HAVELOCKasked the Secretary of State for War, Whether, with reference to the Eastern Question, he would take the necessary steps to cause to be laid upon the Table of the House, in addition to the Papers on that subject, a statement showing.—1. The 260 rank and names of the several Officers of Royal Engineers who have, since August 1876, been sent to Constantinople and other parts of the European and Asiatic territories of Turkey; 2. The dates of their being severally so despatched and their arrival; 3. The instructions under which they proceeded; 4. A detail of the duties for which they were sent, and of the duties on which they have been employed since their arrival in Turkey; 5. Under whose authority they proceeded, seeing that this country is at peace with both Turkey and all the adjoining countries; 6. Also whether the services of these Officers were solicited by the Turkish Government?
MR. GATHORNE HARDYSir, in reply to the hon. and gallant Member, I have to inform him that he is at perfect liberty to move for the rank and names of the several officers of Royal Engineers who have been sent to Turkey since August, 1876. With respect, also, to the second paragraph of the Question, he is quite welcome to have the date of that despatch; but when he comes to ask the third and fourth paragraphs, inasmuch as those officers were sent out for the information of Her Majesty's Government, and not for the information of the public, I must decline to give the information he asks. They proceeded under the authority of the Commander-in-Chief and myself, and their services were not solicited by the Turkish Government.
§ SIR HENRY HAVELOCKI beg to point out that the right hon. Gentleman has failed to answer the second part of the second paragraph of the Question, as to the dates of the despatch and arrival of these officers.
MR. GATHORNE HARDYI really thought it was unnecessary to repeat every word; but the hon. and gallant Gentleman is perfectly welcome to have the dates of their despatch and arrival.