HC Deb 27 February 1877 vol 232 cc1090-1
MR. ANDERSON

asked the Under Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, If he will keep back the original Bulgarian Petition and send out only a copy without the names; or, if the names have been already sent, if he will telegraph to the British Chargé d'Affaires that they must be kept strictly confidential, so that they can in no way reach the Turkish authorities?

MR. BOURKE

I thought yesterday that this Petition had been sent to Constantinople: I knew that it had passed through the office, and that it was only waiting for the messenger to go to Constantinople. He has to go the day after to-morrow, that being the usual day for sending a messenger to Constantinople. I have asked my noble Friend at the head of the Foreign Office, and he has no objection to a copy of the Petition being sent without the signatures. The copy of the Petition was in French, and the original Petition, which was in Bulgarian, and had a great number of Bulgarian names attached to it, would remain in the Foreign Office.

MR. ANDERSON

wanted to know whether a copy of the names would be sent?

MR. BOURNE

The signatures are all in the Bulgarian language, and they will remain in the Foreign Office. No copies of them will be sent.