THE MARQUESS OF HARTINGTONI wish to ask the right hon. Gentleman the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the Notice which he has given at the commencement of the Business, Whether he can inform the House when the Supplementary Estimates will be in the hands of hon. Members? It was my intention to have asked the Question which has just been put by my hon. Friend the Member for Tam-worth (Mr. Hanbury); and perhaps, without trespassing on the time of the House, the House would allow me to ask the right hon. Gentleman whether he has no further explanation to give on that matter than that which he has given? It will be in the recollection of the House that this day last week the right hon. Gentleman stated that a demand for further Supply would not be made until the terms of the Russian Government had been received by Her Majesty's Government. The answer which has just been given by the right hon. Gentleman does not appear to be altogether consistent with that assurance, and I would therefore ask him whether he has any further explanation to give on that point. And perhaps, further, the House would allow me to ask, whether, in view of the very grave anxiety, grief, and alarm, which no doubt will be produced throughout the country by the Notice which the right hon. Gentleman has thought it necessary to give, it is in his power now to make any further statement, in anticipation of that which it will be his duty to make on Monday, which may tend in any degree to diminish that anxiety, relieve that alarm, and calm the public excitement consequent upon it?
§ THE CHANCELLOR OF THE EXCHEQUERWith reference to the first Question put by the noble Lord, I hope that the Estimate will be in the hands of hon. Members, or, at all events, that I shall be able to lay it on the Table to-morrow evening. I am not in a position to do 376 so to-night. With reference to the second Question of the noble Lord—that is to say, the Question which relates to what he regards as the inconsistency between the Notice I have now given and what fell from me on the first night of the Session—I wish to remind the noble Lord and the House of what I really did state on the first night, because it was not exactly what the noble Lord has stated. The noble Lord had asked me in the speech which he made in the debate on the Address whether it was intended to ask for a Vote immediately, as had been shadowed forth in Her Majesty's Gracious Speech. In reply to that Question of the noble Lord, I stated that communications were going on with regard to the terms of peace, and that as we had then hoard that it was likely that within a day or two days those communications would lead to the terms being proposed, it was not the intention of Her Majesty's Government to make any immediate proposal to the House, because it might very well happen that when those terms, which were expected to be disclosed in the course of a day or two, came to be known they would appear to be such as might be accepted by the Porte and also be acceptable to the Powers of Europe Under these circumstances, I said, cadet quœstio; there would be no occasion for any proposal being made. Subsequently my right right hon. Friend the Member for Green-wich, in commenting upon those statements of mine, put to me across the Table the Question, whether he was right in understanding me to say that no proposal would be made until the terms of peace had been received, and I nodded assent. But I must ask the House clearly to understand that I did that in the anticipation that what I had contemplated at the time I was speaking would take place—that is, that within a few days we should be in possession of those terms of peace. At all events, the position was such that I think the House will gather that I could have had no other expectation than that within a very few days we should be in possession of those terms of peace. But since that time a week has elapsed, and not only have the terms of peace not been communicated, but we have observed that a very considerable and rapid advance has taken place on the part of the forces of Russia. Under these circumstances Her 377 Majesty's Government have felt it necessary not to delay any longer that which Her Majesty intimated in Her Gracious Speech might be necessary— the necessity of asking Parliament to enable them to make provision if any circumstances should arise requiring that course to be taken. I am perfectly conscious of the inconvenience of a Notice such as that which I have been obliged to give; but the Government have thought it best that that Notice should be given at once, and that fair and due Notice should be given to all Members of Parliament, whether actually present in London, or having to come from any distance, that the subject would be brought forward on Monday. I think, and Her Majesty's Government also, that is the fairest and the best course, and although it leads to the inconvonience of a few days' delay, it is better than that the Government should be open to any charge of taking the House by surprise. I regret that I cannot find it within my duty to make any further statement upon the subject at this time, but I shall be prepared to do so on Monday.
THE MARQUESS OF HARTINGTONPerhaps the House would forgive me for putting one further Question to the right hon. Gentleman. I should like to ask him, Whether it is the intention of the Government, before Monday, to present to the House any further Papers on the Eastern Question? In explanation I ought, perhaps, to say that the attention of the right hon. Gentleman has been called by one or two Questions to the fact that among the Papers which have been presented there are none that have any reference to our relations with the Courts of Europe generally. I would ask whether the Government now intend to lay before the House any Papers on this subject?
THE CHANOELLOR OF THE EXCHEQUERI will consider the subject in concert with my Colleagues, and we may be able, perhaps, to lay some Papers upon the Table to-morrow.