§ MR. W. E. FORSTERIn the absence of my noble Friend the Member for the Radnor Boroughs (the Marquess of Hartington) I beg to ask the Under Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, Whether the Convention of the 4th June between the Governments of Great Britain and Turkey has yet been ratified; and, whether the said Convention has been communicated to the Congress at Berlin, or to the European Powers separately?
§ MR. BOURKESir, the English ratification of the Convention was sent to Constantinople by special messenger some time ago, and Sir Austen Layard reported on the 8th that everything was settled, and Mr. Baring, who was to take the firman to Cyprus, had left Constantinople. We have not yet received any official Report of the Convention having been formally communicated to the other Powers at Berlin.
§ MR. W. E. FORSTERThe hon. Gentleman will observe that the Question I asked him was, whether the Convention has been communicated to the Congress at Berlin, or to the European Powers separately.
§ MR. BOURKEThe answer is that which I have given, and which I believe to be a complete answer to the Question 1070 —namely, that we have not yet received any official Report of the Convention having been formally communicated to the other Powers, either at Berlin or elsewhere.