MR. EYLANDSasked the Under Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, 39 If the Government are in possession of information, confirmatory or otherwise, of a statement which has appeared in a recent letter of a Correspondent of the "Daily News," to the effect that
at the Grand Council held on Monday, the Sultan announced that he only signed the Anglo-Turkish Treaty on the condition that the reforms should he subsequently defined, and that an annex to the Treaty states that the reforms in which England should aid in the execution must he in conformity with his sovereign rights and jurisdiction;and, whether there is any such annex to the Anglo-Turkish Treaty?
§ MR. BOURKENo, Sir. Her Majesty's Government are not in possession of any information that would justify the statement in The Daily News. The only annex to the Treaty is the one before the House.
§ MR. GOSCHENasked Mr. Chancellor of the Exchequer, Whether he intends to lay any further Papers relating to the Anglo - Turkish Convention upon the Table of the House; whether any communications subsequent to the Despatch of the 30th May have passed between Her Majesty's Government and the Porte relating to that Convention; and, especially whether any reply has been received to the Despatch of Lord Salisbury of the 30th May?
§ MR. BOURKESir, the right hon. Gentleman will see that the Question, although addressed to the Chancellor of the Exchequer, relates to my Department.
§ MR. GOSCHENThe hon. Gentleman has not answered the Question whether any reply has been received to the Despatch of Lord Salisbury.
§ THE CHANCELLOR OF THE EXCHEQUERMy answer to that Question, Sir, is this—that the reply to that Despatch, which was telegraphically communicated to the Porte beforehand, was contained in a Despatch from our Ambassador at Constantinople containing the annex to the Treaty which has already been laid on the Table.
§ MR. GOSCHENI am sorry to press the right hon. Gentleman; but, are we then, to understand that there are no other Despatches from Her Majesty's Ambassador at Constantinople with reference to this Convention which might be submitted to the House?
§ THE CHANCELLOR OF THE EXCHEQUERI am informed by my noble 40 Friend the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, that there are no other Despatches which can be at present laid on the Table of the House.
§ MR. GOSCHENI understand the answer of the Chancellor of the Exchequer to be that there are no other Despatches which the noble Marquess the Foreign Secretary considers can be at present laid on the Table of the House. Will they be laid on the Table after the Resolution of my noble Friend (the Marquess of Hartington) has been discussed, or can they not be presented before that time?
§ THE CHANCELLOR OF THE EXCHEQUERWill the right hon. Gentleman give Notice of that Question?
§ MR. GOSCHENI will give Notice for to-morrow if the right hon. Gentleman wishes.
MR. GLADSTONEsaid, that at the same time he would inquire whether the document which, he presumed, had by accident been omitted from the Papers presented—namely, the agreement between Lord Salisbury and Count Schouvaloff—would be laid on the Table.