§ MR. RYLANDSsaid, after the explanation which had been given in regard to this matter the other night, he would not trouble the hon. Gentleman the 1845 Under Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs with the Question on the subject which, stood upon the Paper in his name as follows:—
To ask the Under Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, whether he will explain to the House the circumstances under which the British Consul General in Siam ordered up the gunboat "Fox" from Singapore to Bangkok, and for what purpose the vessel has been detained there until the present time; whether it is the fact that, under the orders of the Consul General, the Commander and Officers of the British gunboat have been prevented from paying visits to the Siamese, or giving them invitations to the vessel; and, whether these proceedings' on the part of the Consul General have the sanction of Her Majesty's Government?but he should like to know, If, when the Consular Report was received, the Government would be prepared to come to any decision on the subject, and lay Papers on the Table?
§ MR.BOURKE,in reply, said, he must express his obligations to the hon. Member for putting the Question in this form. An inquiry was still going on at Bangkok, and the Foreign Office would, no doubt, before long arrive at a conclusion upon it; but he was afraid he could not say that the Papers would be laid upon the Table of the House until that conclusion had been arrived at. However, the hon. Member would not be able to see the Papers until next Session, and therefore the Question had better be postponed until that time, seeing that he would be in no worse position by so doing.