§ SIR CHARLES W. DILKEasked the Under Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, Whether any reply has been received to the Note Verbale addressed to the Porte on the 27th June; and, whether he can state to the House the general tenour of the Note handed to the Porte on the 19th of July last?
§ MR. BOURKESir, I cannot say that any formal reply has been received to the Note Verbale. At the same time, the Turkish Government have most solemnly assured our Ambassador to the Porte that they have no intention whatever of evading the responsibility which has been placed upon them by the Articles of the Treaty of Berlin. They have also assured our Ambassador that the delay in carrying out the portion of the Articles in question has arisen from 47 the fact that the réglements which apply to the various Provinces, and have to be framed on the Organic Statute of Roumelia, require some time for consideration. That Statute is one which contains about 900 clauses. The whole have to be considered by the Porte in order to see whether they will be applicable to the various Provinces. They have been discussed by the Porte; but the regléments have to be read over to the Council of Ministers. That will be done in a few days, and then, we are informed, they will be sent to the Provinces. The Papers referred to will be presented to Parliament; but I cannot say that it will be done this Session.