§ MR. W. CARTWRIGHTasked Mr. Chancellor of the Exchequer, Whether "the gentleman well versed in accounts," whom Her Majesty's Government has deputed "to make inquiries into the real condition of Turkish Finance," has made any Report to Her Majesty's Government; whether, if so, there will be any objection to lay the Report upon the Table; and, whether the statement made by Mr. Chancellor of the Exchequer, that no "financial engagements" in respect to loans to Turkey "will be entered into without the previous sanction of Parliament," may be understood to involve that, without such previous sanction, there shall be no engagement taken for the appointment by Her Majesty's Government of any Commissioner to be entrusted with the collection of or control over Duties or Taxes to serve as a guarantee in respect of moneys to be advanced to the Turkish Government, such as appear to be contemplated in the financial scheme of the Marquis de Tocqueville?
§ THE CHANCELLOR OF THE EXCHEQUERSir, despatches have been received from Mr. Harrison, the gentleman to whom I referred, which treat of the financial accounts of Turkey; but he has not yet been able to forward the complete Report which he was sent out specially to make. With regard to the second part of the hon. Member's Question, the answers which I gave before the adjournment for the Christmas holidays with respect to financial engagements do not refer to such a case as that which he now mentions. They refer to questions of possible engagements with regard to loans to be made to Turkey. As to the scheme to which the hon. Gentleman alludes, the Question is one which has only just arisen, and the Government has not yet had time to consider it.