§ MR. BAXTERasked the Under Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, If, having regard to the decided language of the Marquess of Salisbury's Despatch, dated 8th August 1878, respecting the "measures of reform required specially for the Armenians," and the frequent complaints that have since been made of "abuses in government" and "miscarriage of justice" from that part of Asia Minor in which they constitute by far the largest portion of the population, any recent correspondence has taken place between Her Majesty's Government and the Ottoman Porte with a view of giving effect to the provisions of the Treaty and Convention in this respect; and, whether it has been proposed to place the Armenians under some such administration as has worked so satisfactorily in the Lebanon?
§ MR. BOURKEYes, Sir, Correspondence has taken place, and is taking place, between Her Majesty's Government and the Porte, with the view referred to. In regard to the second part of the Question of the right hon. Gentleman, I beg to state that although two Commissions have been sent by the Porte to Asia Minor, one to Erzeroum and the other to the Vilayet of the Lebanon, with the view of inaugurating the new laws in that country, and also with the view of seeing whether the Organic Statute, which has been passed for Eastern Roumelia, could be brought into operation in that territory, yet it has not been proposed that the system of administration which has existed in the Lebanon for some years past—I think since 1862—should be introduced into the Asiatic Provinces of Turkey.
§ SIR CHARLES W. DILKEasked, Whether any Papers on the subject of 752 reforms in Turkey would be distributed within the next two or three days?
§ MR. BOURKESome Papers will be laid upon the Table this evening. They are very short; and I am not quite certain whether they can be said to apply to reforms in Turkey. They only, I believe, deal with one point.