§ MR. ONSLOWasked the Under Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, With reference to a conversation between Lord Dufferin and M. De Giers, as reported in the Despatch of the former, dated March 8th 1881, to Lord Granville, to the effect that "English intrigues at Merv had complicated the situation" between the Russian authorities in Central Asia and the Turkomans at Merv; whether Her Majesty's Government are aware of any such intrigues; and, if so, by whom they have been conducted; whether there is any foundation for the assertion contained in the same Despatch that English officers are haunting the oases "to stir up the Turkoman population" against Russia; and, if there is no truth in either of these statements, whether Her Majesty's Government have authorized Lord Dufferin formally to deny them?
§ SIR CHARLES W. DILKESir, the observations of M. de Giers probably 561 referred to the movements of two English officers who have been travelling on their own account in Persia. One of them (Captain Gill) recently applied to Her Majesty's Minister at Teheran for facilities to enable him to visit Merv. The application having been referred to Her Majesty's Government, a telegram was sent to the officer desiring him not to go to Turkestan, and he is now on his way home. The other (Colonel Stewart) is believed to have visited Deregez; but there is no reason to suppose that he crossed the Persian border, or held any communication with the Merv Turcomans.
§ MR. ONSLOWsaid, the hon. Baronet had, he feared, misunderstood the purpose of his Question. What he wanted to know was, whether the Government had knowledge of any English intrigues at Merv?
§ SIR CHARLES W. DILKEsaid, he had been under the impression that the best mode of answering the Question was to state the facts, which he had done.