HC Deb 28 February 1881 vol 258 cc1842-3
MR. ARTHUR ARNOLD

asked the Under Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, Whether any further communication has been received from the Russian Ambassador with reference to the statement attributed to Lord Beaconsfield in a Despatch from Count Schouvaloff, with regard to the Afghan war— That the hands of the Home Government had been forced by the inopportune haste of the Indian Government, who had precipitated the Matter"?

SIR CHARLES W. DILKE

Sir, I cannot do better than read to the House an extract from a Despatch addressed by my noble Friend Lord Granville to Lord Dufferin, and recording a statement of Prince Lobanoff with regard to my hon. Friend's Question. Lord Granville writes as follows:— His Excellency observed that he had no further communication to make to mo. He had nothing to defend or retract. He hoped it would he understood that in reading to me one sentence from the draft of a despatch recording at length an interesting and important conversation, in which Lord Beaconsfield had shown a very friendly feeling towards Russia, his object was to strengthen the case of the Russian Government, and to show that Her Majesty's late Government imputed no blame to them. What he should greatly regret would be that he should be thought to have mixed himself up in any party differences in this country. His Excellency added that, with respect to Count Schouval off, it was obvious that, apart from other considerations, he could have had no object at the time in inventing or misrepresenting a statement of this kind.

MR. A. J. BALFOUR

asked, Whether the hon. Baronet would lay the Despatch on the Table?

SIR CHARLES W. DILKE

Of course the Despatch, will be presented to the House.