HC Deb 23 June 1881 vol 262 cc1117-8
SIR H. DRUMMOND WOLFF

asked the Under Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, Whether he can state the authority on which he enumerated the privileges and immunities granted to the Representatives of Foreign Nations at Tunis; and, whether the words of Article II. of the General Convention of July 19, 1875, Every mark of honour and respect shall at all times be paid and every privilege and immunity allowed to Her Majesty's Agent and Consul General, accredited to His Highness the Bey, which is paid or allowed to the Representative of any other Nation whatsoever, do not constitute a continuous obligation on the part of the Bey to pay and allow to Her Majesty's Agent and Consul General every additional mark of honour and respect and every additional privilege or immunity paid or allowed to the Representative of any other Nation whatsoever?

SIR CHARLES W. DILKE

Sir, the list of privileges and immunities, which I stated on being pressed on Tuesday last, was a list of the ordinary privileges and immunities of diplomatic Agents. These can be found in any text-book of International Law, to which I would refer the hon. Member. With regard to the second portion of the hon. Member's Question, if it is intended to raise points other than those to which, on two previous occasions, I have already replied, I would beg leave to say that I cannot be expected at 12 hours' notice to give the legal construction of clauses in Treaties on which questions may arise with other Powers. But, understanding that the Question is only a repetition of the Question put to me by the noble Lord the Member for Woodstock (Lord Randolph Churchill), I would reply as follows:—If by his Question the hon. Member means that the Bey is bound to make Mr. Reade a Minister of Foreign Affairs as well as M. Roustan, or that if the Bey gave an order to the Italian Consul, he is bound to do the same to the English Consul, I doubt his declaration being correct. If, on the other hand, the hon. Member means that the clause provides that equal marks of honour and respect and all privileges and immunities should be paid to the British Consul which are paid to other Consuls in their consular capacity, I think he is right.