§ MR. ASHMEAD-BARTLETTasked the Under Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, Whether Her Majesty's Government have received any confirmation of the reports of terrible massacres of Europeans throughout Egypt, made to the Khedive by Omar Soufti Pasha, and affirmed by the correspondents of all the English papers in Alexandria, and of the "critical position of 12,000 Europeans," described by the "Daily News"—
At Port Said, many of them women and children, now at the mercy of Egyptian soldiers and fanatical Arabs;and whether, in view of the statement of the Correspondent of the "Standard," that—After providing for the safety of the town and palace, we have now five thousand men available for operations in the field, and two more regiments are expected to arrive here to-night. Were it not for orders from home this force would be able to put an end to the Egyptian difficulty in twenty-four hours,Her Majesty's Government will withdraw the orders referred to, which prevent the immediate action of the forces now at Alexandria; whether he can state also what steps Her Majesty's Government are taking, or intend to take, in order to preserve Cairo and the rest of Egypt from the fate of Alexandria; and, whether, in view of the fact that the British Government alone have been willing to resort to force, and that the interests of England in Egypt are greater than those of the rest of Europe, Her Majesty's Government will refrain from inviting the other five Powers to share in the occupation of Egypt?
§ SIR CHARLES W. DILKEIt is believed that Europeans have been massacred in the interior of Egypt. The European population of Port Said are, I understand from the Admiralty telegrams, by no means at the mercy of the Egyptian troops and the Arabs, but can be perfectly protected by the English and French forces at Port Said. The remainder of the Question of the hon. Member comes within the terms of the statement made by the Prime Minister on Thursday last.