§ SIR HARRY VERNEYasked the Under Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, Whether he will have the French Yellow Book on the affairs of Madagascar translated into English, and, together with the replies of the Mada- 1155 gascar Government to the French statements and allegations, presented to the House of Commons?
§ LORD EDMOND FITZMAURICEI must refer my hon. Friend to the reply which I gave to a similar request made by the hon. Member for Portsmouth (Sir H. Drummond Wolff) with regard to the Red Book published by the Spanish Government. Independently of the heavy expense, it is manifestly out of the power of the Foreign Office to translate and print the Parliamentary Papers which appear in foreign countries. Translations of all direct Correspondence with Foreign Governments are, in the usual course, laid before Parliament; but, for the reasons I have stated, it is not desirable to publish translations of those documents which relate to subjects which do not affect this country directly.