HC Deb 30 July 1883 vol 282 cc950-1
BARON HENRY DE WORMS

asked the First Lord of the Treasury, Whether, in view of the fact that the period of six months, mentioned by the Secretary of State for War at the commencement of the present Session as that within which our troops would probably be withdrawn from Egypt, has nearly expired, and of the anarchy which still prevails in that country, as exemplified by the telegrams in the newspapers describing the utter incapacity of the Egyptian officials to deal with the cholera epidemic, and also in view of possible difficulties arising from M. de Lesseps' declaration, in his letter of the 20th inst. that he will at once proceed to make a second Suez Canal, he will give an assurance to the House that, before any action is taken in the matter, this House will have an opportunity of expressing its opinion thereon?

MR. GLADSTONE

Sir, the hon. Gentleman has put to me a Question containing the considerations which, according to him, are to govern my answer. But they cannot govern my answer, because I do not admit the accuracy of the considerations as they have been stated by him. I do not wish to dispute them; and, therefore, with his permission, I will pass them by, and come to his Question, which is, whether I will— Give an assurance to the House that before any action is taken in the matter the House will have an opportunity of expressing its opinion thereon I am bound to say I do not know how to give a very strict interpretation of the term "the matter;" because the hon. Gentleman can hardly mean to say that, considering the British Government are shareholders in the Canal, they are to do nothing whatever that touches the Suez Canal before the House meets again. I did, I think, explain myself pretty clearly on this subject on Thursday last, when I stated that the desire of the Government was that the commercial and shipping interests of the country should have ample time to consider this question, and turn it over and test it for themselves, and arrive at a conclusion after they had considered the different points it raises, and that we did not therefore contemplate, as within the limits of probability in any way, the early renewal of negotiations such as those in which we have been recently engaged. I may add to that answer this one further consideration. We feel that, as far as this is a commercial question, it is almost hopeless to expect that it can possibly be considered with any impartiality, with any prospect of a satisfactory result so far as it is a commercial question, as long as it is entangled in political complications; but, at the present moment, it is entangled in political complications. I trust we may get out of them; but it is quite evident to me that if we were prematurely to re-open negotiations, we should bring the question back again into those political complications. I do not think the hon. Member need entertain any fear about unduly precipitate action on our part without the knowledge of the House.

BARON HENRY DE WORMS

said, that "the matter" to which his Question referred was the statement of the Secretary of State for War, at the commencement of the Session, that the troops would probably be withdrawn in six months; and, as part of the Question only had been answered, he would repeat it.