§ MR. M'COANasked Mr. Chancellor of the Exchequer, Where, in either the Declaration or Convention on the subject of Egyptian finance which have been communicated to the House, is to be found any provision precluding "international interference with the affairs of Egypt" which supplies warrant for the statement he was understood to make on Wednesday last, that Her Majesty's Government joined in the guarantee of the proposed new Egyptian loan only on this understanding; and, whether, in the absence of any such provision in the Declaration or Convention, any other, and what, guarantee against such interference has been obtained?
§ SIR MICHAEL HICKS-BEACHasked the right hon. Gentleman, Whether his statement that the proposed International Guarantee does not involve International interference with the affairs of Egypt is based on any statement made or assented to by the Powers; and, if so, what that statement is; what were the reservations on the part of Russia which he referred to on Wednesday last, and why they are not included in the formal Declarations; and, whether the whole of Lord Northbrook's Report is included in the Papers to be presented?
§ THE CHANCELLOR OF THE EXCHEQUER (Mr. CHILDERS)In reply to the hon. Gentleman below the Gangway (Mr. M'Coan), and also to the first part of the Question of the right hon. Baronet opposite (Sir Michael Hicks-Beach), I have to say that my words on Wednesday last are correctly quoted by the hon. Gentleman and the right hon. Baronet. I said that the proposed International Guarantee did not involve International interference with the affairs of Egypt, and I referred to the Anglo-French Guarantee of 1855, which we expressly named as our model, and which I stated was a purely financial arrangement, notably giving no right to England or France to interfere in the affairs of Turkey. We did not think it necessary to introduce into the Declaration or the Convention any reference to a claim which had not been put for- 228 ward, and for which we did not conceive that any occasion had been given. In reply to the second part of the Question of the right hon. Baronet, I have to say that the Russian reservations will be found in Nos. 17, 19, 21, and 24 of the Egyptian Blue Book, which has been, or will be, distributed this afternoon. The third part of the Question has been already answered by my noble Friend the Under Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs some days ago.
§ SIR MICHAEL HICKS-BEACHThe third part of the Question has not been entirely answered. In the Papers circulated on Saturday there were certain extracts from Lord Northbrook's Report recommending an increase in the financial powers of the Egyptian Government and the improvement of the administration of Egypt. I wish to ask, if the right hon. Gentleman will permit me, whether the whole of Lord Northbrook's recommendations on this subject have now been published, or whether any further extracts from his Report dealing with these matters will be published? With regard to the first part of the Question—the answer to which I am afraid I cannot consider satisfactory—I should like to ask, Whether the House is to understand that no communications have passed between Her Majesty's Government and the Powers on the question whether the proposed Guarantee will or will not involve International interference with the affairs of Egypt?
§ MR. M'COANThe right hon. Gentleman does not seem to have answered any single point in the Question which I asked him. The right hon. Gentleman has said that this Convention was framed upon the Turkish Convention of 1855. I read that Convention carefully this morning, and I found nothing whatever that touches the present subject.
§ MR. GIBSONalso rising to interrogate the right hon. Gentleman—
§ THE CHANCELLOR OF THE EXCHEQUER (Mr. CHILDERS)I cannot undertake to reply to so many Questions at once.
§ MR. GIBSONcontended that the right hon. Gentleman had not said that any provision in any shape or form had been made to carry out his assurance. In the course of his statement on Wednesday last, the right hon. Gentleman, 229 referring to the Guarantee, not only-said that it did not involve International interference, but used these words— "Neither did we object to it, provided it did not involve International interference." He wished to know how the Government had become satisfied on that point?
§ THE CHANCELLOR OF THE EXCHEQUER (Mr. CHILDERS)said, the right hon. Baronet had asked him a very fair Question, and he had answered it. It was not his duty to go beyond the limits of the Question in his reply; and therefore he did not think it necessary to quote other parts of his statement to which the right hon. Gentleman had not referred. The Government had not deemed it necessary to introduce into the Declaration or Convention any reference to a claim which had not been put forward. The hon. Gentleman (Mr. M'Coan) then asked him whether, in the absence of any such provision, any other Guarantee had been obtained. He (Mr. Childers) thought that was clearly covered by his answer, which was "No."
§ MR. M'COANThen I may take it for granted that there is no assurance or Guarantee against International interference?
§ SIR MICHAEL HICKS-BEACHThe hon. Gentleman has not answered my last Question.
§ THE CHANCELLOR OF THE EXCHEQUER (Mr. CHILDERS)said, he apologized to the right hon. Baronet for omitting to answer his, among such a shoal of Questions. It was not intended to lay any part of Lord Northbrook's Re-port on the Table.