§ MR. HUNTER (Aberdeen, N.)asked the Under Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, Whether Her Majesty's Government have yet determined what answer they will give to the application made to them by the Peruvian Boldholders' Committee to employ diplomatic pressure in concert with the French Government on the Government of Chili, to give effect to an agreement made on the 23rd March 1886, between that Committee and Messrs. Dreyfus and Co.; whether, under that agreement, a preference over the bondholders is given to Messrs. Dreyfus and Co., for the payment of £3,214,388 11s. 5d., with interest, from the 30th June, 1880; whether that agreement has been submitted to or sanctioned by the Peruvian Bondholders; whether the Chilian Government dispute the validity of Messrs. Dreyfus and Co.'s claim and the accuracy of the estimates and calculations upon which the agreement of the 23rd March is based; and, whether the correspondence will be presented to the House?
§ THE UNDER SECRETARY OF STATE (SIR JAMES FERGUSSON) (Manchester, N.E.)Her Majesty's Government have been in communication with the French Government on the subject of this Agreement. It is not their intention to support it, or to depart from the usual method of dealing diplomatically with the claims of British subjects. They have expressed their readiness to unite with the other Governments interested in examining any questions in dispute in relation to the character and amount and validity of the claims, with a view to re-opening negotiations with Chili for their settlement on a fair and equitable basis. Any understanding among the various claimants must, in the opinion of Her Majesty's Government, be arrived at independently of the Governments interested. It seems unnecessary to give any reply to the remaining paragraphs of the Question, which deal simply with matters of fact connected with the Agreement. There 1103 are no Papers which, could be laid with advantage at present.