§ MR. GOURLEY (Sunderland)asked the First Lord of the Treasury, Whether it is correct that Her Majesty's Government have submitted proposals to the Porte and the European Powers, through the agency of Sir Henry Drummond Wolff, for the neutralization of Egypt and the Suez Canal; if so, will he be good enough to inform the House the general tenour of the proposals, and what prospect there is, if any, of their being approved and ratified?
§ THE UNDER SECEETAEY OF STATE FOR FOEEIGN AFFAIRS (Sir JAMES FERGUSSON) (Manchester, N.E.)(who replied) said: The Question of the hon. Member is but a repetition of one which I answered on the 5th of this month, and I am unable to give him any other reply. In the debate upon the Vote for the expenses of Sir Henry Drummond Wolff's Mission, I reminded the Committee of the purposes of his Mission, and of the subjects of his inquiries in Egypt, with a view to the framing of an ulterior Convention in regard to that country. Her Majesty's Government are as desirous as hon. Members that the Mission should not be prolonged; nothing is neglected to bring to a conclusion the important negotiations in which Sir Henry Drummond Wolff is engaged; but to hurry them unduly, or to make public the precise terms, or even the general tenour, of his proposals, would not conduce to results which would be satisfactory to the House, or beneficial to the objects which we have in view. I may add that I hope that the collection of Sir Henry Drummond Wolff's Reports, which I promised to lay upon the Table, will be ready for delivery to hon. Members in two or three days.
§ MR. BRYCE (Aberdeen, S.)asked, when the Papers with regard to these negotiations-would be laid on the Table?
§ SIR JAMES FERGUSSONsaid, that at present the negotiations were going on, and it was impossible to say when they would come to a conclusion. They had been going on in a hopeful manner.