MR. STAVELEY HILLI beg to ask the Under Secretary of State for the Colonies whether he has seen in the newspapers a cable from Ottawa that, prior to the prorogation of the Dominion Parliament on Friday, Sir John A. Macdonald, in answer to a question as to the result of the discussion at Washington with reference to the Behring Sea seizures, said that—
He wag unable to give any definite information with regard to the fisheries negotiation; a message had arrived from England which the Ministry could not understand, and he had written for an explanation, which had not yet arrived; and that Mr. Charles Tupper was on his way home from Washington;whether the return of Mr. Tupper indicates the close of the negotiation, and whether he will communicate to the House the terms of the message which the astute Prime Minister of the Dominion and his Ministers cannot understand.
§ *BARON H. DE WORMSThe return of Mr. Tupper to Canada does not indicate the close of the negotiations. The message has since been explained by a later telegram. It did not relate to the Behring Sea negotiations.