§ SIR ELLIS ASHMEAD-BARTLETTI beg to ask the Under Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether Her Majesty's Government has received information that Russia and China have made a treaty by which China is to have the Russian guarantee for a Chinese loan of £16,000,000, and China is to give Russia the right to construct the Trans-Siberian railway across Chinese Manchuria, and Russia is to have a port in Chinese territory south-west of Corea?
§ *SIR E. GREYWe understand that no arrangement has yet been concluded between Russia and China, but I cannot make any statement as to negotiations which may take place between them.
§ SIR E. ASHMEAD-BARTLETTasked whether the hon. Gentleman had reason to believe that the statements in question were true?
*MR. GIBSON BOWLES (Lynn Regis)I wish to ask the hon. Gentleman, with reference to the phrase in the question, "a territory south-west of Corea," whether the only territory southwest of Corea is the Yellow Sea?
§ *SIR E. GREYIn answer to the hon. Member for Sheffield, I can only say that questions addressed to Her Majesty's Government about negotiations between foreign Powers, are obviously questions which it would not be proper to answer.
§ SIR E. ASHMEAD-BARTLETT,who was called upon to "Speak up": I will not press the hon. Gentleman further upon the point. With regard to the subsidiary question, I wish to ask him whether a large portion—[Cries of "Order."]
§ *MR. SPEAKEROrder, order. That question does not arise out of the question upon the Paper.