§ SIR E. ASHMEAD-BARTLETTI beg to ask the First Lord of the Treasury a Question of which I have given private notice'—viz., whether the statement made in Debate on June 10th was accurate, 424 that the right, honourable Gentleman's suggestion, made in a speech at Manchester in January, 1896, that; the Russian Government should occupy an ice-free port in the Yellow Sea, was due to a desire on the part of Her Majesty's Government to obtain the support of Russia in their policy towards Turkey?
§ THE FIRST LORD OF THE TREASURY (Mr. A. J. BALFOUR,) Manchester, E.If my honourable Friend, by the words "suggestion made to Russia," refers to any speech, of mine, the only speech I have made on the subject, so far as I am aware, was not made at Manchester, and was not made in February, but was made at Bristol, and was made in January. With regard to the statement to which the honourable Gentleman alludes, I am not aware of any such statement being made, and I am not responsible for it. In any case there is no foundation for it.
§ SIR E. ASHMEAD-BARTLETTI may say that the statement was made in this House in public Debate by the honourable Member for Northampton.
§ MR. SPEAKEROrder, order! If the honourable Member had stated that in putting his Question he would have put it out of order.