§ SIR ELLIS ASHMEAD-BARTLETT (Sheffield, Ecclesall)I beg to ask the Under Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether he can now state the terms of the Agreement which was signed between Russia and China on 27th March?
MR. CURZONThe exact terms of the Agreement concluded between Russia and China cannot be in our possession until they have been communicated to us by the Russian or by the Chinese Government. They have been asked for.
§ SIR ELLIS ASHMEAD-BARTLETTI beg to ask the Under Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs (1) whether the Russian flag has been already hoisted over Port Arthur, and Russian troops landed to occupy the forts; and (2) whether the Russian Government have formally withdrawn the pledges which he stated on 24th February that they gave to Her Majesty's Government with regard to Port Arthur?
MR. CURZONThe Russian Ambassador's Note of 28th March states that Port Arthur and Talienwan will be occupied at once by Russian troops, and the Russian flag hoisted by the side of the Chinese flag. The answer to the second Question is in the negative. The pledge alluded to has not been withdrawn.
§ SIR ELLIS ASHMEAD-BARTLETTMay I ask whether, in view of my right hon. Friend's answer to this and other Questions, the House is to understand that Her Majesty's Government still considers the pledge that Port Arthur will be a free and open port binding on the Russian Government?
MR. CURZONMy answer has been perfectly intelligible, and there is not a man in the House who has not been able to understand it.
§ SIR ELLIS ASHMEAD-BARTLETTI shall repeat the Question from day to day.—I beg to ask the First Lord of the Treasury a Question of which I have given private notice—namely, whether Her Majesty's Government can permit Port Arthur, which dominates the Gulf of Pechili and the capital of the Chinese 1494 Empire, to be converted by Russia into a fortified naval base?
§ THE FIRST LORD OF THE TREASURY (Mr. A. J. BALFOUR,) Manchester, E.As my hon. Friend is aware, I have promised the House a statement upon the policy of the Government and the situation in the Far East before we separate for the holidays, mentioning Tuesday next as the day on which such statement would probably be made. I think my hon. Friend will agree with me that it would be extremely inconvenient to have detached fragments of that Debate before Tuesday comes round. I may say I have received no notice of my hon. Friend's Question.
§ SIR ELLIS ASHMEAD-BARTLETTI sent my right hon. Friend notice, and perhaps I may be allowed to say that I only gave notice of it to-day because the matter is of great urgency as regards time.