HC Deb 15 June 1899 vol 72 c1179
MR. STEVENSON (Suffolk, Eye)

I beg to ask the Under Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether Her Majesty's Government will represent to the Sultan the injury done to the Armenian archbishop and bishops, who are forcibly detained in the monastery of St. James at Jerusalem without trial, and without knowing for what offences they have been exiled from their dioceses; and whether, seeing that those prelates are men of high character, the Secretary of State will communicate on the subject with the Powers which are parties to Articles 61 and 62 of the Berlin Treaty.

*THE UNDER SECRETARY OF STATE FOR WAR (Mr. BRODRICK,) Surrey, Guildford

It appears from a despatch received from Her Majesty's Ambassador at Constantinople that the prelates in question are allowed the same liberty as the other inmates of the monastery, and that there is no reason to suppose that they are subjected to any special treatment apart from the punishment of not being allowed to leave their present place of residence. His Excellency understands that an annual stipend is paid to them by the Imperial Government through the Armenian patriarchate at Constantinople. In these circumstances Her Majesty's Government do not propose to make any special representation to the Sultan on the subject.