MR. GIBSON BOWLESI beg to ask the First Lord of the Treasury whether His Majesty's Government have any information with regard to the statement made by Dr. von Koerber, the Premier, in the Lower House of the Austrian Reichstag, on Thursday last, that it is proposed to settle the question of the Dardanelles by arbitration; whether His Majesty's Government have made any inquiries or received any information as to negotiations between Turkey and any other Powers for alterations in the rules and obligations as to the Dardanelles embodied in existing treaties; whether they have any information of negotiations for an arrangement whereby the Dardanelles would be opened to the ingress into and egress from the Black Sea of Russian warships, but would be closed to the warships of other Powers; 360 and whether he is prepared to make any statement of the policy of His Majesty's Government in reference to such an arrangement.
§ MR. A. J. BALFOURI understand that the reported statement of the Austrian Prime Minister was founded on a telegraphic mistake and that no such statement was, in fact, made by him. In these circumstances, the later Questions of my hon. friend seem to fall to the ground. There are no negotiations going on.