HC Deb 30 March 1903 vol 120 cc569-70
MR. HUGH LAW (Donegal, W.)

I beg to ask the Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether His Majesty's Government will direct one of their consular representatives in the near East to visit the disturbed districts in Macedonia, as was recently done by the Russian Vice-Consul at Philippopolis, and report upon the condition of the Christian subjects of the Porte within that province.

LORD CRANBORNE

The British Vice-Consul at Uscub, and the officer recently appointed to Monastir, are very well situated for obtaining accurate information from the disturbed districts. Moreover, our Consul-General at Salonica has been making detailed inquiry into some of the worst cases which have attracted public attention, the results of which will be laid before Parliament. In order to avoid dangerous excitement it has been considered undesirable in the present state of the country to send an officer specially to visit places where disturbances have occurred. But the matter has the attention of His Majesty's ambassador at Constantinople, and will be reconsidered if circumstances should seem to require it.