§ MR. LAWSON WALTON (Leeds, S.)I beg to ask the First Lord of the 324 Treasury whether, in view of the declaration by Russia that she proposes to treat coal as contraband of war, his attention has been called to the declaration made by the Russian plenipotentiary at the West African Conference held in Berlin in December 1884, in relation to the neutralisation of the Congo, in which he stated that the Russian Government would never accept the interpretation that coal should be classed among the articles considered by international law as contraband of war, and that his Government would categorically refuse its consent to any article in any instrument whatever which would imply a recognition of coal (huille ou charbon) as contraband of war, either in relation to the Congo or any other district whatever, and, if so, have His Majesty's Ministers called the attention of the Russian Government to this declaration or made any communication to them on the subject, or do they propose to do so.
§ MR. A. J. BALFOURThe Government are aware of the declaration made by the Russian delegate to which the hon. and learned Gentleman has called our attention. The matter is one of great importance, and we are taking steps to obtain more precise, information with regard to the interpretation of the Russian declaration respecting contraband of war.