§ MR. LYELL (Dorsetshire, E.)I beg to ask the Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether Sir Nicholas O'Conor made any representations early in April last to the Porte with regard to the outrages which took place at the village of Zervi on March 27th last; whether he urged the arrest and punishment of those responsible for the outrages; and, if so, whether any attention has been paid by the Porte to his representations.
§ EARL PERCYImmediately on receipt of the news of the outrages committed at Zervi Sir Nicholas O'Conor made most earnest representations to the Sublime Porte respecting the lack of discipline shown by the troops, and the necessity of taking effective steps to prevent such incidents. The Grand Vizier gave an assurance that an inquiry would be held and the officers punished, and promised to use his best efforts in the sense urged by the Ambassador. A Commission, of Turkish officers has proceeded to Macedonia to conduct an inquiry into the state of military discipline. The result of this inquiry has not yet been reported, but the accounts received of later encounters between the troops and the insurgent bands have shown a marked improvement in the conduct of the Turkish soldiers.