§ SIR H. COTTON (Nottingham, E)I beg to ask the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether his attention has been drawn to the statements made that negotiations are now proceeding between His Majesty's Government and the Government of Russia for the delimitation of spheres of influence in Persia; and whether such delimitation would be consistent with the guarantees for the integrity and independence of Persia exchanged between Lord Palmerston and Count Nesselrode in 1838 and subsequently renewed.
§ THE SECRETARY OF STATE FOR FOREIGN AFFAIRS (Sir EDWARD GREY, Northumberland, Berwick)Any negotiations with Russia respecting Persia will be conducted on the basis of the integrity and independence of Persia.