§ Mr. FELLasked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs if his attention has been called to the increase of trade between this.country and Russia, and if, to assist British traders, merchants, and investors, he proposes to appoint additional consuls in Russia and in Siberia, and to instruct the consuls to send over more frequent and more full reports?
§ The SECRETARY of STATE for FOREIGN AFFAIRS (Sir Edward Grey)The answer to the first part of the question is in the affirmative. As regards the second part, proposals have already been received for strengthening His Majesty's Consular Service in the Russian Empire, and will be considered. The reports it present furnished by His Majesty's Consular Officers in Russia are sufficiently adequate, and are as full and as frequent as is possible in the circumstances. Besides the Annual Trade Reports and the numerous despatches received in the Foreign Office, the substance of which is printed in the Board of Trade Journal, 440 letters were received in the past year by the Commercial Intelligence Branch of the Board of Trade from Consuls in Russia, apart from over 800 letters to firms in the United Kingdom received at the branch for transmission.