HC Deb 07 March 1911 vol 22 cc1004-5
Mr. AUSTEN CHAMBERLAIN

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether his attention has been called to the inaccuracy of the passage in Miscellaneous, No. 2, 1911, page 4, which purports to be a citation from a speech of Mr. Gladstone's, quoting an official letter of Lord Malmesbury's; and whether he will circulate a paper giving the exact words of Mr. Gladstone's speech and Lord Malmesbury's letter?

Sir E. GREY

In view of the fact that the words of the speech and the exact words of the letter are contained in Hansard, volume 203, pages 646, 647, 648, and 649, it seems unnecessary to circulate a further paper.

Mr. AUSTEN CHAMBERLAIN

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether he would circulate copies of M. Ferry's despatch of the 13th March 1885, referred to in Lord Granville's letter of 4th April, 1885, printed in Miscellaneous, No. 2, 1911?

Sir E. GREY

The despatch of M. Ferry of 13th March, 1885 may be found on page 173 of volume 15 of second series of "Archives Diplomatiques," which is in the House of Commons library. It was not included in the Papers laid before Parliament in 1885, but can be extracted and laid, if it is thought worth while.

Mr. AUSTEN CHAMBERLAIN

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, whether his attention had been called to the fact that the statement attributed in the despatch on page 4 of Miscellaneous, No. 2, 1911, to the Attorney-General of 1854 incorrectly represents what was actually said by him, and appears to have been retranslated from the French translation without verification by reference to the official report of the Attorney-General's words in Hansard; and whether he would circulate a Paper giving the Attorney-General's exact words?

Sir E. GREY

The retranslation appears to have been made as stated. But, in view of the fact that the official report is, as the hon. Member observes, contained in Hansard, volume 132, pages 64–65, it appears unnecessary to circulate another paper. The papers now laid before the House are, of course, a mere reprint of the papers laid in 1885.