§ Mr. GOLDMANasked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether he was aware that for more than forty years His Majesty's Government had made repeated representations to the Government of the 1492 United States respecting the conditional interpretation of most-favoured-nation treatment in the treaty of 1815; that in 1829 the United States Government informed the Government of France that the interpretation of most-favoured-nation treatment could never be put into the power of any third party for settlement; whether His Majesty's Government had any reason for believing that the United States Government had abandoned this attitude and would now be prepared to submit the long-standing differences about most-favoured-nation treaties to arbitration; and whether they would make such representations in particular in connection with the discrimination against British goods in the United States markets contemplated by the proposed reciprocity agreement with Canada?
§ Sir E. GREYThe answers to the first two parts of the question are in the affirmative. I do not propose to make any statement in regard to the rest of the question at present.
§ Mr. GOLDMANIn the event of any agreement being arrived at between the United States and this country, will the question of most-favoured-nation treatment be excluded or otherwise?
§ Sir E. GREYI must ask the hon. Member to accept my answer. I am not in a position to make any statement at present.