The Marquis of Londonderrysaid, he wished to take the opportunity, seeing the noble Earl, the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs in his place, of asking a question, which, as he conceived, was nearly connected with the honour of this country. In the year 1828, his Majesty's Speech to Parliament announced, "that his Imperial Majesty the Emperor of Russia had consented to waive the exercise, in the Mediterranean Sea, of any rights appertaining to his Imperial Majesty, in his character of a belligerent power." Such was the declaration of his Majesty in February, 1828; but, in the month of October following, they were informed, by a letter from Lord Dunglass, a nobleman holding a situation in the Foreign Office, that his "Imperial Majesty intended to establish a blockade of the Dardanelles, which blockade would be limited to the prevention of vessels bound to Constantinople, and laden with provisions, or articles contraband of War, from entering the Straits; and that, in the opinion of his Majesty's Government such commercial enterprise of his Majesty's subjects, as might have been already undertaken, upon the faith of his Majesty's declaration in Parliament, would not be liable to be affected by that blockade." Nothing could be more inconsistent than these two declarations. Individuals were first induced to act on the assurance given in the Lords Commissioners' Speech, and then came this letter, declaring that a blockade was intended. This was a most extraordinary instance of a rapid change of sentiments; and he wished to know—
The Lord Chancellor,interrupting the noble Marquis, said, would the noble Marquis allow him to suggest that there was no motion before the House?
The Marquis of Londonderrysaid, he had but a few observations to offer, which would prevent him from introducing the subject hereafter. He wished to ask the Secretary of State for the Foreign Department, whether he was willing to lay before Parliament the correspondence growing out of this transaction which had taken place with Russia, in order that he might be enabled to judge whether the power and dignity of Great Britain had been properly upheld on that occasion.
§ The Earl of Aberdeenassured the noble Marquis that he should receive the most ample information on the subject; and he hoped the noble Marquis would find that the honour of this country had 1062 been fully maintained in the transaction to which he had alluded. There would be no difficulty in producing this or any other information which the noble Marquis might think necessary with respect to this or any other subject connected with the transactions in the Levant.