§ The Earl of Clarendonbegged to put a question to the noble Lord the Secretary for Foreign Affairs with respect to the commercial treaty between this country and Portugal, which had been so long under negotiation, and which, for no fault, he 513 was sure, of the noble Lord, had been so unaccountably delayed. The delay in the alteration of the duties on wine had been very prejudicial to the trade in this country. He had heard that the noble Lord had sent new proposals to the Court of Portugal, and given directions to the English Minister at Lisbon, if they were rejected, to apprise the authorities there that all negotiations must cease. A sufficient time had now elapsed for the question to be settled, and as it was a subject of great importance, he hoped the noble Lord would not find it inconsistent with his sense of public duty to inform him if any answer had been received, and, if so, whether that answer was satisfactory or not?
§ The Earl of Aberdeensaid, that the treaty of commerce, properly so called, between this country and Portugal, was signed so long ago as the month of July last. The two Governments had agreed to revise their tariffs, with the object of making them mutually beneficial. Her Majesty's Government did consider it necessary to put an end to a negotiation so delayed, and a month ago instructions were sent to her Majesty's Minister at Lisbon, with the new propositions, to state that those terms must either be adopted at once, or the negotiation must be put an end to. Fresh proposals had now been made by the Portuguese government, certainly going considerably in advance towards the views of her Majesty's Government, but to what extent he was unable at this moment to decide; the despatches had only arrived yesterday, and until he had had an opportunity of consulting with his noble Friend the President of the Board of Trade, to whose department the matter peculiarly belonged, he should not feel justified in giving a decided answer. The negotiations would be terminated as speedily as possible, either by being brought to a satisfactory conclusion, or being put an end to altogether.