§ THE EARL OF MALMESBURYIn rising to move that the summons to your Lordships to attend on Friday evening be discharged, I think it right to state that it 1692 is my intention to withdraw the notice I have given of the Motion I had meant to submit on that evening with respect to the surrender of Kars. It is with extreme regret that I find myself coerced by circumstances to take this course, for I can assure your Lordships that I had a very sincere and earnest intention to bring this interesting subject under your consideration. For the delays which unfortunately prevent me from doing so, your Lordships will admit that I am in no degree responsible. In the first place, the noble Lord the Secretary for Foreign Affairs remained absent three weeks longer than we expected; in the next, the importance of my Motion rendered it necessary that I should give a full week's notice of it, and as your Lordships do not sit next Thursday—that being Ascension-day—I could name no earlier day than next Friday for the debate. But no later than yesterday the Foreign Secretary laid the Treaty of Paris on the table, and as he has invited us to take it into consideration on Monday evening, I cannot think that it would meet the approval of your Lordships to forestall the interest of that great occasion by remarks and animadversions on such subjects as the war in Asia Minor and the surrender of Kars—topics which it would be impossible to discuss without reference to their consequences as revealed by the treaty. Under these circumstances, I have thought that the better course is to withdraw the Motion. Had I not done so, we should have had two debates on the same subject, the one on Friday, the other on Monday, and, as it is manifestly desirable that if we are to spend two evenings in the discussion of the same topic, they should be consecutive evenings, I trust your Lordships will be of opinion that I am now acting in the manner most conducive to your convenience. I would be understood, however, as reserving to myself the right of bringing forward any Motion I may think fit on Monday evening. I wish to ask my noble Friend the President of the Council whether he has any objection to lay on your Lordships' table, on Friday, the terms of the Address which Lord Clarendon will move on Monday next?
§ EARL GRANVILLEIf I rightly understand the noble Lord, he altogether withdraws his notice of Motion with respect to Kars?
§ THE EARL OF MALMESBURYYes.
§ EARL GRANVILLEI am glad to hear it.
§ THE EARL OF MALMESBURYThe noble Earl has not replied to my question.
§ EARL GRANVILLEThe terms of the Motion to be made by my noble Friend on Monday evening will be laid on your Lordships' table on Friday.
§ Summons discharged.