§ EARL RUSSELLSeeing that the noble Earl opposite (Earl of Ellenborough) has given notice of his intention, on the Motion for Adjournment, to call the Attention of the House to the actual State of Affairs in Germany and Denmark, I rise on public grounds to request the noble Earl not at present to bring on that discussion. I do not expect that anything that could fall from him will tend to increase the difficulties which surround the settlement of this question; and, for my own part, I must say that I should have been very glad to render the fullest explanation of the conduct of the Government in respect to the affairs of Denmark and Germany. There are, however, reasons of public policy which make it desirable that there should be no discussion at the present moment. In the first place, I have now to present, by command of Her Majesty, various papers in continuation of those which were presented a few weeks ago. These papers contain the further correspondence which has taken place up to a very recent period. In the next place, there has been a correspondence lately carried on with regard to the holding of a Conference and a proposed armistice, and I have good hopes that the Danish Government will agree to that Conference. If that should be the case, I should hope that an armistice, on the ground of humanity and on the basis already proposed, 294 would be acceptable to all parties. But that matter is still in doubt, and your Lordships will see that the discussion of this subject, at a time when these matters are still in doubt, would be very undesirable. I do therefore trust that the noble Earl, on grounds of public policy, will postpone the discussion until all the papers which have been presented are in your Lordships hands. Although, as I have stated, I have no fear that anything the noble Earl might say would interfere with the settlement of this question, yet any discussion at the present moment night be liable to misapprehension by the parties now engaged in war, and might thus tend to the public injury, and prevent the success of the negotiations which are now being carried on.
§ THE EARL OF ELLENBOROUGHUnder the circumstances stated by the noble Earl, I cannot take upon myself the responsibility of bringing on at the present moment a discussion on the existing state of affairs in Germany and Denmark. At the same time, I cannot come to the conclusion at which he arrives. I by no means participate in the noble Earl's opinion, that a discussion on the subject in this House would have an injurious effect. On the contrary, I am very much afraid that if we adjourn this discussion we shall postpone it until a period when it will be too late to produce any beneficial effect.
THE EARL OF DESARTI regret that your Lordships are always met with the same excuse—that negotiations are still going on — negotiations "never ending, still beginning," until the result is absolute failure.
§ VISCOUNT STRATFORD DE REDCLIFFEIt affords me much gratification to find that the noble Earl, whose Notice appears on the Votes of the House, feels himself at liberty to acquiesce so cheerfully in the request addressed to him by the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs; but I cannot refrain from expressing, at the same time, my concern at that part of what has fallen from my noble Friend the Foreign Secretary, which states that considerable uncertainty still hangs over the prospect of a Conference on Danish affairs. Ten days have elapsed since the last conversation upon that important subject in your Lordships' House, and the official language respecting a Conference is still confined to an expression—a stronger one perhaps— of hope. It appears, moreover, that if the Danes consent to a Conference, there 295 is little reason to expect that they will agree to have it accompanied with an armistice, and it also appears that no basis of negotiating in the Conference has been established by common arrangement. Under such circumstances, with every wish for a pacific settlement, and with all due feelings of deference to Her Majesty's Government, I cannot look forward to the issue of the pending difficulties without a sentiment of deep and painful apprehension.