§ THE MARQUESS OF SALISBURYI wish to ask the noble Earl the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, in accordance with a Notice which I gave the other day, Whether he can give the House any information with respect to the earthworks and fortifications which, it is said, are being armed round the Port of Alexandria; whether any communication has been made to the de facto authorities in Egypt on the subject of those earthworks, and, whether any 1571 orders have been given to our Admiral to enable him to act with promptitude?
§ EARL GRANVILLEMy Lords, in answer to the noble Marquess, I have to state that, about five weeks ago, preparations, which could only be construed as of a hostile character towards the Anglo-French Fleet, were reported to us as having been commenced in the harbour of Alexandria. We immediately communicated with our Admiral; and, at the same time, we applied to the Sultan to send a peremptory order that the preparations should be discontinued. I do not think that we heard any more since then until within the last few days, when a communication was received to the effect that preparations both with regard to earthworks and with regard to arming one of the forts there, and with regard also to a possible plan of obstructing the mouth of the harbour, were being made. We immediately gave instructions to our Admiral on the subject. I am sure that the noble Marquess will not wish that I should go into details with respect to those instructions; but I may say that they are of a character which appears to Her Majesty's Government to be ample to deal with the emergency. I am also able to state that we have heard that the Sultan has sent another peremptory order on the subject; but we have no official information at the present moment as to whether these preparations have been stopped or not.
LORD ORANMORE AND BROWNEsaid, he had seen in The Times a statement with regard to the instructions which had been sent to the British Admiral. Was there any truth in it? From what appeared in that paper it might be supposed that it was known in the office of that paper exactly what the instructions were.
§ EARL GRANVILLEI can assure your Lordships that no more instructions have been made known by the Foreign Office to The Times, or anywhere else, than have been communicated to your Lordships.