MOTION FOR AN ADDRESS. (Hansard, 30 June 1882)

§ EARL DE LA WARR

, in rising to move an Address for Papers and Correspondence relating to affairs in Tunis, said, he was induced to do so in consequence of a further development of the French occupation of that country, which, as it appeared, was now in contemplation, and which, if carried out, would materially affect the interests of British subjects who were resident in the Regency of Tunis. He alluded to the alleged intention on the part of the French Government to suppress the Capitulations and to abolish the Consular Courts in Tunis, as to which he would ask the noble Earl the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, whether any information could be given? That intention, although it had not as yet been openly declared, was, he believed, no secret at Tunis, or at Paris, where it was freely discussed in the French Press. For instance, he might mention a statement which had come under his notice, and which appeared in The Journal des Débats, which said that the time had come— De prendre complètement en main le gouvernement intérieur de la Régence et de l'exercer suivant les principes qui nous guident en Algérie. 904 It was argued in that journal that the Treaty of Kasr Essaid—the Treaty recently concluded between the Bey of Tunis and the French Government—was sufficient to effect this. Now, the 4th Article was as follows:— The Government of the French Republic guarantees the execution of the Treaties at present existing between the Government of the Regency and the different European Powers. This difficulty, therefore, arose. How could the Capitulations, which were based upon existing Treaties, be suppressed? But an easy solution was offered. An additional Convention, it was suggested, might be concluded with the Bey which would modify the Treaty on this point. It was also said, in the same paper he had referred to, that— Whatever it might cost, the French were engaged, by interest as well as honour, to establish a regular Government and Administration, and that such a Government could not exist with the Capitulations. The noble Earl might, perhaps, reply that these were unofficial statements; but he (Earl De La Warr) had often found unofficial statements had some portion of truth in them; and he had reason to believe that, in this instance, they represented the intentions of the French Government, if it were possible to carry them out. He would ask their Lordships to consider for a moment what would be the effect of this change. The Consular Courts established under the Capitulations would be superseded; British subjects, as well as those of other European Powers, would be placed under French jurisdiction as much as they would be in any part of France, and matters closely affecting their interests in all cases of civil and criminal jurisdiction would be removed from what were now the Consular Courts to whatever French Court might be established in their stead. He could not but think that this was a matter which demanded the serious attention of the Government, and he hoped the noble Earl might be able to assure them that the existing Treaties and Conventions which established and confirmed the Capitulations and Consular Courts in Tunis would be strictly adhered to. The noble Earl concluded by moving for Papers and Correspondence.