MOTION FOR AN ADDRESS. (Hansard, 26 February 1884)

EARL DE LA WARE

, in rising to move for Papers and correspondence 6 relative to the Roustchouk-Varna Railway; and to ask Her Majesty's Government, What steps have been taken to comply with Article X. of the Treaty of Berlin? said, that he wished to call the attention of the Government to the position of the Roustchouk-Varna Railway Company, with reference to their claim upon the Government of the Principality of Bulgaria. He had no personal interest in the question, neither was he in possession of any information which was not available to any of their Lordships; but it seemed to him to be a question which required notice on the part of the Government; and, indeed, he thought a rather vigorous course should be taken by the Government. The facts were briefly these. Some 20 years ago a concession was granted by the Ottoman Government, and it was afterwards taken over by an English Company, who found the capital, and the railway in question was made, being completed in 1867. Up to the time of the Treaty of Berlin the Turkish Government were responsible for the subvention which had been guaranteed in the concession for 99 years, and which for the first 33 years was to be £140,000. It appeared, however, that nothing had been paid since the year 1874. But by the Treaty of Berlin, signed nearly six years ago—in 1878—the new Principality of Bulgaria took over the obligations of the Ottoman Government towards the Varna Railway Company, under the 10th Article of that Treaty, and now owed to the Company £700,000 or upwards. The subject had more than once been under notice in their Lordships' House, and also in the House of Commons. On one occasion, nearly a year ago, the noble Earl opposite the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs said— It is not a subject on which Her Majesty'" Government have shown any negligence in pressing what I believe to be a just claim."—(3 Hansard, [279] 1477.) A somewhat similar statement was made in the House of Commons. But he was informed that nothing had been done by the Bulgarian Government beyond making an offer of a compromise which it was impossible to accept. He was quite aware that the Government, at the present moment, had much to engage their serious attention; but, considering the length of time which had elapsed, he thought the noble Earl the Secretary 7 of State for Foreign Affairs would agree with, him that something now ought to be done, and some pressure put upon the Bulgarian Government, in order to make them fulfil their obligations with regard to a matter which involved the interests of a large number of British subjects. He begged to move the Motion that stood in his name upon the Paper.