§ THE EARL OF NORTHBROOKMy Lords, I wish to state that I shall postpone my Statement on the Navy from Monday next until Monday week. I wish to ask the indulgence of your Lordships for a moment or two to mention a personal question. Yesterday I saw in the morning newspapers a report, which came by telegraph, from Alexandria, giving what purported to be a circumstantial account of the contents of the Report which I made to Her 25 Majesty's Government on the subject of Egyptian Finance. That report was incorrect. I do not generally take notice of newspaper reports, especially of telegrams from Egypt, which are notoriously full of inaccuracies, and which are sent by persons who telegraph every kind of report, which often have no foundation whatever. But this account was so circumstantial that I thought it necessary to correct it so far as I could at once. I communicated to the Central News, and to all the evening newspapers of the day, information enabling them to correct the report on my authority—not to correct it in the sense of telling them what was in my own Report, because, as your Lordships will see, that Report has been made to the Government. On my authority, however, they were able to say that that Report was incorrect; but to my surprise this morning I saw in The Times newspaper an article discussing this particular Report which I had corrected, and apparently correcting that Report on what appeared to be authority. My Lords, I think it is only due to myself to take the first opportunity of informing your Lordships and the public that this Report, purporting to be corrected by The Times, is also incorrect in several essential particulars. If it had only rested with myself, or had it only affected my own personal reputation, I should not have thought it worth while to make this explanation in this House; but I can assure your Lordships that reports of this kind, especially when they come, purporting to be based on authority, from a journal of the position of The Times newspaper, are most prejudicial to the interests of the people of Egypt. It gives rise to every kind of rumour, and is very prejudicial. I may be allowed to say that I have no personal knowledge of the writer in The Times newspaper; but after the extraordinary mistakes which that journal has fallen into—in the first place, in announcing by authority when I was in Egypt that Lord Wolseley was recalled; and, in the second place, in announcing, apparently by authority, that telegrams had been received from the Khedive saying that General Gordon was killed, neither of which pieces of news had the very slightest foundation in fact—I think the managers of that journal might have had a lesson, and might not 26 have been quite so credulous as to unauthentic information which they may receive from Egypt.
§ THE MARQUESS OF SALISBURYMy Lords, I do not wish to complain nor to comment upon the explanation of the noble Earl, which, I think, is very natural; but; I only rise to say that rumours of this kind are very apt to arise when a very important document is known to be in existence, and when there is a natural curiosity on the part of the public to know what that important document contains. I only wish to ask the noble Earl whether there is any chance of our having the advantage of seeing that document within a measurable space of time?
§ THE EARL OF NORTHBROOKThat is a matter as to which I cannot give an answer to the noble Marquess.
§ THE MARQUESS OF SALISBURYThen, may I ask the Question of the noble Earl the Leader of the House?
§ EARL GRANVILLEI mentioned last night an instance of the inconvenience of answering a Question without Notice. My idea is that we should not ask a Question without giving Notice, and I understood the noble Marquess assented to that proposition. All I have got to say at present is that this document is a confidential Report of Lord Northbrook to the Government. The suggestions of the noble Earl are under the consideration of the Cabinet at this moment; and it is quite impossible for me to say at present whether they will present that confidential Report or not.