MOTION FOR AN ADDRESS. (Hansard, 24 March 1887)

§ VISCOUNT SIDMOUTH,
in rising to move for copy of any written pledges, should such pledges exist, on the part of the Empires of Russia and China with the Government of this country in reference to the occupation for military or naval purposes of the harbour of Port Hamilton or any portion of the territory of Corea, said, that their Lordships would remember that, although naval testimony was unanimous as to the insufficiency of the harbour, yet there was no doubt that it only required money to be spent at Port Hamilton to make it a very important naval and military position. Although this country might be unwilling to lay out the money for this 1286 purpose, yet other nations might not object to spend the money necessary to make Port Hamilton an impregnable fortress if they obtained the chance, He ventured to urge upon the Government, in view of the importance of the rapid development of China by way of the North Pacific, that they should apply themselves to discover some place which might be used as a great naval depot and harbour in those seas. The noble Viscount concluded by moving for the Address of which he had given Notice.

§ THE LORD PRESIDENT OF THE COUNCIL (Viscount CRANBROOK),
in reply, said, that the Papers to which his noble Friend referred contained a statement, and a very full written statement, on the part of the Chinese Government, giving the guarantee in question, which was not a mere verbal statement by the Chinese Government, but was a very deliberate Note. It was found that the Chinese had received from the Russian Government a guarantee that Russia would not interfere with Corean territory in future if the British did not; and the Chinese Government, on the faith of that guarantee, had given the British Government a written guarantee that neither China nor Russia would interfere with the territory in question. That was accepted by Sir John Walsham, who telegraphed home, and received the assent of my noble Friend (the Marquess of Salisbury) to the guarantee, as coming from the Chinese Government.

§ VISCOUNT SIDMOUTH
asked, whether her Majesty's Government had a guarantee from the Russian Government?

§ VISCOUNT CRANBROOK
said, the guarantee, as far as England was concerned, was from the Chinese Government, who had the Corea under its Suzerainty. They had received a guarantee from Russia; but with Russia Her Majesty's Government in this matter had no concern.

LORD ELLENBOROUGH
said, that a war between Russia and China was not 1287 a very impossible event, and that, therefore, the guarantee was worthless.

§ VISCOUNT SIDMOUTH
asked, whether China had received a written guarantee from Russia?

§ VISCOUNT CRANBROOK
I cannot tell that.

§ VISCOUNT SIDMOUTH
As there are no more Papers to be produced, I must ask leave to withdraw my Motion.