§ LORD HERSCHELLMy Lords, before the correspondence appeared which has been made public this morning I had given the noble Marquess, the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, notice of my intention to ask him what was the nature and extent of the modifications of the modus vivendi of last Session for regulating the Behring Sea Seal Fishery, now proposed by Her Majesty's Government to the Government of the United States, and whether he can give your Lordships any further information upon the subject without prejudice to the public interest? Probably the correspondence published this morning answers, as fully as the 2 noble Marquess can, the first part of the question; but I would still ask him whether there is any further information beyond that which has appeared which he can give your Lordships without prejudice to the public interest?
§ THE PRIME MINISTER AND SECRETARY OF STATE FOR FOREIGN AFFAIRS (The Marquess of SALISBURY)My Lords, the publication which has, been laid upon the Table, and which appeared in the newspapers this morning, contains all the correspondence right to within 24 hours of the date when it appeared, and I have absolutely no information later than that period. I feel that there may seem to be some curtness if I do not answer the noble Lord at length; but I think he will appreciate my view that it is better to let that correspondence speak for itself, and that I should not hazard any commentaries either upon our own productions or upon those of the United States. I do not see that any advantage could arise at this stage from a discussion of the matter. My Lords, 3 I have perhaps deviated from the usual course in making an entire disclosure of the correspondence that has passed, before the negotiation with which it was concerned was concluded; but it became evident that much of it was becoming public property on the other side of the water, and I thought that under those circumstances it was only fair, and tending to promote a due appreciation of the questions at issue, that we should place the whole of it before the Houses of Parliament and before the English public. I really have nothing further to state; but if there is anything that the noble Lord does not understand, or which I can explain to him, I shall be exceedingly glad to do so.
§ LORD HERSCHELLMy Lords, of course after what the noble Marquess has said, unless it were to ask for information upon some point which appeared obscure, I certainly should not think it desirable to put any question with a view of eliciting any further statement. At present no such question occurs to me; but I have only had time to glance somewhat cursorily at the correspondence as yet, and if anything occurs to me I will trouble the noble Marquess with a further question.