HL Deb 15 March 1897 vol 47 c649
THE EARL OF KIMBERLEY

I desire to ask the noble Marquess opposite a question of which I have given him private notice—whether any response has been made by Her Majesty's Government to the communication received from the Greek Government on the 8th, I think, or the 10th of March—a communication made in reply to the the Identic Note presented by the Powers on March 2?

THE PRIME MINISTER (The MARQUESS OF SALISBURY)

I may say of the Note to which the noble Lord has last referred as having been identic, that any communication made upon it would be of the same character; therefore it would not be Her Majesty's Government, but the six Powers, who would make the answer to which the noble Lord refers. Correcting the noble Lord's question to that extent, I have to say that no such answer has been made.

THE EARL OF KIMBERLEY

I wish to defend myself from any charge of inaccuracy in the wording of my question. I thought an Identic Note differed from a Collective Note, and that a communication would he addressed by each of the Powers.

THE PRIME MINISTER

I believe the noble Lord is quite right, but the Identic Note most still be within the condition of being identic; therefore, if all the Powers do not address it, no one can.

THE EARL OF KIMBERLEY

But it differs from a Collective Note?

THE PRIME MINISTER

Oh, yes.