§ EARL PEEL had given Notice that be would call attention to the existing agreement under which the Chinese District Court at Shanghai is constituted, ask His Majesty's Government what steps are being taken for its revision, and move for Papers. The noble Earl said: My Lords, I have placed upon the Paper, as you may have seen, a Motion with reference to the existing agreement as to the Chinese District Court at Shanghai. I received an intimation from the Foreign Secretary, expressing the view that the Government thought it would not be advisable at the present moment to bring forward this Motion. On receiving a notice of that kind I, of course, felt that there was only one course to pursue, and I would like to place my Motion on the "No day named" list. I do not wish to take it off the Paper. I must apologise to those who have acted with me in this matter, and I desire to 1323 apologise to noble Lords, also, who were going to take part in the debate, for giving them such very short notice; but I must plead in extenuation that, although my Motion had been on the Paper for some ten or fourteen days, I did not receive any sort of sign from the Foreign Office that it was undesirable to bring this matter forward until Saturday last. It is not my fault that I was not able to give an earlier intimation to my noble friends, and I hope they will receive the apology of one who is in no way guilty of any negligence or dereliction of duty in the matter. The fault is entirely (shall we say?) in a Government Department.
§ VISCOUNT HAILSHAMMy Lords, I would like to say first of all that the Government are very much indebted to the noble Earl for his consideration in this matter. I am only sorry that such very short notice was given to him. I think the reason is that the course of affairs in Shanghai was such that it was not possible to say with any certainty whether it would be in the public interest that this matter should be discussed at the present moment, until very recently, and naturally your Lordships will understand that the Foreign Office does not wish lightly to interfere with a Motion which has been put down, or to ask for its postponement, so long as there seems a reasonable prospect that it may be discussed. I am sorry for any inconvenience that may have been caused, and I am obliged to the noble Earl for the consideration he has shown us in this matter.