The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1884-07-05 00:00:00

METING OF THE CONFERENCE.

The first meeting of the representatives of the six
Great Powers of Europe, to confer upon the Egyp-
tian finances, took place on Saturday at three o'clock
in the Conference Chamber at the Foreign Office.
Earl Granville attended early at the Foreign Office,
and was engaged for some time previous to the hour
arranged for the meeting of the plenipotentiaries with
Sir Evelyn Baring and other officials.
At half-past two o'clock a number of persons inter-
ested had assembled at the chief entrance to the
Foreign Office, which is within the grand quad-
rangle, to see the arrival .of the Am-
bassadors. At that hour, Rlr. Childers, Chan-
cellor of the Exchequer, walked over from the
Treasury buildings to Earl Granville's room, where,
some time later, the foreign diplomatists were re-
ceived. The first representative of the foreign
Powers to arrive was Musurus Pasha, representing
Turkey. His Excellency only received his final in-
structions to attend the Congress on Friday, when
he visited Earl Granville and acquainted his lord-
ship with the fact. Quickly following came the
newly-appointed Russian Ambassador, M. de Stasi.
M. Waddington the French Ambassanor, together
with M. de Blignieres, the financial expert, the latter
having come in the morning from Paris, arrived
from the French Embassy, whence he had been
preceded by Ccunt d'Aubigny at ten minutes to 3.
The German Plenipotentiary, Count Miinster,
arrived shortly after, having walked over from the
Embassy in Carlton-terrace, accompanied by
M. Derenthal, the financial expert, Count Nigra, the
representative of Italy, arrived next, the last to join
the diplomatic circle with Lord Granville being the
Austrian Ambassador, Count Karolyi, and his
financial expert, M. de Vetsera. Earl Granville re-
ceived each of the Ambassadors and their assistants
as they arrived in his private room at the top of the
grand staircase. Introductions first of all took place
between the financial experts and the different officials,
the Ambassadors, with the exception of M. de Staab
being well acquainted with each other.
According to precedent, the Minister in whose
country the meeting was held, Earl Granville assumed
the presidency with the consent of the representatives
of the Powers. The next business of the meeting was
the election of protocolists, who act in the capacity of
secretaries. Mr. Philip Currie, C. 8., who accompanied
the Earl of Beaconsfield and the Marquis of Salis-
bury to Berlin, and was present during the Berlin
Congress, was unanimously appointed by the Powers
the First Protocolist ; Count d'Aubigny, the
Counsellor of the French Embassy, being appointed,
without dissent, Joint Protocolist. The Hon. F.
Villiers was appointed Assistant Secretary to the
Congress. On arrival at the Conference Chamber
each member took a seat at a large round table, Mr.
Childers as second plenipotentiary for England, the
only Power allowed this privilege, being seated close
to Earl Granville. Earl Granville, after the members
were seated, it is understood, opened the proceedings
by making a short statement as to the proposals that
were to form the subjects of the meeting, and the
financial proposals of Great Britain for the assistance
of the Egyptian exchequer were then placed before
the Congress. As these proposals had not previously
been the subject of agreement between the repre-
sentatives of the Great Powers, the Conference was
adjourned twenty-five minutes after meeting, until
the financial experts could have an opportunity of
examining the different points of the plan.

The following are the Plenipotentiaries of the
Powers at the Conference :—Great Britain, Earl
Granville, K.G., And the Right Hon. H. C. E.
Childers, M.P.; Germany, Count Munster; Austria-
Hungary, Count Karolyi ; France, M. Waddington;
Italy, Count Nigra ; Russia, M. de Staal ; and
Turkey, Musurus Pasha. The financial assistants
are: Great Britain, Sir E. Baring, K.C.S.I. ; Ger-
many, M. Derenthal ; Austria-Hungary, M. de
Vetsera ; France, M. de Blignieres. The two proto-
colists are :—Mr. P. Currie, C. 8., and the Count
d'Auhigny. Tigrane Pasha and Blum Pasha also
attend the Conference as financial delegates from
Egypt.