The Press.
London, England, 1858-03-20 00:00:00

THE FRENCH DESPATCHES.

Mr. CRATTURD asked the Under-Secretary for
Foreign Affairs whether the despatch of the 4th of
March, addressed by the Earl of Malmesbury to
Count Walewski, was submitted to the French autho-
rities in Paris, or to their representatives in England,

for the pnreose of ascertaining the opinion of the
French Government thereon, before the official pre-
sentation of that document to the French Govern.
ment on behalf of the British nation. (Cries of
" Question !" and " Order !")

The SPEAKER intimated that the hon. member had
said as much as was permitted by the orders of the
house, and requested him to put his question.
Mr. CRAUFURD said that it was necessary that he
should mention certain dates. On the 22nd of
February it was announced in both Houses of Parlia-
ment that the Earl of Derby had undertaken to form
an Administration. (Renewed cries of " Order!")
The SPEAKER again interposed, and
➢lr. CRAUFURD asked the question of which he had
given notice.
The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER :
It was hardly fair of the hon. gentleman to address this
question b my hon. friend the Under-Secretary of State,
because he must know that if there were the slightest
foundation for his gratuitous assumption on this matter it
could not be within the cognisance of my hon. friend.
(Hear, hear.) There is on the part of her Majesty's Go-
vernment the utmost inclination to deal frankly with the
House of Commons with regard to this matter, but I put
it to the house whether they think that questions of this
kind ought to be sanctioned. (Loud cheers from both
sides of the house.) I should not have said another wont
in answer to the question of the hon. gentleman, had he
not, though very irregularly, gone into some comparison
or calculation of dates,• from which be would seem to
infer that, from the interval which elapsed-, there must
have been some unusual, I may say some surrertitious,
communication with a foreign Government. (Hear, bear.)
But if the hon. gentleman, before he asked questions of
this great delicacy, would have taken a little trouble to in-
quire into the circurnstancee, he might have found some
sufficiently valid to account for that apparent delay in the
date of the Secretary of State's despatch. In the first place,
it was of course necessary that before a despatch of that
importance was transmitted he should have the advantage
of deliberation with his colleagues. It was also necessary
that it should be submitted complete and entire t her
Majesty, and her Majesty was at Osborne. Then there
was such a state of weather that for forty-eight hours no
one could cross the Channel. Under these circumstances
the apparent delay in the transmission of this despatch
might easily have been accounted for by the hon. gentle.
man; but having noticed these circumstances, which I
hope will be satisfactory to the house, I must again protest
against a class of questions which can produce no advan-
tage to the public. ( Hear, hear.) If we were to apply to
misunderstandings and misconceptions in private life the
spirit in which the hon. gentleman wishes to deal with
public transactions I do not think that the peace of society
would long be preserved. (Loud cheers.)

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.
pre-
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fiber had
of the
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it I put
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ay in the
rst place,
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govern-
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reply to
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