The Express.
London, England, 1853-03-15 00:00:00

AUSTRIA AND TURKEY.

Mr. DISRAELI said—l wish to make an inquiry of her
Majesty's government of some importance with reference to
the relations between Austria and the Porte. I have oh-
served in a morning journal, which is a jourual of great
authority, that an ultiinatum has been presented by
Austria to the Porte containing nine requirements. I have
thou reqairerdenta hem. I will not trouble ti_a !lease with
them ; but I will only say that they are all requisitions of a
painful nature and perilous to the independence of Turkey. ,
Two of them I must notice in asking the question I tun
about to put. One of them requires the immediate evacua-
tion of Montenegro by the Turkish army, and the other
that Kleck and S uterrina, the only two ports in the Adriatic
by means of which British commerce, owing to the low rates of
the Turkish tariff, can pour her cargoes and her trade into
that part of the world, are to be closed against her enterprise.
The same journal stases that unfortunately the alternative
was not only presented but accepted. I wish to enquire whe-
ther her Majesty's government have received official in-
telligence of this fact; and I also wish to ask whether
if the transactions between Austria and the Sublime Porte
are concluded, as appears to be the case, the government
has received information of a similar character to that con-
tained in that morning journal ; and if so, whether the
noble lord will lay on toe table any papers illustrative of
the relations between Austria and the Porto with regard
to those proceedings?
Lord J. RUSSELL—The government has received offi-
cial information from Constantinople of the final arrange-
ment of the difficulties which existed between Austria and
the Porte. The demands made by Count Leiningen on the
part of Austria were chi. fly five. 1 will only refer to those
to which the right bon. gentleman has referred. It was I
demanded on the part of Austria that the former I
status of Montenegro should be resumed, sod that that
tumor, should be evacuated by the Turkish troops. That I
demand has been complied with, Count Leiningen
undertaking that they should not be molested as
they passed out. Another demand was that the " status
quo ' of Kleck and Souterrina, which had existed for some
years, should not be disturbed, and that also was acceded to
by the Porte. Colonel nose, our Charge d'Affaires at Con-
stantinople, with respect to the last condition, asked that
no proposition of Austria as to any change in those two
territories should be acceded to without the knowlAge of
her Mskoity's government. With respect to other condi-
tions which deeply concern refugees holding service in the'
Turkish army, Austria wished those persons to be coufined
in the interim. That demand was modified, and Austria
was satisfied by the removal of the Turkish army from
Montenegro. There was also a stipulation with regard to
the Christians in Bosnia, and that demand was complied
with, but it was also modified. Another demand with
rapt et to the losses of some Austrian subjects was
complied with by the pa .cent of a sum of money by
the Porte. With regard to :the production of papers
which would show the course of these negotiations, I must
say, in the first place, that it is not usual when negotia-
tions have been going on between two foreign countries in
which we are not immediately concerned, and which have
ended satisfactorily, and when no hostilities have taken
place, I say it is nut usual to lay papers relating to them on
the table of the house. Some public inconvenience might
be caused by such a course, for the negotiations may eon-
tain demands which were made but afterwards modified,
and the production of papers might cause difficulties in fu-
ture negotiations. I will only add, that her Majesty's go-
vernment entirely approve of the conduct of Colonel Rose,
our Chargé d'Affaires,
Mr. DISRAELI begged to ask if the ports of Klock and
Souterrina were closed?

L,rd J. RUSSELL—That was their former condition, and
I suppose for the pr. tent they are.