The record-union., 1898-02-09


After notices of the Introduction of
other bills had been given, Speaker
Gully read the Queens speech, which
had previously been read in both houses
of Parliament The speech was then
moved and seconded.
Sir William Vernon Harcourt, the
opposition leader, said the Government
should not complain that the House
and court We're demanding explanations
on many matters. When 100000 men
We're in arms in various parts, he added,
they could not congratulate themselves
upon pax Britannia.
On the re-assembling of the House Of
Lords the new peers were introduced
and took their seats with the usual cere-
mony. The house was full and the gall
leries We're crowded with peeresses and
daughters of peers.
The galleries were filled before bust
ness in the House of Lords began.
Henry White, Secretary of the United
States Embassy, and Mrs. White and
James r. Carter, Second Secretary of
the United States Embassy, were in the
diplomatic gallery. The Duke of MARI
borough and Lord Dunraven were
among the peers present on the floor
The Prince of Wales and the Duke of
York We're present.
After the address in reply to the
speech from the throne had been moved
and seconded, the Earl of Kimberly, the
opposition leader in the House of Lords,
replied that he regarded the local Gov
eminent of Ireland as being one of the
most important subjects of the Queens
speech and while he regarded the Gov
eminent measure favorably he was
compelled to add that the Liberal party
was of the opinion that the only way to
permanently satisfy Ireland was by es-
tablishing home rule.
The Earl of Kimberly mildly criticised
the Governments policy in the Soudan,
West Africa and the Far East, but he
said he wished to extract no embarrass-
ing information. When a Cabinet Min
lister, however, spoke of war, he thought
it time Parliament was told plainly what
was meant.
The Marquis of Salisbury then arose.
and, fortifying himself with a glass of
water and leaning his hands upon the
table which separated him from the OPP
position began in plain conversational
tones, as if addressing Lord Kimberly
alone. The first announcement which
provoked Hear, hear was that before
many months he hoped that their efforts
in Egypt would result in the capture of
khartoum.
When the Premier reached the ques-
ton of China there was a murmur of
expectancy. The pacific assurances he
gave were received with evident ap-
prevail and relief. The Marquis of Sails
bury said: II will not use word which
seems to CRATE on the mobiles ears. but
l may say there is no effort which this
country would not make rather than lose
our treaty rights. At the same time no
one has evinced the slightest intention
of infringing those rights.
I'm regard to the loan, it is true we
suggested as one of the conditions the
opening of fallen Wan as a treaty port.
China made some objections. and, fin
ally as compromise, l, on the 11tn
ultimo, suggested that the matter be left
in allegiance until the railway reached
Talien Wan, when ii should be opened as
a treaty port. Sir Claude Macdonald,
the British Minister at Pekin, replied
the next day that China accepted this,
and since then I have heard nothing to
the contrary. The old question of the
loan is still the subject of negotiation -
His Lordship added: Il have re-
ceived spontaneous assurances from the
Russian Government that any port they
open in China will be open to free COM
MERGE"
Lord Salisbury said the conditions the
Government has asked in return for
the Chinese loan were without excep-
ton directed toward increasing an6
freeing the trade with China and con-
tanned nothing injurious to China her
self.
Regarding the immediate opening OF
Talien Wan,' said his Lordship, the
Chinese Council have informed us that
it would embarrass them very much
For reasons that it is not necessary to
enter into very closely, and for their
own personal comfort and we'll being,
they expressed the desire that we
should not insist on this proposal
Whereupon 1 replied that the proposal
was rot essential, though we thought
it advantageous; and l suggested, as
a compromise, that the opening of Tai
len Wan be deferred until the railroad
udu iedcIeu the port.
1T is obvious to any one knowing
the country well that the country be-
hind Talien Wan is practically worth
less. No trade could arise until the
railroad reached the port. few days
afterward Sir Claude Macdonald re-
ported that the compromise was a4-
cepted as a condition of the loan and
since then l have heard no more about
Talien Wan But ! am bound to say
/ am not very much interested, as l
recently received from Russia a writ
ten assurance that any port they OBJ
tain leave to employ as an outlet for
their commerce. win be a free port for
all The commerce Of this country A
free port is much better than a treaty
port, and thus, having ascertained that
fallen Wan was TO be a free port, it
interests us very little, indeed, to know
whether it will be treaty port or not.
Il may say that similar assurances
have been made us by the German Gov
eminent respecting the territory they
recently occupied Indeed, the German
Government went further, and were
more flattering to us, for the German
En- bassador told us they had conclud-
ed that our manner of dealing with
such things was better than theirs, and
that in this instance, at any rate, they
intended to initiate our methods. Re-
garding the loan, 1 hope in a few days
TO lay the papers on the table dealing
with it. but | warn the noble Earl that
information will be exceedingly scanty
when it appears"
Turning TO India, Lord Salisbury de-
clared that the troubles with the Afri-
dis we're not due to the occupation of
Chitral. nor to fanaticism, but to ter