Two more efforts were made on Thursday to extract some
in- formation from the Ministry on the Eastern Question, and both failed, In the Lords, Lord Feversham said that he had proposed to bring on a motion, but would withdraw it at Lord Beaconsfield's request, and the Premier complimented him on his forbearance. "It is the opinion of the Government that at this moment a dis- cussion on the state of affairs in the East would not be advanta- geous to the public service, and might, indeed, have an injurious tendency." Her Majesty's policy was made known at the begin- ning of "this cruel and destructive war," and is one of "conditional neutrality," the "condition" being that British interests should not be "imperilled." In the Commons, Sir S. Northcote also asked Mr. Bentinck to withdraw a threatened motion, declaring, like his chief, that any discussion at the present moment 'would be disadvantageous to the public interests. Mr. Bentinck accord- ingly yielded, but a strong impression was left in the House that Government knew something which it would be inex- pedient to communicate. This was also the effect of an answer given by Sir S. Northcote on Tuesday, which was couched in somewhat singular words. Dr. Kenealy asked if the Govern- ment had any information as to a plan for partitioning the Ottoman Empire, and the Chancellor of the Exchequer replied that he had none "which he could communicate to the House."
