No. 352.
Mr. Drummond to Mr. Hay.
Sir: I am instructed by Earl Granville to acquaint you that Her Majesty’s Government have had under their consideration a circular from the Egyptian minister for foreign affairs, dated the 30th of May, and addressed to the representatives of the powers interested in the proposed revision of the constitution of the tribunals of the reform in Egypt, and of their procedure and of the codes of law which they administer.
In this circular his excellency states that the period of five years, for which the tribunals were instituted, expires on the 31st of January next, and that the Egyptian Government desire to continue them for a further period of five years, but that, experience having shown the necessity of certain modifications in the existing system, they invite the representatives of the powers to obtain authority from their respective governments to represent them on a commission which should meet at Cairo under the presidency of the minister of justice.
His excellency suggests that each of the representatives should also be authorized to name a delegate or assistant commissioner, and that the commission should have power to nominate a sub-committee on whom would devolve the duty of preparing the proposals to be submitted to-their consideration.
Her Majesty’s Government have duly considered these suggestions, and, although they are not prepared to adopt them exactly in their present form, they readily accept in principle the proposal of the Egyptian Government that an international commission should be appointed without delay to consider and report to the powers on the changes which may be called for in the constitution of the tribunals of the reform, and in their procedure, and in the law administered by them.
Her Majesty’s Government are of opinion that the commission should be composed of delegates (two in number) from each of the powers represented on the second international commission, which sat at Constantinople in 1873, namely, Great Britain, Germany, Austria, Belgium, the United States, France, Italy, Holland, Russia, and Sweden, and that these delegates should have authority to add to their number delegates of any other power interested, if it should hereafter appear to the governments represented on the commission expedient so to do.
The commission should be under the presidency of the chief delegate of his highness the Khedive.
As regards the appointment of a committee, Her Majesty’s Government [Page 524] are disposed to consider that this is a matter of detail for which no special provision is necessary, and which it would seem preferable to leave to the judgment and discretion of the commission.
Her Majesty’s Government are quite willing to accede to the proposition that the commission should assemble and commence its labors at Cairo on the 1st of November next, but, inasmuch as its labors must necessarily occupy a considerable time, Her Majesty’s Government agree that it should be empowered to extend the present quinquennial period for which the tribunals are established for a term of one year without prejudice to the immediate application of any reforms which the powers, on the recommendation of the commission, may desire to introduce in the existing arrangements.
Should such extension of the quinquennial period prove insufficient, the commission should have power to renew such extension from time to time, with the assent of the powers, for such term as may seem reasonable.
Her majesty’s agent at Alexandria has been instructed to communicate to the Egyptian Government the views of Her Majesty’s Government, as above explained, in reply to their circular of the 30th of May, and, in now submitting them to you, I am to state that Her Majesty’s Government would be gratified to learn that they meet with the concurrence and will receive the support of the Government of the United States.
I have, therefore, the honor to request that you will be good enough to acquaint me, for the information of Her Majesty’s Government, with the views of your government in relation to this matter.
I have, &c.,