'Lieut.-General Sir James Outram's Persian campaign in 1857; comprising general orders and despatches relating to the military operations in Persia, from the landing at Bushire to the treaty of peace; also, selections from his correspondence as commander-in-chief and plenipotentiary during the war in Persia.' [‎404] (423/454)

4U4
been signed at Paris; and that the same information was com
municated to the Persian General, whose name I do not at the
moment recollect; so that we can have no doubt that subse
quently to that date all unnecessary bloodshed had ceased.
Earl Grey. —But I would venture to take this opportunity of
pointing out to your lordships and to her Majesty's Government,
that there are some topics adverted to in that speech which will
require very speedily to be brought under your lordships'
notice, and upon which, therefore, it is desirable that we should
have information with the least possible delay. Among those
topics, one of the first that we should discuss is that with regard
to the Persian war. I must remind your lordships that that
war has been begun and concluded without any formal commu
nication to Parliament of the grounds upon which hostilities
were commenced, or the means taken by her Majesty's Govern
ment to avert the necessity of having recourse to war. Upon
these points, I think it is absolutely necessary that we should be
fully informed. In the last session of Parliament her Majesty's
Government declined to produce any papers relating to these
affairs, in the first place on the ground that negotiations were
proceeding at Paris ; and in the second, when these negotiations
had been concluded, because any discussion of the subject might
have a dangerous effect upon the prospect of obtaining the neces
sary ratification of the Shall of Persia to the peace which was
concluded at Paris. For my own part, I think that Parliament
was somewhat too easily induced to abstain on those grounds
from pressing for an earlier production of information. But
admitting that it was right on those two grounds to refrain at
that time from pressing for information, there is now no reason
whatever for any longer deferring to produce the papers. I
know that, according to the usual practice, a treaty cannot be
laid on the table until it is ratified; but the papers to which I
allude, containing the correspondence which preceded the break
ing out of the war, maybe produced without the treaty; and
there ought, therefore, to be no objection to lay them imme
diately on your lordships' table. The negotiations have ended,
the decision has gone to Persia, and whether it be ratified or not,
no discussion by the House can have the slightest effect on that
decision. I trust, therefore, that those papers w r ill be produced
without delay.
H ouse of C ommons.— May 7, 1857.
Mr. Dodson. —Wo have also been engaged in hostilities with
another Eastern Power—Persia—which seems to have supposed
that it could brave us with impunity. This House has learned