I beg to ask the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether he is yet in a position to state the grounds of the appointment of Borton Bey as Postmaster-General of Egypt.

Borton Bey was appointed Assistant Postmaster-General in December, 1904, and was chosen for that post on account of his great experience as an administrator, having served since the beginning of 1899 in various important and responsible positions. Saba Pasha, the late Postmaster-General, succeeded Halton Pasha, an Englishman. Had Borton Bey now been passed over for the appointment, the next official in seniority would have been an Italian.