asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department, If his attention has been called to a report in The St. James' Gazette, of 20th July, by which it appears that at the recent Middlesex Sessions, before the Assistant Judge, a detective of the City Police declared that a prisoner then before the Court had been previously convicted, that he was certain of his identity, that he had previously been in custody, and that he recognized him by his general appearance, ago, height, and a cast in his left eye; but that, on the production in Court of the previously convicted person, the detective at once admitted his mistake; whether his attention has been called to the French Anthropometrical system of registration of prisoners for the purposes of identification—the invention of Monsieur Alphonse Bertillon—undor which identification in very much, simplified, and mistakes are practically impossible; whether he will be good enough to consider the matter with a view to its adoption in this country; and, whether he will state to the House what is the number of photographs of persons now living who are registered in the Criminal Investigation Department as having been convicted of crime?

My attention has been called to the case of mistaken identity before the Assistant Judge at the Middlesex Sessions. I am informed by the Commissioner of City Police that the resemblance between the two men was very strong indeed. Each of them had two scars on the chin and a cast in one eye, and they were of the same height. I have consulted the Police and Prison Authorities upon the French Anthropometrical system. They do not advise its adoption in this country, both on the ground of the expense and trouble which would be involved in taking the necessary measurements, and because they consider that the photographic system now in use is good enough for all practical purposes. The subject appears to me, however, to deserve further consideration. There are about 34,000 photographs registered in the Criminal Investigation Department; but the police cannot say if all the persons are living.

asked the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, Whether the following statement is correct:—That in a drunken row, which took place outside Coleraine Railway Station on the 12th July, at about 7 o'clock, a man named O'Neill lost his life; that a man named Matthew M'Creedy, went to the police barrack and made a statement that the deceased had been struck and knocked down by a respectable and peaceable inhabitant of the town called John Galbraith; that M'Creedy admitted, on cross-examination, that he had been lying in a field drunk from 9.30 a.m. to 4.30 p.m.; that Mr. Cuthbert, J.P., who went to the police barrack to receive M'Creedy's deposition, observed that he was drunk, and ordered him to be detained in a call for the night; that Galbraith was arrested on M'Creedy's information, detained in the police barrack for 24 hours, and only released after the verdict of the Coroner's jury had completely exonerated him from any connection with the unfortunate occurrence; and, if the facts are as stated, what action the Government propose to take in the matter?

(who replied) said: The Constabulary reports that O'Neill lost his life as stated in the Question. M'Creedy, immediately after the occurrence, said the deceased had been struck and knocked down by Galbraith. M'Creedy was not drunk. He was afterwards asked to the barrack, and when he arrived there he was under the influence of drink. At a subsequent examination he admitted having been lying in a field drunk as alleged. Mr. Cuthbert, J.P., was informed of Mr. M'Creedy's statement in the case, and that he was under the influence of drink. He then came to the barracks to see him. M'Creedy remained in the barrack for the night Galbraith was arrested at 7.50 p.m. on the 14th of July, and on the following morning he was brought before the magistrates. On his application, the investigation was adjourned till the afternoon, when it was resumed. The magistrates, on hearing the evidence, refused informations, and Galbraith was discharged. The Government do not consider that the case calls for further action on their part.

asked the Secretary to the Board of Trade, "Whether he can present to Parliament any further Reports on the results of examinations hold for Masters' and Mates' Certificates, with respect to colour blindness, in continuation of the Report presented in 1885?

A further Return containing the information desired by my hon. Friend is now in course of preparation, and will be ready for presentation very shortly.

asked the Secretary of State for War, If he can state why men of the Army Reserve are not permitted to keep up their military training by joining as supernumeraries a regiment of Volunteers, in which their presence might also be advantageous to the Public Service?

The reason, Sir, is mainly a financial one. One of the best moans by which men of the First Class Army Reserve might be assisted in keeping up their military training would be to allow them to join Volunteer corps as supernumeraries. But if any large number of thorn do so, and become entitled, on certain conditions, to draw a capitation grant of 35s., the cost to the State would be very considerable. I fully recognize, however, the importance of the subject, and I will undertake to look very carefully into it.

asked the Secretary to the Board of Trade, Whether, as the Merchant Shipping Act (1854) Amendment (No. 2) Bill has been abandoned for this Session, he will now consent to the renewal of the pilots' certificates which were suspended pending the decision of Parliament on the Bill in question?

As the questions affecting pilots and pilotage are to be considered by a Select Committee next Session, it has boon decided, pending the decision of such Committee, to re-issue such pilotage certificates as have been temporarily suspended, but not to issue any fresh ones.

asked, whether the Board of Trade had taken into consideration a recent decision of the Law Courts on this subject?

said, the decision of the Law Courts was that the Board of Trade had power in the matter; but they preferred waiting for the Report of the Select Committee before they took any action.

asked the Postmaster General, When he will find it convenient to state his decision on the application of the inhabitants of Smithboro', County Monaghan, for the establishment of a telegraph office in that town?

the further Report for which I have called has not yet been furnished; but I hope to be in a position to give a definite answer to the hon. Gentleman in the course of a few days.

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty, Whether any "general idea" has been laid down by the Admiralty for the conduct of the Naval operations now being carried on in the vicinity of our coasts; if so, whether the conditions assumed by such "general idea" are considered to be applicable to the defence in war of our coasts, commercial ports, and commerce by our sea-going force; whether such "general idea "involves any of the following assumptions, and, if so, which:—That the enemy's force has not been masked by a British force off the enemy's ports; that the enemy's ports have not been "observed" from the outbreak of hostilities by either our war fleet or by a flotilla of our fast merchant steamers; that the movements of the enemy's force have not been continuously watched by our war ships or auxiliary merchant steamers from the moment of its putting to sea; that we have abandoned the command of the sea outside the chain of defending ships?

The Question of the hon. and gallant Member is of a somewhat argumentative and contentious character, and one that can hardly be answered within the limits of an answer to a Question. I will endeavour, however, to satisfy the hon. and gallant Member. The Admiralty have not assumed that the conditions under which the present naval manœuvres are being carried out can be made identical with those existing in time of actual war; but they have framed Regulations by which a certain approximation to the conditions of actual warfare is made. The object of these experiments is to give officers a tactital knowledge and the men experience of the duties they will have to undertake. We believe that the Admirals and Commodores in command will also obtain a clearer insight into the strategical principles which should govern the defence of our coasts and commerce.

I should like to ask, whether the First Lord of the Admiralty considers that "of certain approximations" to the circumstances of actual warfare is defending ourselves in our own waters?

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty, What is the Admiralty's estimate of the approximate total value of British property at our ports and off our coasts liable to attack by a sea-going force operating in our own waters during the period assigned for the naval manœuvres now taking place?

I am asked what is my

"Estimate of the approximate total value of British property at our ports and off our coasts liable to attack by a sun-going force operating in our own waters "

Is the Naval intelligence Department not aware of the property exposed to gun fire from ships, and the amount of commerce accumulating in different ports and in our own waters in any 14 days of the year?

the Naval Intelligence Department could obtain it; but they would have to obtain, it second hand from Lloyd's.

Then they have not got it.

asked the Under Secretary of State for India, If it be the intention of Her Majesty's Government to grant compensation to those officers of Her Majesty's Indian Army who, by reason of the Regulations issued by the Government of India in 1883 and 1884, limiting the periods of regimental command, have boon deprived of their commands and, in many cases, relegated to half-pay, thus suffering great professional as well as pecuniary loss; whether, at the time the Regulations referred to were issued, these officers were already holding commands, and were guaranteed by Act of Parliament, Acts 21 & 22 Vict. ss. 56 to 58, the privilege of continuing to hold them until promoted to brigade command or until retired on full pension; and, whether, if there be no present intention of granting these officers compensation for the great professional and pecuniary loss they have sustained by the issue of those Regulations, which contravene the Acts of Parliament referred to, the Government will grant a Committee to inquire into the merits of the cases, and to afford such relief and compensation as may seem desirable?

The Government has no intention of granting compensation to officers who have to resign their commands under the Regulations referred to. No officer is, under those Regulations, relegated to half-pay. I cannot admit that the Act of Parliament referred to has the effect stated. The Secretary of State is of opinion that the appointment of a Committee to inquire into these matters would not be productive of any public advantage.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies, Whether members of the Irish Bar are admitted to plead before the Courts of Ceylon on the name terms and subject to the same conditions as gentlemen called to the English. Bar?

I have made inquiries into this matter; and, so far as I can ascertain, no distinction is made between members of the English and Irish Bar; but if the hon. and learned Member has any reason to believe the contrary to be the case, and will communicate with me, I will send out to the Colony and inquire.

asked the Secretary to the Board of Trade, "Whether it is a fact that the officer in charge of the Standards Department, who is in receipt of £600 per annum as his official salary, has been, during the last few years, frequently absent from the Department making local comparisons of weights and measures in the custody of Provincial Inspectors with the Board of Trade standards at various places in the United Kingdom; and, if so, by what authority; what provision is made for the due performance of that officer's duties during such absences from London; and, whether complaints have been made to the Department of the inefficient way in which such local comparisons have been made, and that standards have been sent to weight and measure makers in London to be readjusted immediately after such local reverifications?

It is part of the ordinary duty of the Superintendent of Weights and Measures to undertake, under the direction of the Board, the local comparison of standards, and this duty does not interfere with the proper discharge of the other duties of his office Local Authorities may, under the Weights and Measures Act, 1878, either send their standards to London for verification or they may have them tested locally. They much prefer the latter course, on account of the serious expense and delay caused by sending standards to manufacturers in London. On an average of the last four years there have been annually 40 applications for local testing. No complaints have been made to the Department as to the inefficient comparison of standards; but, on the other hand, the Local Authorities have generally expressed entire satisfaction with the existing arrangements.

asked the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, Whether he is aware that the Rev. Matthew Macaulay, Presbyterian clergyman, late minister of a congregation at Castleblaney, in the County Monaghan, has, in a letter which appeared in The Pail Mall Gazette of the 23rd April, and on several previous occasions in the public Press, stated that he was obliged to resign his congregation at a loss of income of £50 per annum, because of a combination among certain members of his late congregation to "Boycott" him on account of his late public action in support of Mr. Gladstone's Home Rule Bill, and in consequence of which alleged combination 50 families withdrew from his church; and, whether the Rev. Mr. Macaulay is one of the

"136 persons reported to be more or less affected by 'Boycotting'" "or one of the nine persons under police protection, or protected by police patrols "

Before the right hon. and gallant Gentleman answers that Question, may I ask him if there is any law which compels loyal Presbyterians to attend the ministrations of a Parnellite minister; and, whether, if any Roman Catholic priest were to declare in favour of the Marquess of Salisbury's Government, he would nut lose more than fifty families?

(who replied) said, he could hardly answer for the action of a congregation under the circumstances mentioned by the hon. Member, nor was he aware that there was any such law. With regard to the Question on the Paper, he begged to inform the hon. Member that all the circumstances connected with this case had been fully explained in reply to a Question put on the 14th of April last. The rev. gentleman is not one of the 136 persons reported to be more or less affected by "Boycotting'," neither is he one of the nine persons under police protection.

said, the rev. gentleman was, practically, under police protection; and he would like to know, therefore, why the case was not included in the Returns?

We do not consider that the rev. gentleman requires police protection.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies, What is the estimated cost of the Administration of Bechuanaland for the current year; what is the estimated cost of the Police and the Civil Administration; and, how much of the £78,000 proposed to be voted in aid is for the Police?

The estimated cost of the Administration, is £91,180 10s. The estimated cost of the Police is £58,769 10s. (including £9,000 for deferred pay for men who will be discharged during the year in consequence of the reduction of the force); and, therefore, the estimated cost of the Civil Administration is £32,711. The £78,000 is a grant in aid of the general Revenue. It is not proposed to assign any portion of it to a specific purpose; but, as the hon. Member will see, a large portion of it is required on account of the cost of the police.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department, If he will consider the best possible means of increasing the efficiency of those Clauses of the Act of Parliament which require the police to defend women from annoyance by men in public thoroughfares?

I have on a previous occasion, July 14, in answer to the hon. Member for Flintshire (Mr. S. Smith), stated in this House that the police have power to arrest a man who, in a public thoroughfare, uses indecent or insulting language or behaviour towards a woman to her annoyance, or if he molests her in a manner amounting to an assault. I think the law might well be amended, so as to include persistent molestation as well as indecent language.

asked the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, Whether he has received a letter from the Returning Officer of the Bantry Union on the 19th of May, in which the following passage occurred:—

"I have to state that I have made inquiry, and have ascertained that Constable Kavanagh left a voting paper at the house of Timothy McCarthy, of Glanlough, and that he did not call for same paper; why he did not call for the voting paper 1 cannot tell;"

(who replied) said, the letter referred to was received on the 18th of May. Constable Kavanagh, however, explained, in reference to this letter, that he actually called at the house for a voting paper; but a man named Arundel, who was in, refused to give it to him. If the hon. Member had any further evidence he could furnish to the Government they would certainly consider whether an inquiry was necessary.

asked the right hon. and gallant Gentleman, if he considered the constable was more to be believed than the Returning Officer?

said, he was willing to allow the hon. Member to see the letter he had received on the subject.

asked the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, If the Government are willing to consider "whether Marsh's Library, Dublin, might not with public advantage be absorbed in the National Library of Ireland?

(who replied) said: If proper arrangements can be made for the transfer, the Science and Art Department will be prepared to absorb this Library into the National Library so soon as the new building is completed.

asked the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, If he can throw any light on the fact that the same post which conveyed to the Irish Constabulary stations copies of the Proclamations lately issued under the Criminal Law Amendment (Ireland) Act, brought also, addressed to the sergeant in charge of each station, a parcel of the pamphlets issued by The Times, entitled "Parnellism and Crime?" I referred to the Act by its popular title; but as that has been altered, I wish to say the title by which it is described in the Question is neither the popular nor the legal title. The Act to which I referred is called the Criminal Law and Procedure Act, 1887.

(who replied) said: the Inspector General of Constabulary knows nothing about the transmission of the pamphlets alluded to, except that the Inspector of the County Cork (West Riding) reports that copies were sent anonymously by post to almost every station in his Riding. The pamphlets were not sent by the same post as the Proclamations under the Act.

I wish to ask the right hon. and gallant Gentleman, whether it is in accordance with the Rules of the Irish Constabulary Force that docu- ments like The Times pamphlets should be about police stations in Ireland; and, whether the Government will instruct the sergeant in charge of each station to destroy these documents?

I am not aware that there are any instructions in the Constabulary Code forbidding the constables taking in any literature they like. I myself have seen copies of United Ireland at the stations.

Does the right hon. and gallant Gentleman mean to say that the Irish police stations can be used for the purpose of disseminating political libels with the consent of the Government?

I have no reason to suppose that there is anything in the Code to prevent the Irish Constabulary receiving copies of The Times or extracts from The Times.

asked the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, Is it part of the duty of the police in Ireland to act as water bailiffs, or as assistants to them, in places like Lough Swilly; can constables on leave so act; can persons in charge of lights on such loughs so act; whether he will inquire, and give the official account of, what occurred on the night of the 21st July last at Desertagney, on the shores of Lough Swilly, and, more especially, whether Constable Gamble was on leave, yet carried a revolver; whether Kennedy, the keeper of Buncrane Light, was there, and on what business; and, whether the Irish Government will bring the matter under the notice of the Inspector General and the Irish Lights Board?

(who replied) said, the facts of the case wore these—The Inspector of the fishery district proceeded on fishery duty, and invited the sergeant of police, who was on leave, to accompany him. The sergeant did so; but he took no part in the inspection. The Inspector was assisted by a light-keeper, who had been duly appointed as a water bailiff. The Inspector General of Constabulary did not think it necessary to take any action in the matter.

asked the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, Whether further inquiry has been made into the case of the female patient in the Mullingar Lunatic Asylum, as promised by the Attorney General for Ireland; whether he can state under what circumstances was the engineer, the alleged father of the child, allowed access to the female quarter of the house unaccompanied by the matron or her deputy; who is responsible for such conduct, and what stops will be taken to prevent its repetition; and, whether, having regard to the serious nature of the charge, an independent public inquiry into the case will be immediately held?

(who replied) said, the Resident Medical Superintendent of the asylum reported that, under no circumstances, was the engineer allowed access to the part occupied by the females unaccompanied by a female attendant, The nature of the engineer's occupation required his attendance daily to look after the furnace fires. The patient was in the habit of going into the scullery whore the engineer was for water; but she was in charge of a nurse, and was never away long. The engineer was a I married man, apparently of a good character, and there was nothing about him to excite suspicion. The patient was fairly intelligible, was quite capable of making a rational statement, and appeared to have been a consenting party to the offence. There were no grounds for instituting criminal proceedings against the engineer. Care would be taken to prevent female patients being allowed to proceed to the scullery without being in charge of a responsible female attendant.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department, Whether his attention has been called to the arrest of Mr. Fred Henderson, at Norwich, on the occasion of the visit of the Marquess of Salisbury to that town on the night of the 27th July; whether mounted Constable Mills rode up to Henderson, when addressing a meeting at the Agricultural Hull Plain, and threatened to ride him down if he (Henderson) would not leave the place; whether Constable Mills, on hearing Henderson call out "No violence, friends; give three groans for Salisbury," rode his horse again, at Henderson; whether at Bank Plain Constable Mills struck and wounded Henderson on the head; whether Henderson was then arrested by Mills and another mounted constable, and dragged off between their two horses at a trot through London Street to the Guildhall, kept all night in the police cell, and brought before a Bench of Magistrates on the following morning, when he was charged with, riot; whether it is true, as stated in the report of the trial appearing in the Norwich Daylight of the 30th July, that the magistrates "discharged" Henderson without calling upon any of the numerous witnesses present for the defence; and whether lie will cause an inquiry to be made into the conduct of the mounted constables with reference to the arrest of Henderson?

I have obtained a Report from the Mayor on this case. Constable Mills denies having threatened to ride down Henderson, and he states that he was not present when Henderson called for "three groans for Salisbury," and that he did not strike or wound him on the head. Henderson, at the time of his arrest, was not addressing a meeting; but, as I understand, was, with a large crowd, demanding admission to the hall, which was already full. The police, thinking that a riot was imminent, made frequent appeals to Henderson to go away: but he refused. He was then arrested and taken by two mounted constables and some other policemen to the station, and charged before the magistrates with riot and disturbance; but as there was no evidence of this adduced he was discharged. I do not propose to inquire any further into the conduct of the police on this occasion. The Town Council are the proper authority to inquire into any alleged misconduct on their part, and any complaint should be addressed to them.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department, If he will consider the whole question of the reformatory element in our prison disclipine, and take steps to increase the element if it has not kept pace with the improvement in discipline and sanitation?

The reformatory element in prison discipline is under the constant consideration of the Prison Commissioners. It is a very difficult subject; and any suggestions which my hon. Friend "will make which would result in improving the moral condition of prisoners will be welcomed and fully considered by me.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department, Whether ex-Police Sergeant Eckett has been certified as incapacitated for duty in consequence of his spine having been injured while defending another policeman from maltreatment by roughs; and, whether the Police Commissioners recommended Eckett for full pension as injured on duty; and, it so, on what grounds Eckett is refused the pension recommended by the Commissioners of Police?

, in reply, said, the Chief Surgeon of the Metropolitan Police had certified, and the Chief Commissioner had recommended, ex-Police Sergeant Eckett for full pension because he was injured while on duty; but the spinal disease from which Eckett was suffering was first noticed in August, 1886, and was ascribed to violence received nearly 11 years ago, when he was struck between the shoulders with two bricks and kicked on the leg. The Superintendent stated that Eckett did not go on sick leave, and he (Mr. Matthews) could not find that he complained of any injury at the time; and, under these circumstances, he did not consider he was justified in acting on the certificate of the surgeon or the recommendation of the Chief Commissioner.

asked Mr. Chancellor of the Exchequer, Whether, considering that there are nearly 10,000,000 members in Burial Societies and Industrial Assurance Companies, with an income of about £4,000,000 annually, the Government will appoint a Royal Commission to inquire into the operation of Section 30 of the Friendly Societies Act; and, if not, by what means the Government intend to get the necessary information during the Recess?

, in reply, said, the Government were fully alive to the extreme importance of the difficult matter to which the Question referred. They did not propose, as at present advised, to appoint a Royal Commission to inquire into the subject. He could assure the hon. Member that there was every disposition to supply information on every side; the Government was fully able to make a thorough inquiry without a Royal Commission, which involved expensive machinery. They would do their best to get all possible information during the Recess.

asked the Postmaster General, If he will give a Return showing the weight of the mails carried by the 7.50 a.m. down mail train from Perth to the Highlands; by the 7.40 a.m. mail from Perth to Aberdeen; or by the 10.10 a.m. mail train from Aberdeen to the North respectively; and. if he can now state the reason why the mails from Stornoway and Portree to Caithness and Orkney and Shetland are detained about 24. hours in Ding-wall?

In reply to the first part of the Question, I shall be happy to furnish the hon. Member with an official Memorandum, which will afford him the information required. As regards the second Question, I should explain that in order to effect the earliest possible delivery of the mails from London, Edinburgh, and Glasgow, and the South generally at Wick and Thurso and intermediate towns, the mail train from Inverness has for the last two years been.accelerated, and now leaves Dingwall before the train from Strome Ferry arrives. To delay the former would, by delaying important correspondence, seriously inconvenience the mercantile community, at Wick and Thurso; while an acceleration of the latter train would involve expense, which would not at present be warranted. I should be very glad if any arrangement could be made to accelerate the last-mentioned train without additional expense.

asked the Tinder Secretary of State for India, "Whether the "Madras Military Fund," established in 1823 by the Court of Directors of the East India Company for the support of the widows and orphans of the officers of the Madras Army, and formed by compulsory contributions from all the officers, is still in existence, and in what form; whether, in 1858, after the Indian Mutiny, there was a capital of over £1,000,000, and a surplus of assets over liabilities of 0£123,760; whether the actuaries pointed out that this surplus was increasing at the rate of £10,000 annually; whether this surplus was handed over to the Secretary of State for India, after the Honourable East India Company had been merged into the Government of the Crown; and, if so, what became of it; whether any, and what, surplus has accumulated since 1858, and what has become of it; whether he will lay upon the Table Copies of the Correspondence that took place between the Secretary of State for India and the Government of India, or of Madras, relative to the taking over the administration of the Fund; whether it was in consequence of the amalgamation of the late East India Company's Forces with Her Majesty's Army that the Secretary of State at that time suggested that the future management of the "Madras Military Fund" should be handed over to him; and, whether there is anything in the Act of Parliament directing the Secretary of State for India to assume such management, or to prevent the Secretary of State for India from appropriating to the use of the subscribers and their families any surplus which may be now found to exist?

the assets and liabilities of the Madras Military Fund were transferred to the Secretary of State for India in Council by the Act 29 Vict., c. 18. The Rules of the Fund are still in existence, and the pensions and allowances granted by the Rules form a direct charge on the Revenues of India. In the Report of the actuaries, dated January 31, 1863,' it was estimated that the surplus on April 30, 1858, was £123,760, and that it was increasing at the rate of about £10,000 per annum. Subscriptions and donations were consequently reduced 10 per cent from June, 1864. When the Fund was handed over to the Government in 1864 the surplus was estimated at £132,000. This surplus was absorbed by the grant of large concessions made to the subscribers in the shape of increased benefits by the Secretary of State. The capital of the Fund was absorbed in the Revenues of India from the date of its transfer to the Secretary of State for India in Council, and no separate account has since been kept. There is no objection to this Correspondence being published. It was in consequence of the changes made in the constitution of the Indian Army that notice was given by the Secretary of State for India in Council that he was willing to take over the Fund. The transfer was, however, the voluntary act of the subscribers, carried by the majority of votes required by the Rules. The Act of Parliament authorizes the Secretary of State to assume the management of the Fund, and does not preclude him from granting benefits in addition to those secured by the Act. In accordance with this provision increased benefits were granted in 1867 which absorbed the estimated surplus in the Fund at the date of the transfer.

asked the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, Whether he is aware that, on the 7th of the present month, a young mail named Joseph Killen, of Cardens- town, in the County of Meath, was arrested on a warrant issued by Major Traill, R.M., on the information of Mr. William Tyrrell, J. P.; whether the only "offence" committed by Killen was that he cheered on observing Mr. Tyrrell driving from an evicted farm a horse which he found trespassing there on the 10th of June; whether Killen was taken in custody before Major Traill, R. M., and, without having been given the opportunity of defending himself by a solicitor or witnesses, was sentenced to three months' imprisonment in default of finding sureties to the peace; whether Killen is the son of an evicted tenant, and Mr. Tyrrell the caretaker of the evicted farm; why the charge was not tried in the usual way at the Petty Sessions of the district; and, whether he will supply a copy of the informations on which the warrant was issued?

(who replied) said: Major Traill, R.M., reports that Killen was arrested on a warrant issued by him on the information of Mr. Tyrrell. The offence charged was that Killen had forcibly rescued from Mr. Tyrrell a horse which he was driving to the pound, having found it trespassing on a farm over which he was agent. Killen was brought before Major Traill in custody. Tie made his own defence, and neither asked for the assistance of a solicitor nor produced witnesses. He was bound in sureties of the peace and future good behaviour for three months, or to be committed for that period. He found the sureties at once, and was discharged. Killen is the son of the evicted tenant. Mr. Tyrrell is the agent over the property to which the farm belongs. Major Traill dealt with the case summarily, as the next Petty Sessions for the district would not have been held till throe weeks afterwards. It is open to Killen to obtain a copy of the information from the Petty Sessions clerk. I shall also be happy to show the hon. Member a copy of the information in my possession if he will be good enough to confer with me on the subject.

"What right had the President Magistrate to try the case out of the Potty Sessions?

That is a question of law. I must ask the hon. Member to refer to the Attorney General for Ireland.

I would ask the Attorney General for Ireland if the Resident Magistrates in Ireland have power to try cases of this character in this manner?

I would ask the right hon. and gallant Gentleman whether it is a fact that this Major Traill is the same magistrate who some time ago was reprimanded for precisely the same conduct—trying a number of prisoners out of the Potty Sessions—and who was excused on the ground of his ignorance of the law?

I am not aware of the circumstances mentioned by the hon. Member for the Scotland Division of Liverpool. With regard to the question put by the hon. Member for Cork (Mr. Healy), as far as I can gather it is irregular to try cases in the manner stated in tins question.

That being so what stops do the Government propose to take to redress the wrongs inflicted on these people?

May I ask the right hon. and gallant Gentleman, if he finds that Major Traill has been guilty of an irregularity in trying eases out of Petty Sessions, and that he was previously reprimanded on the same grounds, whether he will consider the desirability of removing him from a position he is evidently unfitted to hold?

I can hardly answer that question until Major Traill's explanation is heard. If the facts are as stated no doubt the Government will take steps in the matter.

I would like to ask whether this man Killen is to be left to servo out three months' imprisonment, to which, on the avowal of the Attorney General for Ireland, he has been sentenced.

I understand he is not in prison, He found the sureties, and was discharged.

asked the Under Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, Whether there is any truth in the report that, there is a deficit in the Egyptian Budget; and, if so, what is the amount of such deficit, and whether it is to be mot from Egyptian or British funds?

Until the year is completed, and the accounts of the year's Expenditure and Revenue have been received, it is impossible to say with certainty what surplus or deficit there may be. But the deficit, if there is one, will not be met out of British funds.

asked the Surveyor General of Ordnance, Whether It. Langton was, on the 4th February, whilst properly working in the Small Arms Factory, Enfield, permanently injured on the eye by a chip of hot gun-metal from the lathe of a fellow workman; and, whether R. Langton has, in consequence of his being so injured, been offered a reduced wage—i.e., 22s. 6d. per week, in lieu of 36s. per week?

My noble Friend the Member for the Enfield Division (Viscount Folkestone) has already brought this case to the notice of the Secretary of State. The facts are substantially as stated. The question of compensation is still under the consideration of the Treasury; and I propose to make personal inquiry into the case.

asked the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, What positions the gentlemen who formed the late Constabulary Committee (1883) now hold?

(who replied) said: the Committee was composed as follows:—Mr. O'Shaughnessy, Registrar of Petty Sessions Clerks; Mr. R. W. A. Holmes, Treasury Remembrancer in Ireland; and Mr. David Harrel, R.M., now Commissioner of the Dublin Metropolitan Police.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department, Whether it is true that the sluices of the Northern Outfall Sewer have been opened daily from the 18th to the 28th July inclusive for two or three hours before the tide turned; whether the effect of such premature opening of the sluices is that the sewage is sent up the stream and pollutes the water at Woolwich and other places I higher up; whether such pollution has caused much complaint as being I dangerous to the health of the residents; and, whether he will take steps to induce the Metropolitan Board of Works to discontinue the practice of opening the sluices before high water?

Yes, Sir; it is a fact that these sluices are being opened before the tide ceases to flow, and that, accordingly, a certain quantity of sewage goes up the river, thus causing much complaint. I a in informed by the Metropolitan Board of Works that extensive works are being carried on at the northern outfall for the purpose of purifying the sewage; and in order to carry on this work with safety it is necessary to keep one of the four compartments of the reservoir empty, and to maintain the sewage in the other three compartments at a lower level. The reservoir space being thus restricted the sluices have for the present to be opened before the tide has ceased to flow. I am assured that the works are being actively pressed forward in order that the necessity for thus opening the sluices may terminate as soon as possible. I regret, on behalf of the inhabitants of the banks, that the necessity entailing such consequences should have arisen.

asked the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, Whether the Government have in contemplation any schemes in reference to the navigation of the Lower Bann; whether any contemplated works will destroy the water power existing at what is known as the Cuts, just above Coleraine; and, whether provision has been made for the preservation of the fisheries, which are of so much importance to the City of Londonderry and the Town of Coleraine?

(who replied) said: The Question put by my hon. Friend is premature in the present state of affairs. The points referred to, however, have not boon lost sight of, nor will they when definite designs for the improvement of the Bann are being prepared.

asked the Secretary to the Board, of Trade, When copies of the Return as to the Capital, Traffic Receipts, and Working Expenditure of Railway Companies for 1886, which was laid upon the Table of the House on the 28th July, will be obtainable by the public; and, whether he will take steps in future to expedite the publication of these Returns?

The Return referred to was sent to the printers on the 28th July, and I trust that it will soon be in the hands of Members. The Board of Trade have, however, no authority over the printers. I am most desirous for the early publication of the Return; but there is considerable difficulty in procuring the necessary information from some of the smaller Railway Companies.

asked the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, Whether it is true, as stated in the Press, that a meeting of the Irish Privy Council was held on Saturday last, in Dublin Castle, at which the Lord Lieutenant, the Lord Chancellor of Ireland, Lord Justice Barry, the right hon. S. Woulfe Flanagan, Mr. Justice Monroe, and the Attorney General for Ireland were present; with the exception of the Lord Lieutenant arid the Attorney General were all the other Members of the privy Council who attended that meeting judicial personages; and, would he have any objection to inform the House of the nature of the business for which the presence in the Privy Council of members of the Irish Judiciary was considered necessary?

Perhaps the hon. Gentleman will allow me to answer the Question. I answer the first and second paragraphs of the Question by saying "Yes." With regard to the third paragraph I cannot gratify the hon. Gentleman's curiosity, because the Members of the Privy Council are bound by their oaths not to disclose what takes place at their meetings. I may, however, mention, as the hon. Gentleman appears to fool an interest in the matter, that on Saturday last I went to Dublin. I arrived there at half-past 5. I reached the Privy Council at 6, and it was summoned to meet at that hour. The meeting took about three or four minutes; and it appears from the newspapers that the Attorney General for Ireland was sworn in and that some education schemes were signed. I cannot gratify the curiosity of the hon. Gentleman any further.

asked the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, If he is aware that the bridge at Coroughmarkee, on the public road between the villages of Doon and Kilcommon, County Tipperary is, and has been for a considerable time, in a dangerous state; and, whether the Grand Jury have taken any steps to have it put into proper repair?

(who replied) said: I am informed that steps have been taken to remedy the dangerous condition of this bridge. A delay, however, arose through the death of the first contractor. A second contractor has been appointed. Pending the carrying out of the necessary repairs, a temporary pass has been substituted.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department, Whether the Battersea Burial Board is constituted under 15 & 16 Vict. c. 85, ss. 10 and 11; and, if so, whether their application to the Home Secretary to use the Rose Hill Park site, Sutton, Surrey, for burial purposes is, made under see. 6, 16 & 17 Vict. c. 134, which renders an application to Parliament, as suggested, totally unnecessary; and, if he will state from what source he has ascertained that the majority in Sutton object to the use of the land as proposed?

The Board is constituted as stated in my hon. Friend's Question. It is true that an application to Parliament is not necessary; but a successful application to Parliament would make it unnecessary to apply to the Secretary of State to dispense with the Order in Council prohibiting burials in Sutton, and would afford the best means of settling the points in controversy between supporters and opponents of the scheme. My information as to the public opinion in Sutton was derived from the various Reports, Memorials, and Petitions before me; but I must not be understood to have stated positively that the objectors are in a majority, although that was my impression.

asked the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, Whether the amount of Customs Revenue collected at Belfast last year was 50 per cent greater than at Glasgow, 50 per cent greater than at Bristol, about three times as much as at Leith, and about 14 times as much as at Hull; whether the amount of Revenue generally determines the status of a port; whether the strength of the Customs' staff is greater at Leith and Bristol, and much greater at Hull and Glasgow, than at Belfast; whether the shipping of Belfast, including the foreign and coasting trade, roaches a higher total than that of any other of the above-named ports; whether the Customs expenditure at any of the other above-named ports is greater than at Belfast; and, what steps the Government propose to take to end the disparity of treatment?

(who replied) said: I will give the information which I have received from the Treasury. The amount of revenue colluded by Customs officers at Belfast last year was about 50 per cent greater than at Glasgow, 50 per cent greater than at Bristol, three times as much as at Leith, and 14 times as much as at Hull. The amount of revenue collected at a port does not by itself determine the status of a port, as the collection of revenue forms only a small part of the duties which have to be performed by Customs officers. The number of persons employed by the Customs at the Ports of Leith, Bristol, Hull, and Glasgow, are larger than the number employed at Belfast—the staff of established and extra men at each of the ports being as follows:—Belfast, 100; Bristol, 118; Leith, 108; Hull, 189; Glasgow, 182. The shipping of Belfast, including the foreign and coasting trade, reaches a higher total than at the other ports named; but the shipping at Belfast is mainly employed in the coasting trade, whereas at the other ports there is large foreign trade. The expenditure on the Customs establishment is greater at Glasgow, Hull, and Bristol than at Belfast; but it is less at Leith than at Belfast. The staff and consequent expenditure at the several ports is regulated by the amount and the nature of the work at each, and the Board of Customs see no cause for changing the present arrangements.

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty, Whether the Royal Marine Forces on shore are under the Army Discipline Act; whether, in connection with Her Majesty's Jubilee, special favour has been extended to Army offenders against certain provisions of that Act; and, whether similar special favour has been extended to Marino offenders against the same provisions of the same Act?

the Royal Marine Forces, when serving on shore, are under the Army Discipline Act. In connection with Her Majesty's Jubilee, and in accordance with Her Majesty's Proclamation, pardon has been extended to soldiers who may have deserted from our Land Forces and shall report themselves within certain periods, and an amnesty was granted to certain classes of military offenders undergoing imprisonment on the 21st of June. This special favour has not been extended to Marine offenders against the same provisions of the same Act, as Marines, not being part of Her Majesty's Land Forces, do not come within the scope of the Proclamation or the amnesty; but in cases where Marines having offended against certain provisions of the Army Act surrendered under the impression that they wore entitled to pardon under the terms of the Royal Proclamation they have been specially pardoned, Men under imprisonment for absence without leave received remission of punishment.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department, When it is in-tended to publish the Report of the Chief Commissioner of Police in the case of Miss Cass; when the decision of the Lord Chancellor with regard to Mr. Newton will be made known; and, whether the Government will take care that no unnecessary delay in relation thereto be permitted?

The Papers relating to the case of Miss Cass have been sent to the Law Officers of the Crown for advice on legal points. Care will be taken that no unnecessary delay shall take place in obtaining that advice, and deciding what further proceedings shall be taken in consequence of the advice given. Before the decision is arrived at it is not in my power to say when the Reports of the Chief Commissioner of Police and the Lord Chancellor will be communicated to the House.

Will they be laid on the Table of the House?

I should judge that if the Reports are published at all they will be published in that shape.

Might I ask whether the Lord Chancellor has arrived at any conclusion; whether the right hon. Gentleman has any knowledge when the Lord Chancellor will arrive at any conclusion; and whether any steps will be taken to prevent the matter being unnecessarily delayed?

Certainly, Mr. Speaker. I have already stated to the hon. Gentleman that steps will be taken to prevent any unnecessary delay occurring, and that steps are being taken to get the opinion of the Law Officers. As soon as that opinion is obtained—which, I hope, will be shortly—the decision of the Government will be arrived at.

The right hon. Gentleman has not quite understood me. What I am asking him is with regard to the action of the Lord Chancellor in respect to Mr. Newton, not with regard to the Report of the Chief Commissioner.

I have told the hon. Gentleman that the action and decision of the Lord Chancellor cannot be communicated to the House until the Government have decided what further steps they think should be taken in the whole matter.

I would ask whether the matter will be before the House before the Civil Service Estimates are concluded?

I have every reason to hope so.

Does the right hon. Gentleman mean that the decision of the Lord Chancellor in the case of Mr. Newton has been sent to the Law Officers of the Crown for their opinion?

No.

Then why are we not allowed to have it?

If the right hon. Gentleman considers the matter for a moment, he will see that the decision of the Lord Chancellor may very possibly bear a weighty influence on the proceedings that may take place.

I beg to give Notice that I will repeat my Question on Monday.

asked the Under Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, Whether he can state when the Japanese Treaty is likely to be concluded?

The Conference which has been sitting at Tokio for the revision of the Treaties between Japan and Foreign Powers has been postponed by the Japanese Government sine die. Her Majesty's Minister in Japan is coming home, and will confer with Her Majesty's Government on the subject.

asked the Secretary of State for War, Whether he intends to give effect to the recommendations of the Committee on the Manufacturing Departments of the Army, as to removing the restrictions on competitions for contracts; and in particular the recommendation that the terms of the tenders accepted should be published?

, in reply, said, that the recommendations wore of great importance, and he was considering the subject as a whole. He hoped very soon to be able to make his views public, and to submit them in a complete form. He would then state what changes he proposed to make in consequence of the Reports of the Royal Commission and of Lord Morley's Committee.

asked Mr. Chancellor of the Exchequer, Whether he will give the House an opportunity of considering- the proposed scheme of reconstruction in the Probate Registry of Somerset House before it is sanctioned; whether some 20 gentlemen have already received notice of retirement; and, whether he can state their ages, length of service, and the compensation pensions (if any) which they will receive?

I presume that by the Probate Registry the hon. Member means the Probate, Legacy, and Succession Duty Office, the re-organization of which has been for some time under consideration. It is proposed to retire 17 gentlemen; and, as I have already stated in this House, notice has been given to them, Of these gentlemen, six are over 60; seven between 50 and 60; one 49; and three 47. Four have served over 40 years; 11 between 30 and 40 years; one 29; and one 28. Six of them are entitled to immediate retirement, and have fully earned by service the pensions which they will receive. To the others, in addition to the pensions which their service has earned will be given, as compensation on abolition, amounts varying from £20 to £90 a-year. Even allowing for this compensation, which amounts to rather over £900 a-year, there will be, as I have already stated in the House, a not annual saving of more than £5,500 by the re-organization. It has never been the practice of Her Majesty's Government to submit details of administration, such as schemes of re-organization of Public Departments, to the House, and I see no reason for making an exception to this rule in the present instance.

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty, Whether in accordance with the Queen's Regulations, gunnery instructors are entitled to an additional pay of 8d. per day when instructing the crews of their several ships; whether a limited number of the men are detailed for this duty on the gunnery ship Cambridge at Devonport; but that, owing to the numbers being too small, an additional number are required to do duty both on this ship and also on the Foudroyant; and, whether it is the fact that these latter are not allowed the additional payment of 8d. per day; and, if so, whether he will arrange for them to receive the same pay as the others when engaged upon the same duties?

the pay of gunnery instructors is 8d. a-day extra for instructing duties. All men qualified as gunnery instructors are entitled to this extra allowance when employed on instructing duty. Nothing is known at the Admiralty as to the employment of additional instructors on board the Cambridge and Foudroyant; but the captain of the Cambridge will be ordered to report on this point on his return from the naval manœuvres, where he is at present employed.

asked the Secretary to the Board of Trade, "Whether any Rules about small bankruptcies, now under his consideration and that of the Lord Chancellor, to amend the grievance he has admitted, will be retrospective, as far as unclosed bankruptcies are concerned; and, whether he will give instructions to his officials not to close any such estate still open, to which they will apply, until such rules are decided upon.?

The hon. Member appears to be under a misapprehension. No opinion has been expressed upon the particular grievance alleged by him. But, as previously stated, the subject of the law of disclaimer, including the question raised by the hon. Member, is under consideration, with a view to the removal of any anomalies which may be found to exist, either by further legislation or otherwise. The Board of Trade are not prepared, in the meantime, to interfere with the administration of the Bankruptcy Act, as suggested by the hon. Member.

asked the Secretary of State for War, If he will state the numbers and remuneration of the Protestant chaplains, whether on the Establishment or otherwise, at Cork, and the approximate number of the Protestant soldiers attending their ministrations; and, the number and remuneration of the Catholic chaplain or chaplains at the same station, and the approximate number of Caholic soldiers there?

Exclusive of the military prison at Cork there are at that station one Church of England commissioned chaplain, with 17s. 6d. a-day with allowances, and also one Presbyterian and one Wesleyan officiating clergyman, who are paid at capitation rates; the soldiers of their respective denominations are approximately, 577 Church of England, 506 Presbyterians, and 36 Wesleyans. There is one Catholic chaplain paid at capitation rate, and the Roman Catholic soldiers are approximately 155.

asked the Vice President of the Committee of Council on Education, with regard to the mechanics and labourers employed at the Science and Art Department, South Kensington, Whether he is willing to increase their limit of time for sick pay during illness from 16 to 28 days; whether he is prepared to make an addition of 12 days to their present holidays; and, whether he is prepared to place them generally on the same terms as the messengers and attendants employed in the Department?

In. accordance with the arrangements made with the Treasury, the artizans and labourers are taken on without examination by the Civil Service Commissioners at the ordinary market rate of the building trade. I am in correspondence with the Treasury on the subject of their sick pay; but I am not prepared to recommend any other change, or to place them on the same footing as the messengers and attendants, who have to obtain Civil Service certificates.

asked the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, Whether his attention has been called to a recent scandal at the police station of Pike Ballingarry, county Tipperary; whether Police Sergeant M'Clintock, in charge at that station, had, in the month of November, 1886, discharged the barrack servant without cause, and substituted in her stead a woman of reputed bad character, and against the rules of the Service, she being unmarried and but 32 years of age; whether the sergeant reported her as being of the age of 45 years; whether he allowed her to remain for mouths in the station after it being reported; she was cohabiting with one of the men; whether she subsequently charged Sub-Constable Cruise, of that station, with being the father of her child born on the 8th of July last; whether Sergeant M'Clintock, in his Report to the County Inspector, sought, to fix the paternity on a constable named Farrington, in face of the woman's own statement incriminating Cruise; whether the only punishment inflicted on Sub-Constable Cruise was his removal from Pike Station at the public expense; and, whether he will cause full inquiry to be made into the entire, conduct of Sergeant M'Clintock in this matter?

(who replied) said: The Inspector General of Constabulary reports that in October last Sergeant M'Clintock, of Pike Station, reported to his officer, who was inspecting the party there, that he had bean obliged to obtain a now barrack servant, the present servant being almost useless, owing to extreme old age. The officer, at the sergeant's request, saw the woman, and gave his sanction to her employment, she being, as appeared to him, quite elderly. The Regulation requires that the servant be either an elderly or a married woman. It is difficult to procure a barrack servant at Pike. The sergeant stated that the woman was 43 years of age. Soon after au anonymous letter was received by the County Inspector that the woman was of immoral character. It was then ascertained that, though, she bore a good character in recent years, she had had an illegitimate child 16 years before. This fact led the sergeant to inquire particularly into the case, and from what he ascertained lie decided to discharge her, which accordingly was done. She appears to have been three or four months employed as a servant; but there was no evidence that any impropriety occurred during that period. This woman did make a charge against Constable; Cruise of having intercourse with her; but he denied it. The allusion to Constable Farrington in the Report referred to merely stated that Constable Cruise had said to a comrade that Farrington would prove, if necessary, that he (Cruise) was not guilty of the alleged offence. The whole ease was fully inquired into, and it was found that none of the charges made were capable of proof; and also that there was every reason to believe that when Sergeant M'Clintock employed the woman he fully believed that her character was good.

asked the Secretary of State for War, Whether, having regard to the much higher standard passed by the candidates for admission to Woolwich Academy in July last than in December, 1866, he will give instructions that as many more than the 60 successful candidates mentioned in the published list may be admitted as is possible, several of the unsuccessful candidates having obtained 1,600 marks more than the last candidate admitted in December, 1886?

The limit to the admission of candidates to Woolwich is the accommodation for cadets afforded by the Royal Military Academy. I find that accommodation is already taken up to the very utmost.

asked the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, Whether he is aware that the voters' lists were not posted up at the time prescribed by the 19th section of the "Parliamentary Registration (Ireland) Act, 1885," in several districts of Louth, County Dublin; and, whether a similar neglect of the provisions of the Act by the authorities has occurred during the past two years; and, if so, who is responsible, and what steps the Government intend taking in the matter?

(who replied) said, he was informed that the Deputy Clerk of the Peace, so for as he was aware, had all the notices posted on the 22nd of July, except in two districts of South Dublin where the posting was omitted. On representations being made to him, he at once, on the 27th of July, had the additional postage done. He was not aware of tins omission of the postage of notice in the years 1885 and 1886, with the exception of two districts in each year, of which he was informed.

Would the right hon. and gallant Gentleman be good enough to tell us whether the Clerk of the Peace does not permanently reside out of the United Kingdom, and performs his duty through a substitute, who obtains a very small salary?

I have no knowledge of such a thing.

said, as he knew of his own personal knowledge that these notices were never posted in time in South Dublin, he would like the right hon. and gallant Gentleman to inform him who was responsible for the omission?

said, undoubtedly the Clerk of the Peace was responsible, except in those cases in which the Constabulary posted the notices.

The Clerk of the Peace in Dublin sent these papers to Dublin Castle to be then posted, and the parties at Dublin Castle did not take any steps in the matter.

What I understand occurred in regard to these two districts is this—the Clerk of the Peace sent the whole of the papers to the Constabulary, with a request to post them. The Constabulary declined to post them unless they were directed to do so, and consequently the delay arose.

asked the Attorney General for Ireland who was responsible for this omission?

said, the officer who was bound by the Act of Parliament to see that those matters were carried out was the Clerk of the Peace; and if the Clerk of the Peace, or his deputy, failed they were liable to a line, and a penalty was also recoverable from them for this neglect.

asked, how was it possible to recover a penalty from the Clerk of the Peace, considering that he had resided in Morocco for the last 30 years?

I am not in the least aware of the habitat of the Clerk of the Peace.

asked the Under Secretary of State for India, Whether he has made inquiries as to the Memorials presented by merchants to the Government of India with respect to the leases of the teak forests in Upper Burmah, and what answer has been given to those Memorials by the Government; whether any exports in forestry have been employed by the Indian Government to ascertain the condition of the teak forests; whether it has been found that a very large number of trees have been prematurely girdled or cut by the Bombay Burmah Trading Corporation, and great damage has been done to the forests; whether the Government of India contemplate the continuance or prolongation of the leases granted by King Theebaw to that Company, and upon what terms as to payment or otherwise; whether the Government will lay before the House any Reports as to the extent to which young trees have been cut down; and, whether, before any decision is arrived at to continue the monopoly of teak in the hands of the Bombay Burmah Trading Corporation, an opportunity will be given for the consideration of the question by the House?

The inquiry promised by me on July 15 is being made by means of a Despatch, and sufficient time has not elapsed to obtain an answer from the Government of India. The Government of India i have not yet furnished the Secretary of State with information as to the steps they are taking to ascertain and improve the condition of the teak forests, nor as to the result of their inquiries. It has been alleged that the Government of India are under legal obligations to the British Burmah Company by reason of certain contracts entered into between that Company and King Theebaw. The extent of the obligations has not yet been determined; but the Government of India does not contemplate the grant of any further monopoly of teak beyond the rights, if any, which the British Burmah Company already possess.

asked the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, Whether he is aware that the Hon. P. A. Collins, who is a Member of the Massachusetts Congress, U.S.A., is reported to have stated, on the occasion of receiving the freedom of the City of Dublin, 2nd August, that—

"On arriving in Ireland he had had his luggage searched, and had since been honoured with an escort of Government detectives;"

(who replied) said: In accordance with a practice which has existed for some years past, the luggage of Mr. Collins was, in common with that of other persons, searched. It is not the case that he has had tin escort of detectives.

I will ask the right hon. and gallant Gentleman if he will inquire whether the detectives are still shadowing this distinguished gentleman; and, if so, that he will direct them to abate the nuisance?

I will make inquiries.

asked the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, If it is correct, as stated, that 133 cottages have been applied for by the Millstreet Union under the Labourers' Acts (Ireland), and that 108 have been authorized by the Local Government Board, and that there are neither any cottages erected or in course of construction; what is the cause of the delay; has £56 6s. been expended in Medical Reports under such circumstances, while £42 5s. 6d. has only been spent in the Macroom Union, where 420 cottages are applied for and 315 authorized by the Local Government Board; and, why has the Local Government Board paid £39 7s. in the Millstreet Union and only £43 17s. 3d. in the Ma- croom Union for solicitors and counsel, with the above-mentioned unequal results?

(who replied) said: As this Question only appeared on the Paper this morning, I have not yet had time to communicate with, the officers in the neighbourhood.

What time will it suit the convenience of the right hon. and gallant Gentleman to answer the Question again?

Order, order!

asked the Under Secretary of State for India, If he would explain why the appointment of a female medical officer to the Cama Women's Hospital at Bombay was limited to five years, when Government had promised Mr. Cama to carry on the hospital under female superintendence without any limitation as to time; whether there is any reason why the conditions of continuous service and pension should not be assured to female medical officers as to male, in order to secure the service of competent persons for such responsible charges; and, if the doubt thus thrown upon the continuance of the employment of medical women by Government in India has caused the suspension of similar benefactions for the erection of hospitals for women in Western India?

The reasons given by the Government of India for limiting to five years the appointment of a female medical officer to the Cama Hospital at Bombay were:—The possibility of hereafter providing for the maintenance of the Cama Hospital on the grant in-aid system; I the fact that the medical education of women in India is yet only in its infancy. The Secretary of State knows no reason why there should be any difference in the conditions of service of male and female medical officers, and he will commend an equality of treatment to the consideration of the Government of India. The Secretary of State has not heard of the suspension of any benefac- tions for the erection of hospitals for women in India from the cause stated.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department, If it is the case that great diversity exists in the way in which examinations for managers' certificates are conducted in different districts; if in Durham district it is partly vivâ voce and partly in writing; if in Scotland it is wholly in writing; if he is aware that at the examination held at Edinburgh on 19th and 20th May, 1887, 12 candidates were present from Durham in order to escape the vivâ voce examination; if, on the occasion named, a misprinted plan of ventilation of a mine was supplied to candidates; whether he intends to return to candidates the whole or any part of their registration fee in consequence; what steps he intends taking to prevent the issue of such misprinted plans in future; and, whether he will so instruct the examiners that all examinations shall be conducted partly in writing and partly by question and answer?

, in reply, said, the information asked by the hon. Member involved an inquiry of some detail. As soon as the Notice of the Question appeared he directed two Circulars and two special letters to be despatched requesting information on the points raised in the Question. Replies had not yet been received; but he would be happy to communicate their purport when they reached his hands.

asked the Post-master General, If there is any reason why rural letter carriers should not have the same privilege on Bank Holidays that is now given them on Good Fridays, Christmas Days, and was granted them on the Jubilee Day?

In reply to the Question of the hon. Member, I beg to state that there is a wide distinction between an ordinary Bank Holiday and the holidays of Good Fri- day and Christmas Day. The latter two days are—at any rate in England and Wales—universally observed as close holidays; but that is not by any means the case with other Bank Holidays, especially in the rural districts. While I am at all times ready to consider any practicable relaxation of the postman's duty, I cannot shut my eyes to the probability that any arrangement by which the privilege of an afternoon collection of letters would be withdrawn, if rural postmen were allowed to omit such collection on a Bank Holiday, would give rise to widespread complaint and occasion a great deal of public inconvenience.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department, Whether he can now state what decision has been come to with reference to the alleged misconduct of Police Constable Butler in striking Miss Parton at the Clerkenwell Police Court on the 16th of June; and, whether Constable Butler is still warrant officer at the Clerkenwell Police Court?

I am informed by the Commissioner of Police that Police Constable Butler has been reprimanded, cautioned, and removed from further duty at the Clerkenwell Police Court. This police constable is reported as a patient, steady man, with 20 years' service, during 12 of which he has been warrant officer at the police courts, with no report against him, except a case of trivial carelessness 11 years ago.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department, Whether he has received any communication from Major Knox, commanding the troops temporarily stationed at Bolton, expressing the opinion that the further retention of the military in that town is unnecessary; whether complaints have reached him that the continued presence of this extra military force is obnoxious to the ratepayers, and is producing irritation amongst the population; and, whether, under these circumstances, the Government will consider the advisability of the withdrawal of the troops?

Yes, Sir; such a communication was forwarded to me from the War Office on the 20th ultimo. I have no information to the effect that the continued presence of the military is obnoxious to the ratepayers. On the 20th ultimo the Justices of the borough forwarded, me a Resolution, in which they declined to take the responsibility of dispensing with the assistance of the military. The Mayor also strongly urged upon me that the detachment should be allowed to remain. Under these circumstances, cannot advise their withdrawal.

asked the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, When the Committee he has promised, to inquire into the working of the Lnbourers (Ireland) Acts, will be nominated, and how it will be constituted?

(who replied) said: The hon. Gentleman must have misunderstood the answer I gave on a previous day. What I said was that the Government would consider the possibility of appointing a Committee, and the question is still under consideration.

asked the Secretary of State for War, Whether, in view of the supposed capture of Falmouth by the Squadron of Admiral Fremantle, he will take steps to garrison Pendennis Castle and St. Mawe's, which have been unoccupied for many years, and put these forts into a proper state of defence, seeing they form the only means of protection for the most westerly harbour in England?

I wish that I had funds at my disposal for improving the defences referred to; but I am afraid that there are other defensive services of greater urgency to which any available money must primarily be devoted.

asked the Under Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, Whether, on the Merchandise Marks Bill receiving the Royal Assent, the Foreign Office will address a Circular to all the Powers who are parties to the Industrial Property Convention, calling their attention to the measure, and inviting them to give to British subjects the same protection against fraud which the Act will afford to the subjects of Foreign Powers?

A Circular to that effect will be despatched as soon as the Royal Assent has been given to the Bill.

asked the First Commissioner of Works, What steps, if any, the Government have taken to carry cut the promises made in Committee of Supply in respect of the Ordnance Survey in Ireland?

I am glad to be able to inform the hon. Member that the revision of the Ordnance Survey in Ireland will in future be carried out on the 25-inch scale, and that the necessary arrangements will be made with as little delay as possible.

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty, Whether H.M. Training Ship Ganges, at present stationed in Falmouth Harbour, is commissioned without guns; whether the boys who are undergoing instructions in gunnery are obliged to proceed to Devonport for that purpose; and, whether he will take into consideration the advisability of permanently stationing a guardship or gunboat at Falmouth as a means of defence?

Being only a training ship for boys, the Ganges carries no guns, except two for drill purposes. The final instruction in gunnery is carried out in the gunnery ship at Devonport, which has been found to be the most convenient course. It is not proposed to station a guardship or a gunboat at Falmouth permanently for purposes of defence.

asked the Secretary of State for War, Whether the construction of Fort Twydall, near Chatham, is now completed; and, what is the result of this new experiment in defensive works as compared with the older type of forts in respect of cost, time occupied in construction, and efficiency?

One of the forts defending the Twydall position, near Chatham, is completed; the other will, I hope, be taken in hand next year, when some important experiments as to its construction have been carried out. Under certain conditions—as, for example, when a regular siege has not to be resisted—a fort of the Twydall typo would be efficient, highly economical, and rapidly constructed; but there are many cases in which regular forts would still be indispensable.

asked the Under Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, If he would state the precise date on which salary as a public servant ceased to be paid to Sir Henry Drummond Wolff?

In accordance with the practice followed in the Diplomatic Service, Sir Henry Drummond Wolff's emoluments ceased 10 days after his return to this country—namely, on the 3rd instant.

That being the fact, may I ask the right hon. Gentleman why he told me the other day that Sir Henry Drummond Wolff was not a Diplomatic servant when the interview with him and a representative of The Observer took place?

Sir Henry Drummond Wolffs employment, as is well known, was in connection with a Special Mission; and because he received the usual number of days' pay on return to this country it does not follow that his employment was continued.

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty, Whether he can state the names of the 22 officers junior to Prince Louis of Battenberg, who hold appointments of an almost similar character to his, with the names of the ships to which they have been appointed, and the nature of the service in which they are engaged; whether any, and which of them, have received promotion for special acquirements in gunnery or torpedo work; and, what is the exact date at which Prince Louis of Battenberg became naturalized as a British subject?

If the hon. Gentleman will consult The Navy List for August, 1887, he will find all the information he asks for. Prince Louis of Battenberg became naturalized in 1868.

May I be permitted to toll the noble Lord that I spent a long time in consulting The Navy List; but apparently The Nosy List differs from an answer the noble Lord gave me the other day, and therefore I put this Question.

My statement is perfectly correct, and if the hon. Gentleman will consult the latest edition of The Navy List—namely, that for the present month, he will find that it is so.

asked the Under Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, Whether he has seen in the papers the following statement:—

"That, on the settlement of the Russo-Afghan frontier, the Russian frontier has been moved forward between the Kushk and the Murghab some 18 miles in the direction of Herat; that the area of the valley pastures now ceded to Russia is 1,220 square miles, whilst the Ameer only receives 40 square miles;"

The statement is not correct. The Russian frontier is advanced 11½ miles towards Herat by the new arrangement. But this change has no strategical importance. The amount of land given up by Afghanistan in consequence of the restoration to the Saryk Turcomans of the lands previously occupied by them on the Kushk and Kashar is estimated at 825 square miles. The lands claimed by Russia near the Oxus, and now conceded to Afghanistan, are computed at 770 square miles, leaving a balance against Afghanistan of 55 square miles. In actual value the advantage is on the side of Afghanistan. On the whole, the settlement is equitable in the opinion of Her Majesty's Government.

said: The lands have been assigned, as much as possible, according to existing possession, those now depastured by the Saryk Turcomans being left to thorn, and similarly those in possession of the Ameer and his subjects to Afghanistan.

asked the Under Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, Whether any Report has been received of the recent case of the shooting of two Fellahs in Egypt by a British officer, and the subsequent flogging of several of the inhabitants of the village where it occurred by British soldiers; whether any explanation has been given in the Report (if received) as to the law in Egypt with regard to the flogging of Natives by British soldiers; and, whether, if any Report or despatch upon the subject has been received, he will present it to the House?

No Report has been received at the Foreign Office of any such incident since that which happened in March last, and of which I gave a very full account in reply to a Question from the hon. Member for Kirkcaldy (Sir George Campbell) on the 14th of April.

asked, whether the answer given to the hon. Member for Kirkcaldy was not on information received by telegraph; and whether a detailed Report of the circumstances had not since been received?

said, his impression, speaking from memory, was that the account he gave to the House was from a detailed Report. If the hon. Gentleman wished to wove for Papers there would be no objection, to giving them.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department, Whether, in view of the overwhelming public necessities of Battersea, with its 135,000 inhabitants, he has any objection to the Report of the Government Medical Officer under the Burials Acts, upon the Rose Hill Park Site, Sutton, being laid upon the Table of the House; and, whether, having regard to the extreme urgency of the matter for Battersea, the Government will, at the same time, lay upon the Table any official information with respect to any opposition which was not before the Inspector at the said inquiry; and, if so, will afford the Battersea Burial Board an opportunity of answering the same?

The Report of the Government Medical Officer on the proposed cemetery at Sutton is a Departmental Report, confidentially furnished to assist my Predecessor in coming to the decision which be gave refusing to sanction a cometery in Sutton. I see no necessity for laying on the Table of the House that Report, or other official information since received; but I will give the Battersea Burial Board every opportunity to put forward whatever observations they think fit material.

asked the First Lord of the Treasury, Whether Her Majesty's Government are aware that there is in Ireland, at the present time, a Mission from the Pope of Rome, of which Monseigneur Persico, a Roman Catholic Prelate, is the recognized head; whether there is any reason to believe that this Papal Mission, though nominally a religious one, is practically a political inquiry into the present state of Ireland; and, whether the Pope, before sending a Mission of this character to a part of Her Majesty's Dominions, had asked for or obtained permission to do so from Her Majesty's Government?

Upon this Question, Sir, I wish to ask you whether, in view of the fact that an Envoy from His Holiness the Sovereign Pontiff of the Catholic Church was lately received by Her Majesty the Queen, ordinary usage does not require that he should be described by his historical and accepted title, and not by that of the Pope of Rome as it appears in the Question?

Order, order! I call on the First Lord of the Treasury. There is nothing irregular in the Question

Her Majesty's Government are not aware that there is in Ireland at the present time a Mission from the Pope. So far as they are concerned, Monseigneur Persico is a private individual, travelling in Ireland for reasons best known to himself. No communication has passed between the Pope and Her Majesty's Government on the subject.

May I ask whether this most rev. gentleman's luggage was searched?

Order, order !

asked the First Lord of the Treasury, Whether, having regard to the large and increasing populations of the British Islands who are at present unable to find employment, and to the amount of land vacant in the Colonies which would be benefited by an increased population, and in view of the fact that capitalists in London are ready to provide funds for the emigration and settlement of this surplus population, he will consider the advisability of some scheme whereby the interest on the funds so advanced may be guaranteed by the Imperial Government in conjunction with each Colonial Government, such interest being counter-secured by redeemable rent-charge on the land settled or otherwise; whether the Government will, before Prorogation, give an opportunity for taking the opinion of the House on the subject, as suggested by the Marquess of Salisbury, so that it may be communicated to the Colonies during the Vacation; and, whether, if the Government have any doubt that the unoccupied lands of the Colonies have as ample power of producing sustenance and wealth as the other lands of the Empire from which its existing wealth and past sustenance have been derived, they will take steps to ascertain and inform the people of the fact?

The question raised by my hon. Friend is one of great importance, and would require great consideration. I am afraid it will not be possible for Her Majesty's Government to give an opportunity before the Recess for a discussion on the subject. I am not aware that the Marquess of Salisbury has made any suggestion of the nature indicated in the second paragraph of the Question.

asked the First Lord of the Treasury, "Whether he can hold out any hope that the Government will consider the state of the law as to limited liability during the Recess, and introduce a Bill to amend it early next Session, remembering the satisfactory assurances given by the Prime Minister to an influential deputation so far back as the 28th January last, and the strong opinion entertained in the manufacturing districts that the law ought to be amended as soon as possible?

The state of the law as regards limited liability will certainly receive the earnest consideration of Her Majesty's Government during the Recess, with a view to early legislation next Session.

asked the First Lord of the Treasury, When the Memorandum, promised early in the Session, as to the side of copyright in Government publications, will be laid upon the Table?

, in reply, said, he hoped the Memorandum would be laid on the Table before the Recess.

asked the First Lord of the Treasury, Whether he is aware of the badly ventilated offices in which the officers of Inland Revenue have to do their work; whether gas has to be burnt the whole of the day to enable them to see the paper upon which they write; and, whether he will see that a change for the better be made in their case?

If the hon. Member will send me particulars of any office in the Inland Revenue which answers to the description he gives, I shall be very glad to have inquiries made into the circumstances.

I want to know, Sir, if it is the duty of a Member of Parliament to go fishing out abuses which ought to be set right by the Government?

Certainly, if they put Questions.

For the information, of the right hon. Gentleman, I will direct attention, to the office in Haydon Square, and I can give a few others.

The hon. Gentleman may ask a Question; but he must confine himself to that.

asked the First Lord of the Treasury, If, now that the Lord Advocate has met the Scotch Members, he can definitely say what Scotch Business is to he proceeded with this Session; and, if proceeded with, whether it is to be dealt with by discussion in the House, or to be subject to a condition that there is to be no serious discussion at a reasonable hour; and, whether the Secretary for Scotland Bill is to be proceeded with; and, if so, if it will be taken at an hour when some serious discussion is possible, and before a blink operates?