asked the Chief Secretary for Ireland whether, in view of the verdict of the jury in the case of the Newmarket shooting affray, there has been an investigation held by the proper authorities into the conduct of the district inspector who ordered the shooting; and, if such investigation has been held, what is the decision arrived at?

The action of the district inspector on the occasion referred to has been the subject of an inquiry by the constabulary authorities, and the Inspector-General is satisfied that, in the circumstances, the district inspector took the proper course, and could not have acted otherwise than he did.

asked the Chief Secretary whether his attention has been called to the statements made that, on 26th May, District-Inspector Price was called on by two respectable shopkeepers and informed that his presence was needed down the street, and, in view of this request, will he say why did he not go; was he on duty on this day; and, if he was, did he make a report to his authorities of this request by the townspeople?

My attention has been called to the statements mentioned in the question. The action of the district inspector on the occasion referred to was discussed at the coroner's inquest, and has been the subject of an inquiry by the constabulary authorities, who were fully in formed of all the circumstances of the case. No useful purpose would be served by reopening the matter now.

asked the Attorney-General for Ireland whether he has any information as to the circumstances under which Michael Sharkey was evicted from a farm on the estate of John Craig, at Cortea, Killygordon, county Donegal; whether he is aware that the clerk of the peace for county Donegal refused to accept a tender of two years' arrears in this case made by Daniel M'Monagle, of Corgarey, Ballybofey, county Donegal, unless costs in addition were forwarded; and whether this money is still in the hands of the clerk of the peace?

In this case an ejectment decree for non-payment of rent was obtained on 23rd October, 1908, the amount of rent due being two years at £3 8s. 6d. per annum, making £6 17s. and £1 4s. 6d. costs, total £8 1s. 6d. On 6th January, 1909, the prescribed notice under the seventh Section of the Irish Land Act, 1887, was lodged with the clerk of the Crown and peace. This notice states the amount to be paid or lodged for redemption as in decree above set out. On 28th June, in the absence of the clerk of the Crown and peace at Sessions, Daniel McMonagle lodged in his office the sum of £6 17s. On finding that this was not the amount claimed in the notice, the clerk of the Crown and peace wrote to McMonagle pointing out that the lodgment was short by £1 4s. 6d. amount of costs and requesting him to send this amount if possible by return of post, as otherwise it would be necessary to issue the decree and return him the amount lodged. To this letter he sent no reply. Subsequently the clerk of the Crown and peace wrote to the defendant, Sharkey, at the address given in the notice and affidavit, to the same effect. This letter was returned undelivered by the Post Office. The landlord's agent was also informed and refused to accept the amount lodged. As no answer was received from either the defendant or McMonagle, and as the landlord's agent refused to accept the money, it is still in the hands of the clerk of the Crown and peace.

asked the Chief Secretary whether the Estates Commissioners have at present under consideration an application for reinstatement from John O'Gorman, of Ruskey, Convoy, county Donegal, an evicted tenant of the Gledstanes estate, county Donegal; whether he is aware that this tenant was ever led to believe that he would be reinstated in his former or some other farm; and whether it is proposed to take any action on his application?

The Estates Commissioners have considered the application of John Gorman for reinstatement in his former holding on the estate of Campbell and others, now occupied by another tenant. His name has been noted in connection with the allotment of certain untenanted land which is at present the subject of proceedings under the Evicted Tenants Act.

asked the Chief Secretary if he can now say when the annual Report of the Estates Commissioners will be available for Members of Parliament?

The Estates Commissioners hope that their Annual Report will be available about the end of this month.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether his attention has been called to the fact that a considerable number of boys, who have never been previously convicted, are committed to Preston prison owing to their inability to pay the fines and costs ordered by magistrates to be paid for trivial offences against by-laws; whether he will, by means of a circular addressed to each individual magistrate, urge the desirability of not making any order for payment of costs where a small fine only is imposed for such trivial offences, and of resorting to every other alternative before ordering fines and costs to be paid by boys, so as to avoid the stigma of imprisonment; whether the justices who constitute the visiting committee of Preston prison have requested that an inquiry should be held into the above matter; whether he will cause such an inquiry to be held, or whether he will take any, and what, steps in the matter; and (2) whether his attention has been called to the fact that a boy under the age of sixteen years was, on 6th June, 1910, ordered by the magistrates sitting at the Wigan Borough petty sessions to pay costs amounting to 13s. 10d., in addition to a fine of 1s., for sparring in the streets with another boy; and whether, in view of the fact that the magistrates imposed costs exceeding the amount of the fine, and the boy was committed to Preston prison in default of payment of the fine and costs without any certificate as required by the Children Act, 1908, that the boy had never been previously convicted of any offence whatever, that the visiting committee for Preston prison paid the fine and costs in order to obtain the boy's release, and that the visiting committee have requested that an inquiry should be held, he has taken or will take any steps in the matter?

My attention has been called to this matter by the visiting committee of Preston prison, who secured the immediate discharge of four boys by paying their fines, and I am making inquiry. The commitment of youths to prison for non-payment of fines is a serious matter, and, as I have already told the House, I am endeavouring to find an effective remedy.

asked the Home Secretary if he will state, for each month from 1st October, 1909, to 30th October, 1910, the number of men employed at the Gwyn Gold Mines, Merioneth, the number of tons of ore treated with the Britten pans, the quantity of gold resulting, and the value of such gold?

I am unable to furnish my hon. Friend with monthly figures of output and persons employed at this mine, as the Statutory Returns to the Home Office are made for the whole year, and not for each month separately. The figures furnished for 1909 were as follows: Number of men employed, twelve; amount of gold ore obtained, three tons, containing 259 ounces of bar gold, and valued at £885. I have no particulars as to the amount of ore treated in the Britten pans.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether he will print and circulate the Report received from His Majesty's Chargé d'Affaires at Tehran on the Darab Mirza incident?

The substance of the report received from His Majesty's Chargé d'Affaires at Tehran is as follows:—After arresting Darab Mirza the Russian party remained in the immediate vicinity of Zinjan three days, a delay which seemed to the officer in command desirable, as the ex-Mir Shikar's forces might have attacked the town, and he wished to make it quite clear both to them and to the Governor of Zinjan that the rebellious movement had no support whatever from the Russian troops. On leaving Zinjan, the, party, thinking it wiser not to return by the route by which they had come, took the northerly and more circuitous road which traverses the district of Tarom to Mendjil, where it joins the Resht-Kazvin road. As they were passing through Tarom they were fired on from the hills, and in order to show that the party had no hostile intentions a few men were sent forward with white flags in skirmishing order. The firing, however, continued, and a small body of Persian horsemen was observed advancing to take up a posi- tion on a hill not far off. The Russians then began to return the fire, and the officer in command, as a matter of precaution, seized the hill above mentioned. On arriving they found a party of nineteen Persians who said that they were Government troops. There were also two dead bodies, one of them that of Ali Khan (the present Mir Shikar or head game-keeper) who is an Emir Toman (general) of the Persian Army and had been sent to the relief of Zinjan. The Russian officer left behind twenty-three Cossacks to guard these nineteen men. On receiving his report the Russian Minister at once instructed the Russian Consul at Kazvin to request the Governor to send to take charge of these men, and he also asked the Tehran authorities to give similar orders. No orders, however, were sent from either source, and he consequently ordered the Russian commanding officer to bring the whole party into Kazvin. They arrived there on the morning of the 9th, after an absence of eight days, and were at once delivered over to the Persian authorities. The encounter lasted three hours and the Cossacks fired 400 rounds. They had no casualties, and it does not appear that they caused any. The official reports received by the Persian Minister of the Interior confirm this account in all essentials. The Russian Minister considered that the best way to prove that Darab Mirza's attempt was not countenanced by Russia was that he should be arrested by the Russians. Having given the necessary orders he at once [...]n-formed the Persian Government, and was thanked by both the head of the Russian Section of the Foreign Office, and the Persian Minister of Foreign Affairs. It was not till forty-eight hours after, when the Cossacks were close to Zinjan and could not be recalled, that the Persian Government began to raise objections.

asked the President of the Local Government Board whether the Government proposes that boards of guardians should be empowered by law to detain feeble-minded females, the present absence of such power to detain whom is a source of difficulty and inconvenience in local administration?

I may refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for the Eddisbury Division of Cheshire on 23rd ultimo.

asked the Lord Advocate whether the Secretary for Scotland is aware that Dr. Cameron, the medical officer for the parish of Lochs, Island of Lewis, states that the Keose and Kershadder public schools are in an unsatisfactory sanitary condition, and that practically every school in the parish is lacking in cloak-room accommodation, with the result that caps, hats, and cloaks are piled in a heap in a corner of the lobby or porch; and will the school board be asked to take such steps as may be necessary to remove cause for complaint?

The Department are in communication with the school board on the subject.