Mr. Duncombe, seeing the noble Lord the Member for Liverpool in his place, begged to put a question to him with respect to the appendix of a Report of a Committee of which he was chairman last Session—he referred to the Secret Committee on the Post Office. That Committee made its Report, and also laid on the Table of the House an appendix, which was ordered to be printed with the Report. Well, the Report was printed, but, as yet, they had no appendix. He had sent to the printer's for the appendix, and also to get another copy of the Report. The reply was, that the Report could not be got, because it was waiting for the appendix—that the appendix was waiting for a proof, and the proof was waiting for some Member of the Secret Committee. Now, that Committee's functions ceased when their Report was made to the House, and had nothing afterwards to do with the appendix or Report. He wished to ask now, therefore, why they had not got the appendix? Mr. Hansard said that it was with the Committee. He (Mr. Duncombe) was in possession of a copy of it by the special order of the Speaker, the only way, it appeared, of getting it. The appendix was in type, but not printed for general circulation. He wished to know if it was the Committee, or any Member of the Committee, who withheld it?
§ Viscount Sandonhad to state, in answer to the question of the hon. Gentleman, that the Report was made last year, just at the close of the Session, when hon. Members were fast leaving London for the country. The arrangement of the chronological part of the Report, contained in the appendix, was left in the hands of the hon. Member for Kendal, who had taken great pains with the subject all through the labours of the Committee. So far as he (Lord Sandon) could learn, the appendix still remained in the hands of that hon. Member. He himself knew nothing further about the matter. He had no doubt, however, but that on this public notice being taken of it, the document in question would soon be laid before the House. Perhaps he had been to blame in quitting London without having seen it in the 211 hands of the printer; but he had thought that it would be quite safe in the charge of the hon. Member for Kendal.
Mr. Duncombeintended to bring the subject of the Post Office before the House, and he did, therefore, hope that no further time would be lost in having the appendix put into the hands of hon. Members.