§ MR. BLACKmoved for a Return of the cost of printing and distributing the Report of the evidence on the Endowed Schools of Ireland, in four folio volumes, comprising 2,680 pages, and by whose authority the same was printed.
§ MR. WALPOLEsaid, he had the greatest pleasure in supporting the Motion, and he would express a hope that the matter would not end with the moving for these returns. The late Speaker, as a Member of the Printing Committee, called the attention of the House to this subject, and that Committee recommended that some authority should be constituted which should give directions to Commissioners as to the publication of these Reports, and should impose some check upon the number of appendices which were added to them. Since he had been at the Home Office he had received a letter from one of the Commissioners, in respect of the Report to which the Motion of the hon. Mem- 783 ber referred, but he had declined to produce it until he had had an opportunity of reading it and submitting it to the other Commissioners. He mentioned this, because he thought that if Commissioners made separate Reports, the Crown would not receive from them the joint advice to give which they were appointed, conflicting authorities would be established, and the expense of printing would be greatly increased.
§ MR. BLACKsaid, it had been suggested to him that he should include in his return the weight of these volumes.
§ Motion agreed to,
§
Return ordered,—
Of the cost of Printing and Distributing the Report of the Evidence on the Endowed Schools of Ireland, in four folio volumes, comprising 2,680 pages, and by whose authority the same was printed.