§ MR. SUMMERSasked the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, Whether it be the fact that prior to the sale of the Southport foreshore to the riparian owners, the Surveyor General of the Duchy promised a deputation of the Southport Town Council to give that body the first refusal of the foreshore; and, if so, whether that promise has been fulfilled; whether a verbal agreement was come to between the Surveyor General of the Duchy and a deputation of the Southport Corporation for the sale to the latter of the Southport foreshore; whether the terms of such agreement were embodied in a draft which was forwarded to the Solicitor of the Duchy; whether the terms of the draft were ever submitted to the Chancellor, and his decision thereupon communicated to the Southport Corporation; whether the Corporation of Southport, whilst protesting against the withdrawal of the verbal understanding come to between their members and the Surveyor of the Duchy, offered a sum higher than that given by riparian proprietors; and, if so, why such offer was not accepted; and, whether ho will lay upon the Table a Copy of the Correspondence which has taken place between the officials of the Duchy, the representatives of the Southport Corporation, and the riparian proprietors respectively?
§ MR. DODSONSir, I am unable to say what passed in conversation at an interview between the Surveyor General and a deputation in the course of the negotiations which, as I mentioned yesterday, took place in 1881. But in September, 1881, an offer was made by the Surveyor General, subject to subsequent approval by the Chancellor of the Duchy to the Corporation, to sell the Duchy interest in part of the foreshore upon cer- 197 tain terms to the Corporation for the the sum of £9,500. This was accepted by the town clerk, subject to the approval of the Town Council, and a draft agreement purporting to embody these terms was sent in December, 1881, to the Duchy solicitor. The terms, however, so embodied, wore found to be very different from those offered by the Surveyor General. Before the draft had been submitted to the Chancellor it was practically withdrawn in February, 1882, by the town clerk, whose letters indicated that he was not satisfied with the Duchy title. A deputation to the Chancellor was talked of by the town clerk, but did not take place, and, I believe, was never applied for. As I stated yesterday, we considered the offer of the lords the better. I may add that the consideration that in settling with the lords we closed the door against litigation had great weight with us. There is no objection to the production of the Correspondence in question.
§ In reply to Sir R. ASSHETON CROSS,
§ MR. DODSONsaid, the interest of the Duchy in the foreshore had been sold to certain riparian proprietors, between whom and the Duchy the title to the foreshore was in dispute.