§ MR. SEXTONasked the Lord Advocate, If his attention has been called to a letter of the Rev. Donald M'Cullum, of Waternish, in The Oban Times of the 7th ult., charging Mr. W. Ivory, Sheriff of Inverness, Elgin, and Nairn, with having, on the 2 9th of January last, at Glendale, in the presence of a crowd of people, used unbecoming language of a threatening and provocative character; 1686 and, whether the Government have made any inquiry to ascertain if Sheriff Ivory acted as described?
THE LORD ADVOCATE (Mr. J. B. BALFOUR),in reply, said, he had answered a Question almost identical with this some time ago, and he explained at that time that the Government had had a Report from the Sheriff in regard to this matter.
§ MR. SEXTONasked whether five men had not made statutory declarations before Mr. M'Leod, a Justice of the Peace, charging this Sheriff with having publicly used threatening and blasphemous language; and, if so, would that alter the right hon. and learned Gentleman's views on the matter?
THE LORD ADVOCATE (Mr. J. B. BALFOUR)replied, that he was not aware that that was so. He had had no intimation.
§ MR. SEXTONsaid, he had the declarations, and would show them to the right hon. and learned Gentleman.
§ MR. MACFARLANEsaid, he asked the previous Question to which the Lord Advocate referred. Had any inquiry been made as to the truth of the allegations?
THE LORD ADVOCATE (Mr. J. B. BALFOUR)replied, that they had the statement of the letter in the newspapers on the one hand, and on the other the statement in the Sheriff's Report.