MR. HUMEsaid, he wished to ask the right hon. President of the Board of Control a question. In his speech the other night the right hon. Gentleman alluded to a despatch which he had received from Lord Dalhousie as a ground for inducing the Government to bring forward their Bill at the present time. Had the right hon. Gentleman any objection to lay that despatch before the House? He would also ask if the right hon. Gentleman would lay on the table the correspondence between the Government and the Board of Directors, which he understood the Directors were printing, and which ought to be produced for the information of the House?
§ SIR CHARLES WOODsaid, that, in reply to his hon. Friend's questions, he had to say, in the first place, that he had certainly stated what Lord Dalhousie's opinion was, but that he did not state it was contained in a public despatch; on the contrary, the opinion to which he referred was not in a public despatch, and therefore he could not lay it on the table of the House. As to the other correspondence, it could be produced, if thought necessary.
MR. HUMEsaid, he would submit to the House, that if a Minister in his place in Parliament made use of the authority of a public officer as the ground of a proceeding, he was bound to produce it; and 1300 he submitted, further, that they had a right to expect that should be done.
§ LORD JOHN RUSSELLsaid, it was quite contrary to practice that Government should lay on the table private and unofficial communications. The statement referred to was not a public document, and could not, therefore, be produced to the House.
MR. HUMEBut it was on this authority the right hon. Gentleman took the course of introducing this Bill.