§ MR. SEYMOUR FITZGERALDsaid, he wished to put a Question to the right hon. Gentleman opposite (the Chancellor of the Exchequer) in reference to the distribution of Indian Prize Money. The subject had been, a few days ago, brought under the notice of the Government by his hon. Friend the Member for Stamford (Sir Stafford Northcote), who then asked whether the Government considered that the Prize Money in question should be distributed exclusively amongst Sir George Whitlock's force, or whether it belonged to the Army of India generally. The noble Lord at the head of the Government, in reply to his hon. Friend, stated that the Papers relating to the Prize Money in question should be laid on the table of the House immediately, and that no decision would be come to by the Government until the House had had full opportunity of expressing an opinion on the subject. To the surprise, however, of the agents of Sir George Whitlock's Force, papers were forwarded to them conveying the intelligence that the decision of the Government had been come to in the matter, and the money was lying in the hands of the Treasury for distribution. As he was quite sure the noble Lord did not intend to depart from the assurance which he had given the House on the subject, he wished to ask, What course the Government intend to take in reference to this matter, and whether the House, notwithstanding what has been done by the Treasury, will have a full opportunity of considering the question, and expressing its opinion upon it before the final distribution of the Prize Money?
§ THE CHANCELLOR OF THE EXCHEQUERsaid, in reply, that the Papers relating to the Prize Money referred to, which were just laid upon the table, would clearly show what had taken place. It was quite true that his noble Friend at the head of the Government had given 1476 an assurance that the matter would remain without prejudice until the House had an opportunity of considering those Papers. He did not, however, think, as far as his recollection served, that his noble Friend had said that the decision of the Treasury should be kept in suspense, because so far as the judgment of the Treasury was concerned, that was known and avowed when the question was first brought before the House. The pledge given by his noble Friend was that the Papers on the subject would be laid before the House of Commons before the decision of the Treasury was acted upon, so as to give that House the opportunity of intercepting the proposed distribution, if it thought proper to do so. It was quite true that the decision of the Treasury had been made known to the parties concerned by an official letter, but in addition to that communication another letter had been transmitted to the same parties, informing them of what had subsequently taken place in the House, and intimating that the arrangement referred to in the former letter should remain in abeyance until the final decision of the House was taken upon the matter.