§ MR. SEYMOUR FITZGERALDsaid, he wished to renew a question he had put the other night to the hon. Gentleman the Under Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, Whether he will be kind enough to inform the House what is the date of the Despatch addressed by Her Majesty's Government to the Government of the United States with reference to the murder of Mr. Gray, and the date on which it was sent out? At the same time, he begged to ask 797 another question. There were some Papers which he had moved for on Friday last relative to the case of the Margaret and Jessie, and other vessels, which the Government refused to produce to the House. Since then, the noble Earl the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs had consented in the other House to the production of these Papers. He now begged to ask, Whether diligence would be used to place these Papers on the table of the House? With reference to the case of the Saxon, his Motion for Papers would extend only to the murder of Mr. Gray, and not to the capture of the prize.
§ MR. LAYARDsaid, in reply, that the first information relative to the murder on board the Saxon, was received by Her Majesty's Government, towards the end of December, but the depositions were not received from New York until about the 20th January. They were immediately sent to the Law Officers of the Crown. Their Report was received on the 30th, and the same afternoon instructions were sent to Lord Lyons to ask for such redress as we were entitled to from the American Government. But before the receipt of any instructions Lord Lyons had already communicated with Mr. Seward on the 30th of January, and Mr. Seward ordered an inquiry to take place, and the last information received was that that investigation was now going on. With regard to the second question, the hon. Gentleman was slightly in error with regard to what Earl Russell promised to give the other night. He promised that a certain list of claims should be laid on the table of the House. Of course, there was no objection on the part of the Government to give a list of all claims, but the difficulty was with regard to the claims of persons who could not be included in the list, as they might be prejudiced by their omission. There was no wish to withhold any of the Papers, and of course the Papers produced to the other House would be laid on the table of that House; but he believed that Earl Russell had not consented to the presentation for the present, of the papers relating to the case of the Margaret and Jessie.