§ MR. BERESFORD HOPEsaid, he would beg to ask the Secretary of State for War, Whether all or any portion of the Munitions of War, including machinery, have been shipped for or otherwise transmitted to Paris for the purposes of the Great Exhibition in that city; and, if so, at what date such transmission took place, and by whose authority?
GENERAL PEELThe Question, Sir, respecting the exhibition of munitions of war was decided before I became Secretary of State for War. The War Department had been requested by the Commissioners of the Exhibition to make a selection of those munitions which they desired to have exhibited. In consequence of that, contracts were entered into for the conveyance of the munitions; the contracts were concluded on the 14th of February; the vessels arrived in the Thames on the 21st of February, and commenced lading. A question was raised in this House as to the propriety of exhibiting munitions of war, and if any notice had been laid upon the table of the House I certainly should have taken upon myself to delay the departure of the vessels until the question was decided. As the contracts had been entered into, and no notice on the subject had been given in this House, the vessels sailed on the 28th of February.