§ VISCOUNT MILTONsaid, he wished to ask the Under Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, If he will lay upon the Table of the House the Letters, Despatches, and Enclosures therein which were addressed to the Foreign Office by Governor Douglas, his Secretaries, or the Secretary of the Water Boundary Commission, informing Her Majesty's Government of the intention of the United States Forces to invade part or parts of Her Majesty's Possessions in the Pacific; and, whether he will give an assurance to the House that no further steps will be taken by Her Majesty's Government which will in any way affect the transactions that were pending, and are now in statu quo, between this Country and the United States relating to disputed boundaries, until the House has had an opportunity of discussing the question, and until the complete history of the dispute between this Country and the United States in the water boundary question has been put into the hands of the Members of this House?
Mr. OTWAYin reply, said, there were no despatches at the Foreign Office from Governor Douglas; any communications from him would have been addressed to the Colonial Office. Neither his secretary, nor the secretary to the Water Boundary Commissioners were in a position to correspond with any public department, so that there were no public documents from them. As he had so often stated the position of the Question, he hoped the noble Lord would excuse him from entering into the matter again. He was unable to give the assurance asked for, because by doing so he should be infringing the Prerogative of the Crown.
§ VISCOUNT MILTONsaid, his Question had been misunderstood; and he gave notice that he would repeat his Question another day.