SUPPLY.—REPORT. (Hansard, 5 March 1880)

§ SIR HENRY SELWIN-IBBETSON
said, that upon that Vote he had promised the Committee on the previous night that he would give some information. He had been asked to divide the sum of £650, charged for witnesses and travelling allowances for the Commissioners. He found that the witnesses were paid £450, including subsistence allowance, and that the travelling expenses of the Commissioners amounted to £200, making a total of £650 in all. The number of witnesses who had been examined was very large.

§ SIR HENRY SELWIN-IBBETSON
said, that he had been asked to state the names of some of the distinguished persons for whose conveyance by special packet the sum of £2,120 had been paid. They included the Prince and Princess of Wales, the Grand Duchess of Mecklenburgh, the Crown Prince of Germany, the Duke of Cumberland, the Empress of Germany, the Duke and Duchess of Connaught, the King and Queen of Denmark, and others of a similar rank.

§ MR. RYLANDS
said, that he had no objection to the Vote; but as the Vote was much larger than usual that year he thought it required explanation, and that the House should be told the names of the distinguished persons for whose conveyance the sum had been expended.

§ SIR HENRY SELWIN-IBBETSON
said, that he had also promised to explain the item for compensation paid to Mr. Ford and his wife. The fact was that a person of the name of Ford, a member of a firm of wholesale stationers in the City, committed acts amounting to fraudulent bankruptcy, and subsequently absconded. Warrants were obtained for his apprehension on the application of the Criminal Department. The ship by which he sailed touched at Barbadoes; and the authorities, having been telegraphed to, arrested Mr. Ford. There was no description of him in the warrant; but it seemed that there were two Mr. Fords on board the vessel, and the wrong one was arrested. The Governor kept him under arrest until it was discovered that, after all, the wrong person had been apprehended. He was then discharged, and returned to Eng- 530 land, and took proceedings against the authorities for his illegal arrest. As the liability for that arrest fell upon the Secretary of State for the Colonies, the Treasury was glad to compromise the matter for the sum which now appeared in the Estimates.