§ MR. DAWSONasked the Secretary to the Treasury, Whether, considering that a deputation on the Mail Contract between England and Ireland are to wait upon the Prime Minister and the Chancellor of the Exchequer on Friday, he will lay all the Correspondence and Papers on the subject at once upon the Table to enable honourable Members to become acquainted with the facts?
§ MR. COURTNEYSir, I am obliged to the right hon. Gentleman for having postponed this Question from yesterday, when I could not conveniently answer it. The Government will take care that the House will be fully informed of the facts of this case before they are called upon to give a decision on the subject; and they are pledged to present the Correspondence as soon as it is complete. But I would observe that tomorrow the deputation intend to address the Government, and not this House; and I therefore think that it would not be respectful to the House to present the Correspondence for this reason. I cannot but suppose that the Gentlemen who will wait on the Prime Minister and the Chancellor of the Exchequer have already sufficiently acquainted themselves with the facts of this matter.
§ MR. DAWSONThe facts that I refer to are in the Correspondence that passed between the Government and the Companies; and, until the Correspondence is laid on the Table, how can we be aware of them?
§ MR. COURTNEYI suppose the hon. Members who intend to wait on the Prime Minister have made up their minds on the matter, and must fall back upon the materials before them?
§ MR. GRAYIt is impossible for people to make up their minds on figures that are not before them. What we want 81 to know is, will the figures of this contract be placed on the Table this evening?
§ MR. COURTNEYI will take care that those figures will be laid before the House in sufficient time; but, at present, it is not quite convenient to do it.