§ LORD CLAUD HAMILTONasked the Secretary to the Treasury, Whether the contract for the conveyance of the West India Mails, for which tenders were received on the 1st of January last, will be concluded, and laid upon the Table in time to permit of its discussion before Parliament is prorogued?
§ MR. COURTNEYIt was found necessary to give the West Indian Colonies further opportunity of considering the various points involved in this matter. The present contract has accordingly been prolonged for six months, and there is, therefore, no necessity or probability of obtaining the judgment of the House upon the future arrangements during the present Session.
§ LORD CLAUD HAMILTONasked whether the hon. Gentleman would give an undertaking that no new contract for the conveyance of these mails would be entered into before Parliament had had an opportunity of expressing an opinion upon such contract?
§ MR. COURTNEYsaid, that the law provided that.