§ SIR EDWARD WATKIN (Hythe)I beg to ask the Financial Secretary for War if he has informed himself of the reasons why regular troops were kept in barracks, and not allowed to take part in the recent operations by the Volunteers at and near Folkestone?
§ THE FINANCIAL SECRETARY FOR WAR (Mr. BRODRICK,) Surrey, GuildfordI think I cannot do better than read the explanation which the general officer commanding at Dover has furnished. He says—
The original programme that the Volunteer marching column was to come to Dover (in which case manoeuvring ground for them and the Dover and Shorncliffe garrisons would have been provided by the town) was altered by the Volunteers electing to go to Folkestone. The officer commanding the Volunteers then 1634 went to Folkestone and made private arrangements for ground for his force to manœuvre on on Saturday and Easter Monday. This precluded the presence of Regulars, the ground found by Folkestone being only for the small force under the officer commanding Scots Guards, and this was clearly understood at a previous meeting in the presence of His Royal Highnessthe Commander-in-Chief. As, however, Colonel Hozier's Volunteer Artillery were not prepared to march to Folkestone from Dover, I decided on placing a battery of Field Artillery at Colonel Stracey's disposal to take their place, and sent a troop of Hussars to assist him in keeping the ground.