§ MR. FRASER-MACKINTOSH (Inverness-shire)I beg to ask the Lord Advocate whether he is aware that, notwithstanding the answer given by his predecessor, on 16th May, 1890, to the question of the hon. Member for the College Division of Glasgow, in reference to Procurators Fiscal acting against crofters before the Crofter Commission Courts, Mr. William Sproat, Procurator Fiscal at Tobermory, therein specially referred to, acts for the landlord of the Penmore estate in Mull against crofters named Maclean; whether it has been brought to his notice that the said Mr. Sproat, in at least two letters in connection with the Maclean case, uses paper with the engraved heading "Procurator Fiscal's Office, Tobermory;" and whether he will take more effective steps in this case?
§ * THE LORD ADVOCATE (Sir C. J. PEARSON, Edinburgh and St. Andrews Universities)I am informed that the Procurator Fiscal at Tobermory has acted as agent for the Penmore estate for upwards of 40 years, and that in the early part of May, 1890, he appeared before the Crofter Commission in the 675 case now under appeal referred to in the question. Mr. Sproat is not restricted from carrying on private practice, and is, therefore, quite within his right in so doing. Having regard, however, to the opinion expressed by my predecessor in July, 1889, in which I fully concur, I shall communicate with the Sheriff on the subject. As regards the second part of the question, I am informed by Mr. Sproat that it is not his practice to use such letter paper in connection with his civil business, but it is quite possible that from inadvertence he may have done so.