§ MR. F. EDWARDS (Radnorshire)On behalf of the hon. Member for Flint, &c, I beg to ask the Secretary to the Treasury whether complaints have reached him that the Reports of the Historical Manuscripts Commission upon the ancient manuscripts in Welsh libraries have been prepared by persons imperfectly acquainted with the Welsh language, and therefore incapable of appraising the historical and literary value of the manuscripts; whether he is aware of the serious inconvenience occasioned to Welsh scholars by the incomplete calendaring of Welsh manuscripts; and whether the necessary steps will be taken to have a competent Welsh scholar, able to classify Welsh manuscripts in accordance with their comparative value, appointed as Assistant Commissioner, with a view to making a complete list of the ancient Welsh manuscripts now in existence?
§ SIR J. T. HIBBERTI am informed that no complaint of the kind indicated had reached the Historical Manuscripts Commission until I forwarded to them the article handed to me by my hon. Friend. Manuscripts in the Welsh language are very seldom brought under the notice of the Commission; but if any that would properly come within the scope of the Commission should be offered to them for examination, arrangements could be made to employ an Inspector conversant with the Welsh language. 912 The Commissioners do not appoint any permanent Assistant Commissioners, but employ from time to time historical scholars who are most competent to deal efficiently with the particular collections of manuscripts thrown open to the Commissioners.