§ MR. WEIRI beg to ask the Lord Advocate, whether his attention has been called to a petition, dated 22nd May, 1895, and sent to the Secretary for Scotland, signed by Mr. Allan Morrison, missionary, and 26 settlers at Killarney, Manitoba, in which, among other things, they refer to their deplorable condition, and to the false representations made from time to time regarding them to the Colonisation Committee of the Imperial Parliament, and further state that if a responsible and trustworthy agent of the Colonisation Committee had been placed at the head of this Colony at its formation, to direct the management of their affairs, oversee their purchases, and in many ways guide them during the first few years of their settlement there, a great many of the present debts would not have been contracted, and the condition of the petitioners would have been tolerably prosperous; and, whether in consequence of the numerous complaints by settlers at Killarney and Saltcoats, he will cause an independent inquiry to be made into the condition of these settlers, or take such other steps as he may deem fit to deal with the prayer of the petitioners?
§ * THE LORD ADVOCATEI find no petition of the date mentioned, but I presume the question refers to a petition, dated 1st May, which I have seen and which was duly answered by the late Secretary for Scotland, on the 13th of June last. I have already stated that there seems to me no necessity for a further inquiry at the present time.