§ MR. D. MACALEESE (Monaghan, N.)I beg to ask the Secretary of State for the Colonies, has he arrived at any conclusion as to what purpose he will devote the money raised by the exhibition of King Prempeh's crown and jewels, now on show at sixpence admission in Parliament Street; have any steps been taken to ascertain the approximate commercial value of the collection, including the deposed King's state spoon and sacrificial knife; and, if so, will he consider the advisability of offering them at public auction, and applying the proceeds to assist in some such laudable purpose as the liquidation of the National Debt; and, will he in the meantime 1254 take steps to have these memorials of a fallen dynasty more securely guarded than they are at present?
§ MR. J. CHAMBERLAINPerhaps this Question is intended as a joke. If so, I do not think it a very good one. [''Hear, hear!"] The articles mentioned in the Question have been lent to the United Service Institution, and no extra charge has been made for exhibiting them. These articles are worth about £400, and it is not proposed to liquidate the National Debt with them—[laughter]—as, if sold, the proceeds would go to the Government of the Gold Coast Colony. They are believed to be quite safe where they are.