HC Deb 02 March 1896 vol 37 cc1466-7
MR. J. F. HOGAN (Tipperary, Mid)

I beg to ask the Secretary to the Treasury whether the collection and publication of papers and documents preserved in this country, and relating to the first settlement and early history of the Colonies, will come within the scope and functions of the Historical Manuscripts Commission?

MR. HANBURY

The publication of papers belonging to private persons in this country, and relating to the early history of the British Colonies, is considered to come within the scope of the Historical Manuscripts Commission. For instance, the calendar of the manuscripts of the Duke of Manchester contains documents about Virginia and the Summer Islands, and there is now in the press a volume of some 600 pages dealing with some manuscripts of the Earl of Dartmouth concerning the history of the North American Colonies before the declaration of independence.