§ MR. H. C. RICHARDS (Finsbury, E.)I beg to ask the Secretary to the Treasury whether authority would be given to the Historical Record Commission to print copies of the volume descriptive of the records of the Mayflower, which has been given by the Archbishop of Canter bury to the late American Ambassador for transmission to Washington, in order that the same may be more generally distributed in this country and in the United States of America?
§ MR. HANBURYI assume that the hon. Member means the Historical Manuscripts Commission. It is not for the Treasury to decide' what documents that Commission should select for publication, and I would therefore suggest that the hon. Member should communicate direct with the Commission, the Secretary to which is Mr. Cartwright, of the Public Record Office. As to the general distribution of copies in this country, apart from any question of distribution in the United States, it should be remembered that the publications of this Commission are treated as Parliamentary Papers, and, as such, are sold at rates which do not at all represent the real cost of production. It is also the fact that a large number are circulated gratis to Members of both Houses of Parliament.