§ LORD CHARLES BERESFORDI beg to ask the First Lord of the Admiralty whether he is aware that a firm of dyers in Wellington, Somerset, have purchased forty tons of foreign artificial indigo, and are using it for dyeing Navy contract cloth; and whether, to ensure the Navy getting the class of goods paid for, he will have the word "natural" inserted before the word "indigo" in all future Navy contracts for cloth.
§ THE SECRETARY TO THE ADMIRALTY (Mr. MACARTNEY,) Antrim, S.I have no information as to the purchase alluded to in the first paragraph of my noble friend's question; but no contract is at present held by any firm in Wellington for cloth. I am considering whether the use of a natural dye can be secured by an alteration in the specification.