§ *SIR HENRY FOWLER (Wolverhampton, E.)I beg to ask the Secretary to the Treasury whether the Historical Manuscripts Commission will publish in their series of reports extracts from the Historical and Political Correspondence and Papers of the First Earl of Hardwicke, recently purchased by the trustees of the British Museum.
§ THE FINANCIAL SECRETARY TO THE TREASURY (Mr. HANBURY,) PrestonThe Queen's authority to the Commissioners directs them to investigate manuscripts belonging to private persons, and it is clearly better that they should limit themselves to this field instead of encroaching on the work which is at present admirably performed by the officers of the Museum itself.
§ *SIR HENRY FOWLERThen are we to understand that where valuable manuscripts are in private muniment rooms, and the nation purchases them, the nation is to be excluded from seeing them?
§ MR. HANBURYThe nation can see them, of course, at the British Museum.
§ *SIR HENRY FOWLERThey cannot.