§ SIR THOMAS ESMONDEI bog to ask the First Lord of the Treasury if he will state how the case stands at present with reference to the Irish gold ornaments; if he is aware that an offer has been made by private individuals to repay to the British Museum the sum paid by the Museum for these ornaments; and what steps the Government intend to take for the purpose of restoring those ornaments to Ireland.
§ MR. A. J. BALFOURThe question whether those ornaments wore treasure trove was submitted to the Law Officers of the Crown, both of England and Ireland, who have advised in the affirmative on the assumption that the facts as stated can be legally upheld. I have sent the opinion to the Trustees of the British Museum, and hope we shall arrive, without undue delay, at a settlement of this much vexed question.