§ MR. SWIFT MACNEILL (Donegal, S.)I beg to ask the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether he has now received the letters written by Sir Henry de Villiers to Sir Alfred Milner, which Sir Henry de Villiers wished to be published with his other correspondence; whether he has seen these letters or their contents or copies of these letters, and whether he is aware of their contents; are these letters in the possession of the Colonial Office or of Sir Alfred Milner, if in the possession of Sir Alfred Milner are copies of them in the Colonial Office; and whether, having regard to the wish of Sir Henry de Villiers that these letters should be published, they will now be published.
§ MR. J. CHAMBERLAINI have never had any of these letters in my possession, and I do not know where they are. Sir H. de Villiers did not express a wish that any of them in particular should be separately published, but only said that it would have been better that the whole of them should have been published.
§ MR. SWIFT MACNEILLHas the right hon. Gentleman seen copies of the letters, and does he know their contents?
§ MR. J. CHAMBERLAINNo.