§ MR. PIRIE (Aberdeen, N)I beg to ask the Secretary to the Admiralty whether, in view of the importance of securing a commercial and strategic waterway connecting the West of Scotland with the new naval base on the Firth of Forth, any steps have now been taken to examine the possibility of enlarging the existing Forth and Clyde Canal on the lines of the recently executed Kiel Canal; and, if not, if the question could be examined and a report made as to the cost and time required for the execution of such a work.
§ THE CIVIL LORD OF THE ADMIRALTY (Mr. PRETYMAN,) Suffolk, WoodbridgeNo steps have been taken of the nature referred to in the Question, and there is no intention of expending naval funds in the manner suggested.