§ MR. CHARLES HOBHOUSE (Bristol, E.)I beg to ask the Secretary of State for War whether it is intended to withhold the publication of so much of the official history of the South African War as was written by the late Colonel Henderson.
§ * THE SECRETARY OF STATE FOR WAR (Mr. ARNOLD-FORSTER,) Belfast, W.The late Colonel Henderson had commenced writing the official history of the South African War and a small portion of his work had been received. When it was decided to revise the scale of the publication it was found 1042 that this portion could not be utilised. I may add that the portion which had been written by the late Colonel Henderson only reached a period antecedent to the commencement of the war.
§ MR. CHARLES HOBHOUSEIs the right hon. Gentleman aware that every official publication published by general authority during the last fifty years has contained a preface similar to that written by Colonel Henderson, and is Colonel Henderson's preface not of considerable literary as well as political importance.
§ * MR. ARNOLD-FORSTERI should not deny the literary qualities of any-thing written by Colonel Henderson, but I have been advised by the present editor of the work that it is impossible to embody Colonel Henderson's fragment in the work on the scale at which it is now proposed to produce it. If the hon. Gentleman had seen the portion of the work he would understand that without entirely recasting the work this portion could not be made use of.