§ MR. HAMMOND (Carlow)To ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland whether he is aware that a public grant of £40,000 was made in 1801 by the Parliament of that time for the construction of a canal in Ireland from Monasterevan to the collieries of Castlecomer, and that this grant was never used for the purpose indicated; and, if so, can this money be now rendered available to provide a connection by railway between these same collieries and the railway system of Ireland.
(Answered by Mr. Wyndham.) The hon. Member has communicated to me a statement from which it appears that the directors of inland navigation proposed to make a grant-in-aid, to the amount mentioned, towards the cost of construction of a canal between Monasterevan and Castlecomer, the payment to be conditional upon the execution of the work. The money was otherwise expended, however, and consequently is not available for the purpose referred to.