Lords Sitting of 21 January 1847

MINUTES.
Took the Oaths.—The Earl of Desart.

HER MAJESTY'S ANSWER TO THE ADDRESS.
EARL FORTESCUE (the Lord Steward of the Household)rose and said: My Lords,
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the Address of this House has been presented, pursuant to your Lordships' order, to the Queen; and Her Majesty has been graciously pleased to return an Answer, which, with your Lordships' permission, I will read:—
"MY LORDS,
"I thank you for your Expressions of Loyalty and Attachment to My Crown and Person.
"And you may rely with the most perfect Confidence on My anxious Desire to aid you in promoting, at all Times, the Prosperity and Happiness of My People."
On the Motion of the Marquess of LANSDOWNE, the Address and Answer to be printed and published.

THE UNITED STATES AND MEXICO.
LORD BROUGHAMinquired whether the Government had received any information as to a very extraordinary transaction which was said to have taken place between the United States and Mexico. It was stated that the United States had offered a large sum to Mexico to purchase the cession of California. It was not to be supposed that Mexico would be willing to close the bargain on credit, because she had no doubt some knowledge of the American doctrine of repudiation. He had himself received the information from a source on which he felt he could rely—from a Member of a great commercial firm in the city of London.
The MARQUESS of LANSDOWNEhad understood that such an offer was made some time ago, but he was not aware that it had been accepted.
LORD BROUGHAMobserved, that perhaps Mexico had refused, because America had not offered ready money.

THE DEBATE ON THE ADDRESS—EXPLANATION.
The MARQUESS of WESTMEATHwas anxious to remove a misconstruction which he was informed had been placed upon something that fell from him during the debate of Tuesday last. It was supposed that he had expressed a wish that the money which had been expended under the Labour-rate Act up to the present time should be repaid most punctually. Now, he gave no such opinion. He had it not in his contemplation to give such an opinion. It depended upon Parliament and the country whether they would require that the money laid out under an Act of

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Parliament passed in such circumstances as the Labour-rate Act, and under which the greater part of that money was admitted to have been thrown away and wasted, should be repaid. He thought that the late Government as well as the present were responsible for the effects of that legislation.
House adjourned.