§ THE EARL OF HARROWBYmoved—
That an humble Address be presented to Her Majesty for, Copy of any communication in May last from the Secretary of State for India to the Government of India, relative to a claim for arrears of interest on prize property lodged in 1858 by General Whitelock's prize agents in the State Treasury at Allahabad.The noble Earl said, that next year he should bring the whole subject under the notice of the House, and urge that in this, as in other similar cases, claims for prize money should be adjudicated upon by a competent tribunal and not be left to the arbitrary decision of the Treasury.
THE DUKE OF ARGYLLsaid, a Blue Book had been published which contained every document connected with those claims except one, which was withheld in accordance with the rule that a despatch from the Secretary of State to the Government of India was not produced till the answer to it arrived. That was a reasonable rule, and he thought they ought to adhere to it. He hoped that long before next year the whole Correspondence would be concluded.
THE EARL OF LONGFORDsaid, he thought the noble Duke had given a proper reason for withholding the despatch for the present. He (the Earl of Longford) was one of the claimants, the majority of whom were private soldiers, and, speaking for them rather than for himself, he would say that they did not acquiesce in the course pursued with regard to the examination of their claims. As the case was to be brought forward more fully hereafter, he would not now enter into the subject at length, but hoped to have the assistance of Parliament in referring the matter to a tribunal which would dispose of it in a satisfactory manner.
§ Motion (by Leave of the House) withdrawn.