THE EARL OF LONGFORD, in moving for—
Copies of Military letter from the India Office to the Government of India, dated 17th July 1873, No. 140., with its enclosures, in extenso, referring to an order of the House of Lords, No. 52, dated 10th July 1873:Copy of Military letter from the same to the same, dated 4th February 1875, No. 36., upon the same subject.pointed out that the Correspondence related to prize money which was claimed by the troops who had served in India. 1642 In reply to the Order of their Lordships' House mentioned in his Motion, an imperfect Return had been sent from India after a lapse of 15 months, and it had been found necessary to return it to that country for correction. Great delay was thus incurred, and he begged to commend the matter to the attention of his noble Friend the Secretary of State for India, so that a speedy settlement of the claims in question might be secured.
§ THE MARQUESS OF SALISBURYsaid, he had no objection to produce all the Papers referred to, and that there had not been the slightest intention on the part of the India Office to prejudge the ease of the troops. He admitted that the time the controversy in reference to the distribution of this prize money had taken was a perfect scandal; but the fact was the inquiry was a large one, and the amount of business at the India Office was so enormous that other matters had taken precedence, and hence the number of years that had elapsed without a settlement of the matter referred to by the noble Earl. He would do his best to bring the subject to a satisfactory conclusion.
§ Address agreed to.