ADDRESS FOR PAPERS. (Hansard, 7 June 1875)

§ THE DUKE OF RICHMOND

said, that, without wishing to cast any blame on his noble Friend who had moved the Motion, he must express his opinion that a Motion for Papers of such importance should not have been made without some explanation of the grounds on which they were asked for. If his noble and gallant Friend (Lord Strathnairn) had been present and had moved for the Papers himself he should have felt constrained to refuse the production of those referred to in the first part of the Motion. These Papers were of an extremely complicated description; they were very voluminous, and they were mixed up with matters of a very confidential character. A great deal of time and trouble would be required in the work of eliminating from the whole mass those documents which might properly be laid on the Table and those which ought not to leave the Office. As regarded the examinations for the Navy, he was informed that all the information on that point which the Papers now asked for would afford was to be found in the Report of the Royal Commission which had recently been presented to both Houses of Parliament. There was no objection to the latter part of the Motion if the words "which they approved" were struck out. On this point the Papers would speak for themselves.