§ VISCOUNT BURYasked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, Whether he will make arrangements, so far as the exigencies of the public service will permit, for granting leave to gentlemen employed in the public offices, who are also Volunteers, on Saturday, the 9th of July, in order that they may be enabled to attend the Review to be held by Her Majesty at Windsor? As he understood there would be no objection to complying with this request, he should not trouble their Lordships beyond putting the Question.
§ EARL GRANVILLEMy Lords, Mr. Gladstone has signed a Minute to be circulated to the Departments, which is founded upon the precedent of 1867, when there was a Review in honour of the Sultan. It states that there appears to be no necessity for a general half-holiday, but expresses the hope that arrangements may be made in each Office to allow those Civil servants who are Volunteers to have leave on the day of the Review, so far as it is compatible with the interests of the Public Service.
§ VISCOUNT BURYsaid, that the answer of the noble Earl was perfectly satisfactory as far as it went; but he desired to point out that owing to the large number of Volunteers which would leave the Metropolis on that day, it would be impossible for them to be present at the Review unless they left town at an early hour in the morning, and a whole day's holiday would therefore be required.