§ THE EARL OF HARROWBYasked the Secretary of State for the Colonies, Whether he can now state what arrangements have been made at the Colonial Office for a separate Department having charge of all matters connected with Colonization; and, whether he is now able to place on the Table, according to the intention he announced before Easter, the various documents which had been addressed to the Colonial Office on the subject of emigration, including that entitled "A system of State-directed Colonization," which was presented to him by the National Association for Promoting State-directed Colonization? The noble Earl had on previous occasions showed great sympathy with this subject—an interest commensurate with the feeling in the country—and it was to be hoped that he might now be in a position to state that this Colonization Department was about to be formed. This subject was one of pressing interest at the present time, on account of the great depression which prevailed.
§ THE SECRETARY OF STATE FOR THE COLONIES (Earl GRANVILLE), in reply, said, he had last week laid the Papers referred to by the noble Earl upon the Table, and they would be distributed before the next meeting of the House. In them would be found the necessary information with regard to the new Department they proposed to establish. With regard to it, he could assure the noble Earl that the Colonial Office was absolutely prepared. The only cause of delay was the difficulty of finding proper office accommodation, and he hoped that would not continue, for it was expected that that difficulty would shortly be surmounted.