THE EARL OF CAMPERDOWNMy Lords, I rise to ask when the correspondence between Lady Cathcart and the Secretary for Scotland and the Lord-Advocate will be presented; and what has occasioned the delay in circulating the letters. I moved for this correspondence on 6th February, and late in that month I asked Lord Hamilton of Dalzell when the letters would be presented, and he replied that they were with the printers. The ordinary meaning of the answer which the noble Lord was directed to give to me was that we were to have the correspondence in two or three days. 120 As the Return had not come to hand, and as there was no information to be obtained from the Scottish Office, I thought it as I well to inquire of the printer, and he informed me that he had returned the correspondence to the Scottish Office on 18th February in print. Therefore for a month these letters have been undergoing a process of incubation in the Scottish office, for what purpose the Secretary for Scotland alone knows. It was stated in another place that permission had been asked of the County Council of Inverness to publish some document. What connection the Inverness County Council can have with a correspondence which took place between Lady Cathcart and the Secretary for Scotland I do not at present understand. If we ever get the Papers I suppose we shall see; but, in the mean while, I should like to know why all this delay has taken place.
LORD HERSCHELLMy Lords, in answer to the noble Earl I beg to state that the correspondence is actually in the hands of the printer, who will be told to use all possible expedition in printing it. The delay which has occurred has arisen owing to the following circumstances. As the correspondence referred to transactions extending over a period of years it was thought advisable to print with it certain illustrative documents. It was therefore necessary to consider what documents should be included in the correspondence to be presented, and to ascertain whether all such documents were available for publication. A further delay was occasioned by a question being asked on 26th February, in another place, as to whether the Secretary for Scotland would include in this correspondence the Report of a Committee which had been appointed by the County Council of Invernesshire to consider whether land should be take for allotments in the island of Vatersay. These are the reasons for the delay. As I have already stated, the Papers will very shortly be laid on the Table of the House.