Laird Brothers to her Majesty’s Treasury.
Sir: We are in receipt of your letter of the 2d instant, in which you inform us that her Majesty’s government cannot permit the iron-clad vessels built in our yard, and now under seizure, to be completed. We beg, however, to call your attention to the fact that no information has yet been afforded to us in reply to our repeated requests to know when the legal proceedings in the court of exchequer will be brought to trial before a jury.
We are informed by our legal advisers that they have repeatedly pressed this matter on the attention of the law officers of the crown, but are unable to obtain any satisfactory information, although the case might have been brought to trial in November last, or in January last. We therefore feel ourselves entitled to urge upon her Majesty’s government the propriety of their at once informing us as to the time when they purpose to bring this matter to trial.
It must be apparent that this continued delay in bringing the matter to a legal issue is an act of injustice to ourselves and to the owners of the ships.
We are, sir, your obedient servants,
The Secretary to the Treasury.