The statement in the first part of the question is not correct, the greater portion of the undamaged land at Gretna, amounting in all to about 4,600 acres, having, prior to the recent auction sale, been sold to the Board of Agriculture for Scotland for the land settlement scheme, and, so far as can be ascertained without elaborate search, there has only been one case of the kind described. In that instance the Government originally purchased 1,510 acres for £53,000—part of this price representing an allowance for severance, etc. Out of this total 416 acres were, before the auction, sold back to the firm in question, because they were the tenants, for a sum of £15,000. One thousand and eight acres were put up to auction at a reserve price of £11,850 and sold for £13,600. Out of these 1,008 acres, 908 were very much damaged and cut up by buildings, railways, roads, excavations, etc. On the two transactions, therefore, 1,424 acres in all, of which 908 were damaged, were sold at a price of £28,600.