He then, after asserting strongly Sir C. Barry’s legal right to the whole five per cent., submitted a counter-proposition--viz., to accept the three per cent. commission and one per cent. for measurement on all certified works, provided that the claim for extra services and interest were referred to some eminent person (Sir John Patteson, Sir E. Ryan, or Mr. J. Shaw Lefevre were named), or a specific sum were paid to close all such claims. It will be, of course, understood that, in lieu of this payment of four per cent. and the extra claims, Sir C. Barry was prepared to accept the regular five per cent., and withdraw all extra claims whatever, which indeed, but for the attempt to diminish what he considered to be his fair remuneration, would never have been insisted upon at all. To this letter no official reply was given, and accordingly a general reference of the whole question to arbitration was proposed. Both these propositions were rejected. The services for warming, ventilating, &c., previously ignored, were, after a consultation with Lord Palmerston, agreed to by Mr. Wilson, and 500_l._ per annum offered as a remuneration for them. In other respects the former terms were adhered to; all reference, either general or special, was unequivocally refused; and an offer to accept 5000_l._ in payment of all other extra services was apparently left unanswered. The Treasury now proceeded to the final step. A minute was drawn up at a meeting of the Lords (Jan. 29th, 1856), simply reiterating the former terms (except with regard to the warming, &c.), and concluding as follows:-- “My Lords continue to be of opinion that _their terms are not only fair but liberal_. Considering, moreover, that this matter has gone on for nearly twenty years without any distinct understanding being arrived at, my Lords are of opinion that it is inconsistent with the public interests that it should be any longer delayed, and that they therefore, as far as they are concerned, must record these terms as their final decision on the points at issue. They are pleased, therefore, to direct that _no further payment be made on account, until a final settlement of the past and an agreement for the future be concluded_.” This peremptory minute was framed without any further communication with Sir. C. Barry, and presented to Parliament without any of the correspondence on the subject. It was also published in the ‘Times’ of the next day without his receiving any notice of the publication. Accordingly he felt compelled to send to the ‘Times’ next day a brief statement of facts, remarking on each of its clauses in succession.