The Assistant Secretary to the Treasury wrote to Horatio Waddington, the Permanent Under Secretary at the Home Office about the release of funds for the purchase of Aldershot Common.
Using the convoluted language of the civil servant, Sir Charles Trevelyan seemingly stopped short of actually empowering Home Secretary Palmerston to act.
“I am commanded by the Lords … of Her Majesty’s Treasury to request that you will state to Viscount Palmerston with reference to his Lordship’s letter to the Chancellor of the Exchequer dated [November 26th], recommending that the Board of Ordnance should be authorised to take immediate steps for the purposes of securing as much as possible of Common Land in the Neighbourhood of Aldershot for Military use, that my Lords are engaged in considering in what way they can give effect to the measure recommended by his Lordship with the greatest advantage to the Public.”
The note on the covering docket was equally circumspect, although making reference to another letter, sent less than three weeks before by Viscount Hardinge, which had prompted the Home Secretary to drive matters forward.
Treasury 1 Dec. 1853, Sir C Trevelyan: My Lords are considering how the can best secure some of the Common Land near Aldershot for Military purposes. Information (see letter of the General Commanding in Chief of the 12 Novbr./53).