§ Lord John Russellbegged to state in a few words, the course he meant to propose with respect to the Municipal Corporations Bill. He found that it would be absolutely necessary that he should move that the Speaker do leave the Chair, in order that the proposed Amendments should be considered and agreed to in a Committee of the whole House. It was a matter of difficulty to make out some of these Amendments, many of which were merely verbal, although others were substantive; and it would be exceedingly inconvenient for the House itself to go through them all. He wished to propose, therefore, that all the Motions which had been given notice of on the Report should be made on the third reading of the Bill. It was his intention to move, that the Bill be recommitted, and on the resumption of the House, that the Bill, as amended, should be printed and taken into consideration tomorrow. In order to enable him to do so as soon as possible, he requested as this was a day on which notices preceded Motions, that hon. Members, who had on the paper notices of Motions which might, without disadvantage, be deferred, would consent so to defer them, in order to allow of the recommitment of the Municipal Corporation Reform Bill.
§ Sir Richard Vyvyanprotested against 636 the manner in which this Bill had been conducted. The principle of the measure had not hitherto been discussed. He was determined, however, that he would bring the whole question before the House and the country, and not to allow a measure which went to destroy so many valuable rights to be carried without some discussion as to its merits. If no other opportunity afforded itself for that purpose, he would take it on presenting the petition which he had in his possession, signed by above two thousand freemen of the city of Bristol, who would be deprived of their chartered rights by the Bill in question.
§ Lord John Russellreplied, that on bringing forward the Bill he had endeavoured to state as distinctly as he could the grounds of the measure. He had proposed the second reading as usual. It was not his fault that he had not on that occasion answered any objection to the Bill, because—no objections had been made against it. Either on the bringing up of the Report or on the Motion for the third reading, it would be competent to the hon. Baronet, the Member for Bristol, to state in detail the whole of the objections which he entertained to the principle of the Bill.
§ Colonel Sibthorpwas at a loss to know how Members could understand the principle of the Bill, subjected as the Bill had been at various times to so many Amendments and alterations. He had that morning had a third edition of the Bill put into his hands; and now the noble Lord, after having, from time to time, shoved in various new Clauses, was about to propose further changes. How in the name of common sense were hon. Members to find out all the alterations which had been made in the Bill unless a proper opportunity was afforded them for doing so? Feeling most strongly how impossible it was for hon. Members to understand all the introductions which had been made in the Bill, and the various propositions which had been brought forward by the noble Lord, he put it to them and the country whether the course now proposed was that which they ought to adopt. However insufficiently the measure might be considered in that House, he trusted that justice would be done to it in the other House of Parliament. But the fact was, that the same system had been adopted by the Ministerial bench with reference to all other measures introduced by them. He felt it to be impossible to trust the suggestions and recommendations of the 637 noble Lord. It was the duty of hon. I Members to guard against a course of proceeding which was marked throughout with political subtlety and political trick.
§ Sir Richard Vyvyansaid, that he was not responsible for the fact that no opposition had been made to the Bill on the second reading.
§ Mr. Borthwicksaid, the House would perhaps recollect that on presenting a petition on the subject, he had wished to enter on the principle of this Bill, conceiving that that was a proper opportunity to do so; but that he had given way to the feeling expressed by the other side of the House, that it would be better that he should reserve what he had to say on the principle of the Bill until the opportunity should present itself in the progress of the Bill itself. The purpose for which he now rose was to ascertain whether such an opportunity would yet present itself.
§ Lord John Russellsaid, that the hon. Member for Evesham might state his objections to the principle of the Bill on the third reading.
§ Subject dropped.