§ SIR B. HALLrose, pursuant to the notice he had given on the preceding evening, to call upon the hon. and learned Member for Nottingham for an explanation of the allusion he had then made to him (Sir B. Hall).
§ MR. F. O'CONNORrose, but—
§ MR. SPEAKERintimated, that he had thought it right to interfere on the last occasion, when he heard that the question 553 about to be asked by the hon. and learned Member related to a private and not a public circumstance, and that being so, the matter of it was not within the cognisance of the House.
§ MR. F. O'CONNORsaid, the only explanation he could give was, that what he had said had arisen from a letter he had received, and which he now had with him, and the purport of which he would communicate to the hon. Baronet, if he chose to have it. It appeared that the hon. Baronet was allowed to put questions to him (Mr. O'Connor), but that he was not permitted to ask any in return. However, he bowed to the decision of the Chair.
§ MR. SPEAKERsaid, he was not aware that the hon. Baronet had put any questions to the hon. and learned Member which were not strictly in accordance with the rules of the House. The question the hon. Baronet had asked related to the decision of a Committee in regard to a Bill to be brought before the House; while the question put by the hon. and learned Member did not relate to a matter in the cognisance of the House.
§ SIR B. HALLsaid, he should certainly bow to what he believed to be the feeling of the House, and not be influenced by anything which had taken place previously, and if he had shown any pugnacity on the previous day, it would, he hoped, be considered excusable. He thanked Mr. Speaker for stating, that he had never put a question to the hon. and learned Member except on matters of a public nature; and he assured the House that he never would make that place, in which they were assembled for public purposes and objects, the scene of any personal discussion. Proceeding in the exercise of duty which he had chalked out for himself, he begged to give notice—bearing in mind the statement of the hon. and learned Gentleman on the previous evening, that he had consulted a professional person as to the course which he should take in reference to the introduction of the Bill which had been so often alluded to—that he should ask the hon. and learned Gentleman when he intended to move for leave to bring in a Bill for the purpose of winding up the affairs of the National Land Company, and whether he intended the Bill to be a public or a private one; but he would not put this question until Tuesday, the 30th of April.
§ MR. F. O'CONNORsaid, that if the hon. Baronet chose he would answer the 554 question at once. He had told the hon. Baronet yesterday, not that he had consulted, but that he was going to consult Mr. Walmsley to-day. He had consulted that gentleman and was advised that, before he could move for leave to bring in a Bill, he must give notice three times by advertisement in the papers circulating in the counties where the property was situated, as well as in the Gazette. Perhaps the hon. Baronet was not aware that the question had been for some time before the Court of Queen's Bench, whether the Registrar General was bound, under the Act, to register the company. These proceedings had cost him a great deal of money. The hearing was to take place on Wednesday or Saturday next; and, if the Court decided that the Registrar ought to have registered the company, then there would be no difficulty in winding up the affairs under the Joint Stock Companies Act; but if the decision was the other way, then it was his intention to hand over the property to three trustees, in order that the people might have the entire advantage of the money they had invested, and then to petition the House for leave to bring in a private Bill to wind up the affairs of the National Land Company. He hoped this explanation was satisfactory to the hon. Baronet.
§ SIR B. HALLI am very glad to hear it.
§ Subject dropped.