§ MR. DRUMMONDrequested attention to the inquiry which he had given notice of his intention to address to the noble Lord the Member for the City of London, whether an alteration might not take place 645 in the period to which the public account were made up, with a view to holding the Sessions of Parliament in winter, and no in summer; and whether some additional aid might not be given in the higher departments of the public service, in order to facilitate the performance of the public business in that House? In order to save the time of the House, he should rush a once in medias res, and state his conclusion before he gave any reasons. His object was twofold—first, to get Parliament to meet at a more convenient season; and in the second place, to shorten the duration of the Session. They were sitting all the year round, and it was, he believed generally admitted that if it were not for the shortness of the time for which money was voted, they would never be required to sit at all; and, but for that consideration no Minister and no Government in it senses would ever suffer Parliament to assemble. Parliament was obliged to meet simply because that House gave the Minister money only for a certain time. The time to which they entrusted the Government with money was but to next Easter Now, suppose they extended the time up to next Christmas twelvemonth; certainly they would not meet next February; and certainly they would meet six weeks or two months before that Christmas, namely in October. Suppose they changed the time at which the accounts were made up; it was evident Parliament would meet weeks or two months before the financial year ended. Could anybody tell why, when all of them individually, and every mercantile house in the world, made up their accounts at Christmas, and when many public accounts were also made up at Christmas, those public accounts to which his inquiry related were made up to Easter? There was, indeed, no uniform system of making up the public accounts, and he should refer to the opinion of the chief officer appointed to manage those matters, who had said to him that in former times the public accounts were made up for various periods, and often at the caprice of the accountant; that we were scarcely better off at the present day; that it was impossible to prepare a completely audited account of the whole receipt and expenditure of the kingdom, as in France; till one date had been fixed on for all accounts. The truth was, that in olden times the accounts were made up according to ecclesiastical, and not according to civil rule—the persons appointed to keep 646 the accounts being clerks, naturally made them up to the same period that the ecclesiastical accounts were made up. He should like to see the accounts made up to Christmas. Then Parliament would meet two months before—namely, on the 1st of November, and do what all other people did, live in towns in the cold weather, and in the country in hot weather; instead of which, like most irrational people, or like no other people, and not like themselves in past time, they spent the summer in London, and the winter in the country. There was another point to which he wished to call the attention of the House. The noble Lord (Lord John Russell), some two or three years ago, desired to appoint an extra Secretary of State, coupling with that measure the suppression of the Lord Lieutenancy of Ireland. He (Mr. Drummond) objected to the suppression of the Lord Lieutenancy of Ireland. The first reason for the suppression was, that of "the philosophers," who held that there was no great reason for state, and so forth; but questions of that kind ought to be determined more by the feelings of the people than by abstract doctrine. The noble Lord, however, stated at the time that the business of the country had so far increased that there was a demand for further aid to despatch it. A paper lately presented, with respect to letters in the different departments, afforded a tolerable criterion of the business done, showing an increase in the amount paid for postage for the public departments from 38,000l. to 125,000l. This showed that there were now at least four times as many letters to answer as there were in 1838; and it was in evidence before the Dockyard Committee, that there was hardly time to read the letters, and that the secretaries had to sign the answers as fast as they possibly could. There were departments where there was not time to enter the items seriatim, and they had to be numbered. The Government were themselves in fault, from the way in which they drew business on themselves. The reception of so many deputations must materially interfere with the business of Ministers of State. Then there was attendance on a vast number of Committees, besides all the ordinary business. A much greater number of accounts was called for by Parliament than formerly, and the number was increasing every year. It was impossible for any one who had not been in the position of the noble Lord the Member for the City of 647 London to say how a division of work was to be made. Moreover, an immense deal of time was taken up in that House in answering all sorts of odd questions. A Member read a paragraph in a newspaper, and asked a question on the subject—one about a dispute with a cabman, and another about the soldiers getting wet at the encampment at Chobham. There was a great loss of time in answering questions of that kind. He should not occupy the time of the House in replying to objections which might be taken to his proposal. In olden times it would have been said, "Oh, what will become of the fox-hunting!" but he did not believe there were many fox-hunters left in the House. In his opinion they ought to return to a commonsense view of the subject, and live in the country in pleasant weather, and in town in winter. The hon. Gentleman concluded by repeating the inquiry to which he called the attention of the noble Lord the Member for the City of London.