§ Report brought up, and read.
§
Motion made, and Question proposed,
That the House be represented at the Thanksgiving at St. Paul's Cathedral on the 27th instant by Mr. Speaker; and that each Member be admitted to the Cathedral by Ticket."—(Mr. Ayrton.)
§ MR. AYRTONsaid, that of course no reference was made in the Report of the Committee to a matter which was quite foreign to their business. The Committee had only to comply with the commands of the House, which referred only to the mode in which hon. Members of the House should attend the Cathedral; but he was happy to say, for the information of hon. Members, that the Lord Chamberlain would have great pleasure in placing tickets at the disposal of the wife of any hon. Member wishing to accompany her husband, by applying on or before the 22nd instant. The application would have to be made to the Speaker's Secretary in precisely the same way as hon. Members might apply for their own tickets. The ticket issued for the wife would not be transferable any more than the tickets issued to hon. Members. Perhaps the House would allow him to state that, so far as he was aware, on no former occasion had any arrangement been made extending beyond hon. Members of the House, and therefore it was a very great—he would not say concession, but compliance with the desire expressed, and he hoped that hon. Members would think that in extending the grant of tickets to the wives of hon. Members, as much had been done as could be accomplished.
§ MR. AYRTONsaid, the arrangements would, of course, extend to ladies, who would be able to go by the steamers and come back by the steamers; and the space reserved for the use of the House in the Cathedral would be large enough to enable ladies who received tickets to sit with their husbands.
§ MR. CRAUFURDinquired whether Members applying for tickets for their 658 wives would be bound to produce their marriage certificates?
§ MR. J. B. SMITHasked whether, in cases where the wives were invalids, their daughters could take their place?
§ MR. AYRTONsaid, that he was not able to make any arrangement more extensive than that which had been communicated to him by the Lord Chamberlain; but so far as he was aware, the same arrangements would be made for this as for the other House—tickets there being limited to Peeresses.
§ MR. MONTAGUE GUESTasked whether a Member not having a wife would be allowed to take a sister?
§
Motion agreed to.
Resolved, That the House be represented at the Thanksgiving at St. Paul's Cathedral on the 27th instant by Mr. Speaker; and that each Member be admitted to the Cathedral by Ticket.
§ Orders of the Day read, and postponed till after the Notice of Motion relative to the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council.—(Mr. Gladstone.)