§ EARL PERCYasked, Whether the attention of the right hon. Gentleman the Prime Minister had been called to a speech of the junior Member for Northampton (Mr. Bradlaugh), setting forth that, while it was his duty to sit and vote in the House of Commons as long as he remained Member for Northampton, he should prefer to resign his seat in order to again test the opinion of the constituency? Also, Whether he had seen it stated in the public prints that the hon. Member had applied for, and been refused, the Stewardship of the Chiltern Hundreds?
MR. GLADSTONENo application has been made to me for the Stewardship of the Chiltern Hundreds by the hon. Member for Northampton.
§ VISCOUNT FOLKESTONEasked the hon. and learned Member for Chatham, Whether in case the Votes in Supply were obtained that night, he intended to make his Motion to-morrow with respect to the alleged vacant seat for Northampton?
MR. GORSTsaid, it had been his intention, as soon as he could do so without interfering with Supply, to take the sense of the House as to whether the judgment of one of the Divisions of the High Court of Justice was to be treated as a complete nullity; but he observed, from the usual channels of information, that an appeal on the subject was likely to be heard very shortly, and as there was some reason to hope that the decision of the higher Court would be treated with greater respect than had been that of the inferior Court, he did not think it his duty at present to proceed with his Motion,