Lord Broughambegged to draw their Lordships' attention to the fact that they had now arrived at the 3rd day of July, and that, although a great deal of judicial business had been disposed of, no Legislative business of any consequence had been done. Not one of the great promised measures of the Session had as yet been brought under their Lordships' consideration at all; nor were they likely to be from the progress which he understood had been made in them in the other House. Of the Corporation Bill a very few Clauses had passed through the Committee, and the Irish Church Bill had not yet been even brought into that House. To obviate the great pressure of business which must inevitably, according to the present course of affairs, come upon their Lordships before the Session closed, he would propose, as a means of expediting public business, that the leading features of those two measures should be forthwith submitted to the House in the form of Resolutions, so that the House might thoroughly discuss the principles involved in them, and, having come to an understanding thereon, leave only the details of the Bills to be discussed after the Bills themselves were sent up from the other House.
§ Viscount Melbournesaid, that if the general feeling of the country called for great and comprehensive measures, which required grave consideration, their Lordships must be prepared to make those laborious exertions which circumstances demanded. It was impossible for them to withdraw themselves from the consequences necessarily attendant on the consideration of such important measures. If the suggestion of the noble and learned Lord were acted on—if they were to proceed by passing resolutions—he was convinced that no time would be saved. It would only be the means of superadding a considerable portion of supernumerary labour to that to which, in the ordinary course of proceeding, they would be subjected.
Lord Broughamsaid, it would be a fortnight or three weeks before the Municipal Corporation Bill could be presented to their Lordships; and in the mean time he thought that they might do something with the Irish Church Bill.
§ The Duke of Wellingtonsaid, that it was necessary, in the first place, before they could take any such step as had been recommended, that there should be laid before the House that information on which the Bills alluded to were founded. If he were not mistaken, two parts only of the four Reports and appendices on which the Municipal Corporation Bill had been founded were at present laid before their Lordships. Although the Bill had made considerable progress in the other House, still only two parts had been placed on their Lordships' Table. How, then, could they come to an accurate decision in the absence of the necessary information?
§ The Conversation dropped.