The Chancellor of the Exchequerrose to move for leave to bring in a bill to revive and continue the powers of the Commissioners of Military Inquiry. He hoped there would be no objection to pass this bill through all its stages as speedily as possible. A bill for this purpose had already passed both houses of parliament in this session, but by some accident, it had been omitted in the commission which had passed the great seal for giving the royal assent to bills agreed upon by both houses. In consequence of this omission, the powers of the commissioners had expired yesterday, and it became necessary to have this bill revived, to continue them.
§ The Speakerthought it right to make some observations on this case. It was contrary to the constitution that bills agreed upon by both houses should lie in the other house without being noticed, when a commission from the great seal came down to give the royal assent to bills so agreed upon. There being no reason to suppose that the present case happened otherwise than by mere accident, the present motion might be sufficient.
After some conversation, in which Mr. Ponsonby suggested the propriety of a special entry on the Journals, the Speaker stated there was no parliamentary knowledge of the facts to ascertain which, so 803 as to warrant a special entry, a formal inquiry should be made in the house of lords: but that no irregularity would be seen on the Journals of this house by proceeding without a special entry, as this case would appear to be the same as that of a temporary bill to continue another, which otherwise would have expired before the continuing bill could receive the royal assent.—Leave was accordingly given to bring in the bill, which was passed through its first and second reading, committed, reported, and ordered to be read a third time tomorrow.