§ The Speakersaid, he had to make a report to the House respecting certain recognizances to be entered into by those presenting petitions, complaining of the returns in Irish elections. Before he spoke of the particular cases to which he alluded, he thought it might be for the convenience of the House that he should state precisely the situation in which these petitioners stood. By an act of the 28th of the king it was provided, that the petitioners should enter into certain recognizances within fourteen days, and failing to do so, it was imperative on the Speaker to report that these had not been entered into, and thereupon the petition being taken into consideration, any order for referring it to an election committee was to be discharged. By an act of the 48th of the king it was provided, that if the petitioners were in Ireland, though no extension of the time formerly allowed for presenting petitions was granted in England, a further time should be allowed forgiving the Speaker notice of the recognizances having been entered into, and fourteen days were allowed for that purpose, making altogether twenty-eight days from the opening of the first session of parliament for entering into the recognizances, and giving notice of the same. A subsequent act of parliament, passed in the 53rd of the king, called on the petitioner to enter into heavy recognizances for counsel's fees, and other expenses, and for entering into these the same time was allowed as in the act of the 28th of the king, but by some oversight no time had been allowed over the fourteen days to petitioners in Ireland to give notice of these recognizances having been duly entered into. The provision made in the act of the 48th of the king, must, by some accident, have been overlooked when that bill was passed, or the same arrangement would have been made with respect to these recognizances that had been thought necessary for the others. If he had succeeded in explaining the situation in which these petitioners 349 stood, he thought there would be no difference of opinion on the subject. He would suggest, that the time should be enlarged for giving information of recognizances entered into, and that fourteen days should be allowed for that purpose. He then put the question severally on the petitions complaining of the returns for the county of Cork, for the county of Leitrim, and for Drogheda, that the time for receiving notice of the recognizances being entered into, should be enlarged till Friday, the 19th February.—Ordered.