§ Mr. Astellpresented a Petition from the East-India Company against the Madras Registrar's Bill. The petitioners complained that the principle of the Bill was most unjust, and they prayed to be heard by counsel against it. The hon. Member moved that the petitioners be heard by counsel at the Bar against the second reading of the Bill.
Sir J. Macintoshwould not oppose the Motion for the petitioners being heard against the Bill, but he merely rose to say, that this was a case of great hardship, in which a gentleman of advanced age and reduced fortune had been for thirteen years a suitor in the Court of the Directors, and in that House, for redress, on account of losses which he had suffered in consequence of the malversation of one of their public officers in India. At the same time, he could not recall to mind without great pain, the share which he had in creating that delay, and he should not willingly consent to postpone the Bill any further, so as to cut away the probability of it being passed during this year. In every thing short of that delay, he should be most happy to consult the convenience of the hon. Member who had just spoken. He candidly confessed that he wished to have this Bill sent up to the Lords before that period when a general massacre of all bills was committed by their Lordships on account of the old age of the Session. He had first thought of postponing the discussion of the Bill till Wednesday 38 next, but he had discovered, by diligent research, that there were another set of gentlemen, besides his Majesty's Ministers, who dined together every Wednesday, and who had quite as much objection to having their festivities interrupted by the calls of business. He did not intend to quarrel with their weekly festivities, as he understood that they had a tendency to harmonize minds sometimes brought into collision by the preceding occurrences of the week, and to lead them to a more serious performance of duties, too important to be neglected, by dissipating the tedium which occasionally arose during its continuance. He repeated that he had first thought of postponing the Bill till Wednesday next, but in consequence of what had fallen from the hon. Member, he would fix Wednesday se'nnight for its discussion, subject to this understanding—that if it were possible to obtain on another day time for its discussion, which he did not conceive would last two or three hours, he would take it then.
§ Mr. Astellwondered how the right hon. and learned Gentleman could reconcile it to himself to fix his bill for Wednesday se'nnight, after the strong and unanswerable reasons which he had given for not bringing it on at all on a Wednesday.
§ Motion agreed to, and the second reading of the Bill appointed for Wednesday, May 5th.