§ Sir C. Wetherellwished to know from the noble Lord (the Chancellor of the Exchequer) whether it was intended to bring in the Bill for Parliamentary Reform, leave for which had been obtained on Wednesday.
§ Lord Althorpsaid, he had expected that it would have been ready before that hour, and would have been brought in that evening; but he now found that it could not be brought in before Monday.
§ Sir C. Wetherellexpressed his surprise that a plan of Reform on which they were told the Cabinet were unanimous,—a plan which had undergone the longest discussion in that House that had ever been given to any measure ever before submitted to the consideration of Parliament— should not be ready two days after that on which leave had been given to bring it in. Was he to understand from this, that the plan was not yet prepared; or was it to be a different plan from that which they had had so long under discussion?
Lord J. Russellsaid, the plan was ready, though it had not been copied out in sufficient time to have it brought in that evening. It would, however, be presented on Monday, and be printed, and ready for delivery on Tuesday morning, which was as early as Members could have it if it were brought in that evening.
§ Sir C. Wetherellobserved, that if the plan had been prepared at the time the motion was made for leave to bring in the Bill, as the House had a right to expect, the draught of the Bill ought to be ready now. ["no, no".] Hon. Members might cry "no," bat he said yes; and he would contend, that the House and the country were not fairly treated by the delay. He repeated, the House and the country were treated badly by this delay.
§ Lord Althorpsaid, he had such respect for the opinion of the hon. and learned Gentleman, that he should regret coming under his lash, but he did not think that he had been deservedly brought under it in this instance; or, if the hon. and learned Gentleman thought so, he hoped the House and the country would think differently. It was no just ground of charge against Ministers that they were not quite ready to lay the draught of a measure of this importance before the House the moment they obtained leave to bring it in. The general plan of the measure was prepared and agreed upon before the motion of his noble friend was submitted to the House, but it might have been necessary, without any change of that general plan, to alter some of the details before the Bill was laid on the Table of the House.
§ Sir C. Wetherell—I now beg distinctly to ask the noble Lord, when is the Bill to be brought in?
§ Lord Althorp—On Monday.