§ Lord John Russellsaid, if it were the disposition of the House that the debate which was interrupted at four o'clock this morning should be resumed, he should be quite ready to acquiesce,
§ Mr. Macleansaid, that as the Order of the Day for the House resolving itself into a Committee had been moved, he should certainly persevere in bringing forward his motion on the subject of Spain.
§ Mr. Thomas Duncombesaid, if the House had the power of deciding which motion should have precedence, he should vote for the continuation of the debate which was adjourned at four o'clock this morning upon the distinct understanding that it should be resumed again at five o'clock this day. If the hon. and learned Member's motion on Foreign Affairs should in consequence be further postponed, he must blame hon. Members on the Ministerial side of the House; he must blame the right hon. Gentleman, the Member for Montgomeryshire (Mr. C. Wynn), and his friends, for their frivolous and vexatious opposition at four o'clock this morning. If those Gentlemen were so exceedingly fond of divisions, he would favour them with one upon this occasion, for he would certainly divide the House on the question which motion should have precedence.
§ Mr. Hawessaid, that no one assertion was more often made use of by Gentlemen opposite, against proceeding farther with the debate at four o'clock this morning, than that the question at issue was a great constitutional question. Now he apprehended, if hon. Gentlemen opposite were sincere in that declaration, they 951 ought not for one moment to hesitate giving precedence to the hon. and learned Member for Huddersfield.
§ Mr. Williams Wynnmust, in the first place, tell the hon. Member for Finsbury that it was not his motion that adjourned the debate. He did not make any motion. He did unquestionably support the adjournment. But he supported it from the spirit which he saw manifested on the Ministerial side, to press a question which appeared to him to be establishing a most dangerous precedent, and calculated to lead to the most tyrannical and oppressive proceedings on the part of a predominant party in that House—whether Whig or Tory; and because he believed that the consequences of the motion made last night would be more fatal than any he had ever known brought forward. He was told, that as it was a great constitutional question he ought to be anxious that it should be brought forward in preference to anything else. He admitted it to be a great constitutional question; but that was no reason why he should be anxious it should be brought forward before any other proceeding, when he resisted it as a most dangerous motion, and one which ought not to be brought forward at all. The motion before the House was, that the Order of the Day be read for the House to resolve itself into a Committee of Supply. That motion must be disposed of before the House could proceed further.
§ Lord John Russellsaid, he had been misunderstood. He moved the Order of the Day for the House to resolve itself into a Committee, that being the usual course; but when the hon. and learned Member for Huddersfield (Mr. Blackburne) moved the resumption of the debate on the Poole case, he had expressed a wish to give way. What the right hon. Gentleman had just said relating to the importance of the question, rather convinced him (Lord John Russell) the more, that the House had better come to a decision upon that question first, while the House was well attended. He therefore asked leave to withdraw his motion.
§ Mr. Williams Wynnapprehended, that a motion having been once put it could not be withdrawn without every single Member agreeing to it.
§ It was finally settled that the hon. Member for Oxford should go on with his motion relative to the affairs of Spain,