PRESENTATION OF PETITIONS. (Hansard, 8 February 1839)

§ The Speaker
said, before the clerk read the petition, it would be desirable to read the resolutions of the House of the 6th of February, 1833, which necessarily had relation to this subject. It was to the following effect;—"That when a petition has been presented, and the prayer stated by a Member, the Speaker do desire such Member to bring the same to the table, and direct the clerk to read the same, without allowing any other Member to speak or put any question on such petition before the same has been read, unless it shall appear to the Speaker, or any Member, that the matter of such petition relates to a breach of the privileges of the House, or that, according to the rules and orders of the House, such petition ought not to be received."

§ Mr. Hume
said, that it would probably be as well if the resolution of the 11th March was also read. It provided, that any Member who presented a petition should have previously read it, and be able to state the substance of its contents, and be prepared to say that in his judgment it was couched in proper language, and contained nothing disrespectful to the House. He suspected that this resolution would answer the intention, as it would leave it to hon. Members to say whether the petition contained matter for discussion or not, leaving it to the Speaker to interfere if he were wrong. He considered it would be better to abide by the resolutions of 1817.
The Clerk read the resolution and also what had been stated by the Speaker on this subject last night.

§ Mr. Wallace
, was desirous that the petitions that were presented should be printed with the votes to be distributed to the Members. He would state to the House a practical fact, illustrating what at present took place with regard to the presentation of petitions. He had presented a petition to that House on the 27th of July last, hoping that it would be taken into consideration on the first notice day. He had been in his place every day during the time that Parliament had sat, and that petition had never been taken into consideration yet. One day during the interim, an election petition had been presented to which there was no opposition. A delay of half an hour took place, the House actually sat twenty-five or twenty-six minutes without transacting any business, and he proposed in desperation that the petition which he had previously presented should be then taken into consideration, when the Speaker interferred and prevented him, no doubt very properly and the petition had remained unconsidered up to the present hour. It was a petition of the greatest public importance. It prayed that the Acts of Parliament should be printed in a cheap form and sold at a price not dearer than the votes of that House. Unless some regulations were adopted, it would be totally impossible that petitions could be considered, as if he were to rise to speak on the subject, the hon. Member for Salford might get up and say, it was twelve or one o'clock, that it was a new subject, and that no hon. Member was entitled to enter on it at that hour. He thought that it would be better that no entry should be made of any resolutions on the Journals but that it should be left to the discretion of Members.

§ Mr. Ward
said, that after the full discussion the subject had received yesterday, it was not his intention to occupy the time of the House. He should content himself by entering a protest by a division against laying down a rule which he conceived to be extremely bad and detrimental to the interests of the people, as it prevented discussion upon important questions. Having the House he should present the petition according to the rules now laid down, observing only that he 199 wished to be bound by a distinct rule, and not by one liable to be mis-understood.

List of the AYES.
Abercromby, G. R.	Ferguson, R.
A'Court, Captain	Filmer, Sir E.
Alsager, R.	Fort, J.
Arbuthnot, General	Fox, G. L.
Ashley, Cooper	Fremantle, Sir T.
Bagge, W.	Gaskell, Jas. Milnes
Baillie, H. D.	Gibson, T.
Baines, E.	Gladstone, W. E.
Baker, E.	Glynne, Sir S. R.
Bannerman, A.	Gordon, hon. W.
Barnard, E. G.	Gore, O. J. R.
Barneby, J.	Goulburn, rt. hon. H.
Barrington, Lord	Graham, rt. hon. Sir J.
Bell, M.	Grimsditch, T.
Benett, J.	Hale, B. R.
Bethell, R.	Halford, H.
Blakemore, R.	Handley, H.
Blennerhassett, A.	Hardinge, rt hon. Sir H.
Blunt, Sir Charles	Harland, W. C.
Bolling, W.	Hawkins, J. H.
Broadwood, H.	Hayes, Sir E.
Brodie, W. B.	Hayter, W. G.
Brotherton, J.	Heneage, E.
Buller, Sir J. Y.	Hinde, J. H.
Bulwer, Sir E. L.	Hodgson, R.
Burr, D. H. D,	Holmes, W.
Busfield, W.	Hope, hon. Jas.
Calcraft, J. H.	Hope, G. W.
Canning, rt. hon. Sir S.	Hughes, W. B.
Cayley, E. S.	Ingestre, Viscount
Chetwynd, Major	Ingham, R.
Christopher, R. A.	Inglis, Sir R. H.
Clerk, Sir G.	Irton, S.
Clive, E. B.	Jackson, Sergeant
Clive, R. H.	James, Sir W. C.
Codrington, C. W.	Jenkins, R.
Colquhoun, J. C.	Johnstone, J. J. H.
Conolly, E.	Kemble, H.
Craig, W. G.	Kinnaird, hon. A. F.
Crawford, W.	Knatchbull, Sir E.
Cresswell, Cresswell	Lascelles, hon. W. S.
Darby, George	Lefevre, C. S.
D'Israeli, B.	Lefroy, rt. hon. T.
Divett, E.	Lennox, Lord T. G.
Douglas, Sir C. E.	Lister, E. Cunliffe
Dowdeswell, W.	Long, W.
Dugdale, W. S.	Lucas, E.
Dunbar,	Lygon, hon. Gen.
Duncombe, hon. W.	Mackenzie, T.
Dundas, F.	Mackenzie, W. F.
Eaton, R. J.	Macleod, R.
Ebrington, Visct.	Marshall, W.
Egerton, W. T.	Maule, hon. F.
Eliot, Lord	Mildmay, P. St. J.
Ellice, E.	Milnes, R. M.
Euston, Earl	Mordaunt, Sir J.
Farnham, E. B.	Morpeth, Lord
Feilden, W.	Murray, rt. hon. J. A.
Fenton, J.	O'Brien, C.
Ferguson, Sir R. A.	O'Brien, W. S.

O,Callaghan, hon. C.	Somerset, Lord G.
O'Conor, Don	Speirs, A.
Ord, W.	Stanley, E.
Packe, C. W.	Stanley, Lord
Parker, John	Stanley, W. O.
Parker, M.	Stansfield, W. R. C.
Parker, R. T.	Stewart, J.
Peel, rt. hon. Sir R.	Stock, Dr.
Pendarves, E. W.	Strutt, E.
Perceval, Col.	Stuart, V.
Phillips, Sir R.	Sturt, H. C.
Philips, M.	Style, Sir C.
Pigot, R.	Teignmouth, Lord
Planta, rt. hon. J.	Thomson, rt. hon. C.P.
Polhill, F.	Trench, Sir F.
Ponsonby, C. F. A. C.	Verner, W.
Protheroe, E.	Waddington, H. S.
Pryme, G.	Walker, R.
Pusey, P.	Wall, C. B.
Redington, T. N.	Walsh, Sir J.
Rice, E. R.	White, A.
Richards, R.	Williams, W. A.
Rickford, W.	Wilmot, Sir J. E.
Rolfe, Sir R. M.	Wilshere, W.
Round, C. G.	Winnington, H. J.
Round, J.	Winnington, T. E.
Rushbrooke, Col.	Wood, T.
Russell, Lord J.	Wrightson, W. B.
Sanford, E. A.	Wynn, rt. hn. C. W
Sheppard, T.	Young, J.
Shirley, E. J.	TELLERS.
Smith, B.	Campbell, Sir J.
Smyth, Sir G. H.	Grey, Sir G.

List of the NOES.
Aglionby, H. A.	Maher, J.
Attwood, T.	Molesworth, Sir W.
Blewitt, R.	Norreys, Sir D.
Bryan, G.	O'Connell, M.
Butler, hon. P.	O'Connell, M. J.
Chapman, Sir M. L.	Parrott, J.
Codrington, Sir E.	Pechell, Capt.
Collins, W.	Salwey, Colonel
Dennistoun, J.	Scholefield, J.
Duncombe, T. S.	Strickland, Sir G.
Fielden, J.	Tancred, H. W.
Grote, G.	Tennent, J. E.
Hawes, B.	Thornley, T.
Hector, C. J.	Vigors, N. A.
Hindley, C.	Wakley, T.
Horsman, E.	Wallace, R.
Hume, J.	Williams, W.
Hutt, W.	Wood, Sir M.
Johnson, W.	Wyse, T.
Langdale, hon. C.	Yates, J. A.
Langton, Col. G.	TELLERS.
Leader, J. T.	Ward, H. G.
Lushington, C.	Villiers, C. P.