DROPPED NOTICES OF MOTION. (Hansard, 19 July 1843)

§ Mr. T. Duncombe

would move, as an amendment, that the notices be now read, with the view of taking precedence of the orders of the day to-morrow, and he did 1260 so in consequence of the Government not having condescended to assist in making a House yesterday. There was not one Member of the Government present; and though there were sixteen Members on that (the opposition) side of the House, there were only two Members on the other. Individual Members had given up Thursdays to the Government, who in return ought to assist in making a House on Tuesdays. The notice of the noble Lord, with repect to the education of the people, was most important, yet the Government would not make a House to discuss it. There were also thirteen Government orders on the papers; and yet the Government, which did not make a House, came down to complain of the obstruction given to the progress of their bills. Besides, there was the subject of privilege for consideration yesterday; and it was the bounden duty of the Government to discuss it. It took precedence of all other notices; and the Government was responsible for the form in which their Attorney-general bad intended to bring under notice the action brought against the Sergeant by Mr. Pearse, the clerk of Mr. Howard, the attorney. He had never known a House of Commons, and be had never known a Government fall so fast into disrepute. But if the Government were content with being kicked and trampled and spit upon, from one end of Ireland to the other, they might make themselves a laughing-stock if they liked; but they had no right to bring the House into disrepute when a gross breach of its privileges had been committed by the action brought against the Sergeant, especially as he understood this was the last day they could act. He should therefore move that notices of motion should take precedence of the orders of the day on Thursday.

§ Sir Robert Peel

said, there were few parties more inconvenienced by there not being a House than he was, and he could assure them that the Government was no party to a House not being made. He came down to the House at twenty minutes past four for the purpose of answering a question of which notice Sad been given, and of asking the House to agree to the Lord's amendments to the Church Endowment Bill, and he had not the slightest intimation of there being no House till he reached the door. The hon. Gentleman would therefore see a material difference between an attempt not to make a House 1261 and an accidential failure. It should be recollected that every Member of the Government was occupied with official duties, and he thought it was an obligation on other Members to make a House, especially those who had important notices of motion. There were also several committees sitting, and the general presumption was, that those Members would come down to make a House. As the failure yesterday, therefore, was not intentional on the part of the Government, and as lie himself was disappointed at no House being made, he trusted the hon. Gentleman would not press his motion.