RULES OF THE HOUSE. (Hansard, 16 April 1845)

§ Sir R. Peel
moved that the Order of the Day be read. Colonel Sibthorp rose to move— That there be laid before this House a Return of the Numbers of Petitions that have been presented for and against the present proposal on the part of Her Majesty's Government of an increased grant out of the Consolidated Fund to the College of Maynooth in Ireland, with the total Number of Signatures thereto. He had often heard the right hon. Baronet at the head of the Government profess the utmost respect for those who petitioned that House. He hoped, therefore, the right hon. Baronet would not only readily concur in this Motion, but evince his due respect, as a Protestant Minister, for so numerous a body of petitioners, by at once abandoning this detestable measure.

§ Mr. Roebuck
rose to order. He submitted that it was not competent to the hon. and gallant Member to make such a Motion on the reading of the first Order of the Day.

§ Mr. Speaker
said, according to the statement in the "Votes," that the original Question was, "That the Order of the Day be now read." The only Amendment that could be moved would be, to proceed with another Order of the Day. It was not, therefore, competent for the hon. and gallant Gentleman to bring forward his proposition before the other Orders of the Day on a Wednesday evening.

§ Colonel Sibthorp
would at once bow to the authority of the Chair, if the Speaker was of opinion that he was not in order.

§ Mr. Speaker
said, that the hon. and gallant Officer was not in order, for he could not make the Motion of which he had given notice at present. The Motion itself would, in his opinion, be unnecessary, because the information sought for would be laid upon the Table of the House in the Report of the Committee upon Public Petitions in a few days.