ADJOURNMENT—THE DERBY DAY. (Hansard, 25 May 1852)

§ VISCOUNT PALMERSTON
said, there were proposals sometimes made to the 1171 House which the longest speeches were insufficient to make the House comprehend; while, on the other hand, there were now and then Motions capable of being comprehended by the House without any speeches at all. The Motion which he was about to make was of the latter description. It was obvious to everybody, from circumstances which it was not his intention to go into, that they were very unlikely to have at to-morrow morning's sitting a sufficient attendance for getting through any public business, unless they had a call of the House; he had therefore to choose between the alternative of moving a call of the House, or of moving that the House should, at its rising, adjourn to Thursday next. If he were to ask hon. Members to agree to a call of the House for to-morrow, he would have no chance of carrying such a Motion; but he did hope that he should be more fortunate if he ventured to move that the House, at its rising that evening, should adjourn till Thursday next.

§ MR. SHARMAN CRAWFORD
felt himself under the necessity of opposing the Motion. There was a very important subject on the Orders for to-morrow.

§ MR. ANSTEY
said, that, in order that the House might have an opportunity of deciding between duty to Maynooth and the pleasures of the Derby, he should move that this debate also be adjourned till after the other Orders of the Day this day.

The O'GORMAN MAHON
said, it was quite obvious that, unless the House consented to the proposition made in the early part of the evening, they would be occupied uselessly for the whole of the night, as it was the determination of Irish Members that this debate should be fairly gone through. If it were attempted to throw them over; it would only increase the irritation that at present existed on the subject both in and out of doors.

CAPTAIN FITZROY
said, after the long time the Speaker had occupied the chair that day, he thought they were bound to 1172 consult his comfort and convenience to some extent, and begged to move that the House do now adjourn till Thursday next.

§ MR. CHISHOLM ANSTEY
did not rise to oppose the Motion, nor should he have opposed it now, but he wished that note should be taken of the fact, that if they agreed to that Motion, the Order for resuming the adjourned debate on Maynooth would become a dropped order, and the debate could not be resumed during the present Session. That was what the party opposite wished; and it was clear that the Derby element prevailed over the Protestant interest. It would deprive them of the opportunity of resuming the debate, which, out of consideration to the Chair, they proposed not to resume that night,

§ MR. NEWDEGATE
said, the hon. Member would have it go forth that, because hon. Members wanted to go to the Derby, therefore they did not wish the debate to be resumed. He appealed to the experience of hon. Members whether the custom had not been for many years that the House had adjourned over the Derby day, because it was found that jobs were perpetrated on that day. Now, he accused the hon. and learned Member for Youghal of endeavouring to bring on the adjourned debate on Maynooth on the Derby day for the purpose of quashing it, because he counted upon there being then a thin attendance.