§ MR. HAYTERSir, I have been requested by the noble Lord the Member for the City of London to state, that he has considered it consistent with his public duty respectfully to tender to Her Majesty his resignation of the office which he held as President of the Council, which resignation Her Majesty has been graciously pleased to accept. The noble Lord will take an early occasion of stating the grounds upon which he has been induced to come to that resolution.
§ VISCOUNT PALMERSTONSir, after the exceedingly important announcement which has just been made by my hon. Friend, I trust the House will not think that Her Majesty's Government are trespassing too much upon its indulgence if I 942 ask the House to adjourn until to-morrow. There are obvious reasons, I think, for acceding to the proposal which I now venture to make. I should hope, therefore, that those Gentlemen who have Motions standing for to-day, will have the goodness to postpone them until to-morrow, at which time they will stand in the same position as they otherwise would have stood in to-night. I beg, then, Sir, to move that this House do now adjourn until to-morrow.
§ MR. DRUMMONDI really must say, with all deference to the noble Lord, that he is under some misapprehension as to the rule of notices postponed until to-morrow, which certainly will not stand in the same position as they do to-day. Of course, knowing what the feeling of the House is. I do not wish to bring on the question which I have raised this evening; at the same time, I cannot consent to any postponement in its regard unless the noble Lord will agree to give precedence for to-morrow to the Motion of my hon. and learned Friend near me (Mr. Roebuck). And if the noble Lord will but agree to do so, I, on my part, will promise to condense my observations relative to the notice which I have given as much as possible, but which I shall persist in, in order that the returns for which I shall call may go before my hon. and learned Friend's Committee. But if these Motions are to have precedence, it must be done by order of the House.
§ SIR J. PAKINGTONSir, as the Motion of which I have given notice on the subject of national education stands first for this evening, I wish to state that, after the appeal which has just been made, I at once accede to the request of the noble Viscount, and will postpone the Motion until this day week. On looking, however, to the state of the notice paper, I find it is extremely uncertain whether I can bring it forward on that day; under these circumstances, therefore, I hope I may venture to trust that Her Majesty's Government will take care that hereafter I shall not be in a worse position relative to that Motion than I stand in at present.
§ VISCOUNT PALMERSTONSir, in answer to what has fallen from my hon. Friend the Member for Surrey (Mr. Drummond), I may observe that the hon. Member for Sheffield (Mr. Roebuck) has already postponed his Motion until tomorrow, and therefore it will take precedence. And it is the wish and intention 943 of Her Majesty's Government that no impediment should be thrown in the way of such an arrangement.
§ MR. ROEBUCKI believe it is the wish of the House that my Motion shall have precedence of the Orders of the Day to-morrow. Therefore, if the noble Lord consents to my Motion coming on first to-morrow, I at once accede to the proposal for an adjournment.
§ House adjourned at a quarter before Five o'clock.