MR. WALPOLEI understand, Sir, that the noble Lord at the head of the Government made an announcement yesterday to the House, in answer to a question put to him by the hon. Member for Louth (Mr. C. Fortescue) that he considered that the Resolution to which the House came on Tuesday ought to be reversed, and that he would give up Monday, a Government Day, to the hon. Member to move a Resolution on the subject. That I think was the effect of the noble Lord's announcement. [Viscount PALMERSTON: Hear, hear.] Will the noble Lord permit me to ask him, supposing he sees no objection to putting the House now in possession of the information, whether he is prepared to state what course the Government proposed to take on Monday on the subject of National Education in Ireland.
§ VISCOUNT PALMERSTONIt is perfectly true, Sir, that my hon. Friend the Member for the county of Louth announced yesterday that it was his intention to propose to the House on an early day some Motion or Resolution tending to reverse the decision to which the House came on Tuesday, and begged to know what early day the Government would be prepared to give him for that purpose. I stated in answer that I thought the matter was so highly 1686 important, the decision to which the House had come so mischievous, and the urgency of reconsideration so great, that I would give him the earliest day the Government could place at his disposal for bringing the question forward, and that he should have precedence on Monday next.
MR. WALPOLEThe noble Lord will pardon me for saying that that is scarcely an answer to my question. It is important that Parliament should require—and it ought to require—to be informed what course Her Majesty's Government propose to take in reference to any Motion that may be made for rescinding the Address to the Crown which was voted on Tuesday last by the House of Commons on the subject of National Education in Ireland.
§ VISCOUNT PALMERSTONI really can hardly suppose, Sir, after what I have already stated, that the right hon. Gentleman can entertain any doubt on the subject. Always assuming that the Motion of my hon. Friend (Mr. C. Fortescue) is unobjectionable in point of form, which I cannot doubt, Her Majesty's Government will feel it their duty to support it, or any Motion tending to reverse the decision of the House came to on Tuesday last.
§ LORD NAASWhen the hon. Member for Louth is in his place, I shall beg to ask him what is the form of the Motion he proposes to bring forward on the subject of National Education in Ireland.