§ MR. HADFIELDsaid, he rose to ask the Attorney General when he intended to proceed with the Divorce and Probate Amendment Bills.
THE ATTORNEY GENERALsaid, he had been very anxious to bring the Probate Act Amendment Bill and the Divorce Act Amendment Bill under the consideration of the House on some day during the last three weeks, but the House had been occupied with Bills which it was necessary to send up to the House of Lords. He would endeavour to make an arrangement with his right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer for a day to consider the Bills, and he hoped that Thursday or Friday might be secured.
§ MR. GLADSTONEsaid, that the Divorce and Matrimonial Causes Amendment Act, which involved considerable novelty, would probably lead to a lengthened discussion. He wished to know whether it was the intention of the Government to proceed with the new clauses.
THE ATTORNEY GENERALsaid, that it had not occurred to him that any of the clauses of the Divorce Bill were open to the observations just made. If it turned out, however, that any of the clauses note in the Bill, or any of the Amendments of which he had had notice either appeared to introduce any important change in the law or to be likely to give rise to much discussion or opposition, he should be quite 1786 ready to postpone the consideration of those clauses or amendments to a future session, merely proceeding with those portions of the measure which related to the procedure of the Court.