[BILL 91.] SECOND READING. (Hansard, 27 April 1863)

§ MR. HUBBARD
said, he trusted, as it was only a few minutes from midnight, that the right hon. Gentleman would not proceed with the Bill at that advanced hour. Many of the provisions of the Bill were very important.

§ THE CHANCELLOR OF THE EXCHEQUER
said, that the novelty in the Bill had reference to charities, and that by all means ought to be fully discussed. He 851 thought the most convenient course would be to take the second reading that evening and discuss the details in the Committee on the Bill, which would be fixed for half past four o'clock on Thursday.

§ LORD ROBERT CECIL
said, he objected to proceeding with the second reading, as the print of the Bill had not been sufficiently long in the hands of Members.

§ THE CHANCELLOR OF THE EXCHEQUER
expressed his readiness to postpone the second reading until the following day.

MR. LYGON
said, he objected to the Government putting down their Bills on nights devoted to private Members. The course which the Chancellor of the Exchequer, from some theoretical sense of propriety, had taken of late, of putting all these financial propositions into one Bill, had very much limited the opportunities of the House for discussing them on the most important stage, the second reading. He protested, too, Against the practice of the right hon. Gentleman of taking an important stage on his Bills pro formâ, and fixing the real discussion for some future night, when the opportunity for discussion again faded away in the distance.

§ VISCOUNT PALMERSTON
said, the hon. Gentleman seemed to forget the old saying, "give and take." That night had been given up by the Government to a private Member on the other side of the House, and all his right hon. Friend proposed to do was to take the remainder of the following evening after the business of private Members had been disposed of. He did not at all propose to take precedence of other business.

§ LORD JOHN MANNERS
said, he wished to point out, that in addition to the Notices of Motion, there were five Orders of the Day down for the following day. The first was the Writs Prohibition Bill, to which an Amendment had been moved to read it a second time that day six months, and the probability was, that about the same time on the ensuing night they would be going through the same scene.

§ MR. HUNT
said, that the charities clause was not the only one on which there would be some discussion. The clause relating to the income tax would also be discussed, and the course which he should take on that clause would depend very much on the information which the right hon. Gentleman would bring forward on the second reading as to the details of his proposition.