§ THE Index now published has been very carefully considered and rearranged. The system which has been adopted has for its object these important considerations—
§ 1. That it shall afford ready Reference to the Public Business as formally recorded in the "JOURNALS" and "MINUTES" of the LORDS and the "JOURNALS" and "VOTES" of the COMMONS, and to the Spoken Proceedings in Parliament thereon as recorded in "HANSARD."
§ 2. That a Motion once brought before either House shall be followed out, in this Index, to the end. The entries, though necessarily in a brief form, give in substance the same information as the JOURNALS or VOTES, and it is, therefore, unnecessary to refer to those records for the stages, dates, &c.
§ 3. That unnecessary multiplicity of reference shall be avoided. Thus, the information sought being contained in the JOURNALS and VOTES of either House, and in the "Contents" and text of "HANSARD," and this Index being the instrument of search—
§ The Reader who desires simply to ascertain the introduction and course of a Motion—its origin and chronology—will find these particulars succinctly set forth in the Index itself, and need go no further. If, beside these particulars, he desires to know the precise terms of the Motion, of the Amendments, of the formal mode of raising the issues, and the official information, but does not require to refer to the debates on the subject, the Index will refer him to the "Contents" of this Volume by the dates given. In the "Contents" he will find, not only the information afforded by the official Minutes and Votes, but frequently much that it is not the practice to enter in those records (such as Committee work), but which is an important part of Parliamentary business. In the "Contents" he will find the formal course of all Public Business gathered into a small compass. The "Contents" of "HANSARD," as now arranged, are in fact that which has been so frequently desired—an "Abstract of Public Business."
§ 4. If, however, the Reader desires to learn, not only the formal course of a Public Motion, but the Argumentative and Reasoning part of Public Legislation, he must necessarily turn to the text of "HANSARD."
§ The two latter courses (the first requires no explanation) have been provided for in the following manner:—Wherever all the information that the "MINUTES," "VOTES," and "HANSARD," could afford is comprised in a single fact (as, for instance, that a Bill was read the second time on a certain day—that a Bill was considered in Committee and reported—that a Select Committee was appointed on one day and reported on another), the entries in this Index supply that information; it also contains the positive intimation by a * that the Bill or Motion was "read" or "agreed to" without debate; and to prevent the annoyance of a further search where nothing more is to be learnt, the "pages" are omitted.
§ It is obvious that every "Question and Answer" is a debate; the reference is therefore made direct to the page in "HANSARD" in which it is to be found.
§ Every Public Bill is to be found entered in the text of "HANSARD" under the date at which it was introduced; but as the full title is also set forth in the "Contents," which can be more readily referred to, the "date," and not the "page," is given in the Index. In like manner, in Committee those Clauses, and in Supply those Votes, which were agreed to without debate, have no paginal references, the information being already complete.
§ Immediate reference from the Index to the "Contents" will be obtained in many cases by noting the "page" in the Index, and referring to the figures on the right hand of the "Contents."
§ Unnecessary reference is further avoided by giving all the information in the Index wherever practicable. For example, in the case of a Select Committee, not only the date of appointment and nomination is given, but the order of reference, and a list of Members.