§ MR. DISRAELIpresented a petition from certain electors of Rochdale, stating that the petitioners had noticed, with great surprise, that the number of the working classes upon the Parliamentary register in the borough of Rochdale was stated in the Government Returns to be only 68. The petitioners had made inquiries as to the number of working men on the Parliamentary register that came within the instructions of the Poor Law Board, and they found the number in one township to be 68, in another 53, and in a third 105, making a total in the three townships of 226, and this did not include any overseers, superintendents, or foremen, not employed in daily manual labour. He had another petition to present from Birstal, signed by Mr. Enoc Wedgly, who requested him to say that he was a strong Liberal in politics, stating that he was chairman of the Board of Guardians, and that, according to the Returns prepared by the direction of the Poor Law Board, out of a constituency in one parish of 680, there were 197 working men. The petitioner expressed surprise that the accuracy of this Return had been denied in a petition presented to the House, and stated that the guardians had made strict inquiries, and had satisfied themselves of the strict accuracy of the statement furnished by their clerk. The petitioner further stated that, although a considerable number of these working men did keep beer houses, or small shops, such shops, or beer houses, were attended to by their wives or other members of their families, and that they themselves all worked as potters or colliers, or in some other form of manual labour, at weekly wages. Another petition, which he had been asked to present, was from Ashton-underLyne, and was very much to the same effect. It stated that, according to 5 the Electoral Returns, the number of working men in the constituency was 188, whereas the actual number, as sent up by the clerk of the union was 350, and the reduction had been made by the exclusion of overlookers in cotton mills and others who were employed in manual labour at weekly wages. [Mr. CRAWFORD: What is the prayer of these petitions?] The prayer of the petition from Ashton-under-Lyne is for inquiry into the number of working-class electors, and also into the circumstances under which they were put upon the register, that having reference to the allegation with respect to what were called vote-shops. As to the petition of Mr. Wedgly, I find that he only prays for inquiry.