§ Order for Consideration as amended read.
§ MR. HUNTsaid, he had slate at the earliest opportunity the decision of Her Majesty's Government as to the day on which the change of duties should take place. They had received communications from the Governments at the Hague and at Paris. The conditions which the Dutch Government attached in case the new duties came into operation earlier than the 1st of May were such, that Her Majesty's Government found it would be inconvenient to accede to them. They were confirmed in that opinion by finding that the French Government took the same view. Her Majesty's Government therefore proposed that the 1st of May should be the day on which the new duties should take effect, and they were glad to learn that those interested in the trade entirely agreed with this decision. He should therefore propose to substitute the word "May" for "March" throughout the Bill, and to defer the third reading for some little time.
§ Bill re-committed for Wednesday.