LORD STANLEYSir, in consequence of a communication which I have received from my right, hon. Friend, now First Lord of the Treasury, who is still, I believe, in attendance upon Her Majesty at Osborne, I regret to say it is necessary that I should ask the House to agree to a further adjournment until Thursday next. I believe that, comparing the present with former cases, where a Ministry has had to be constructed or re-constructed, the time which my right hon. Friend asks for will not be found to be exceptionally long; and I know from him that he considers it impossible that the arrangements can be completed at an earlier period. I shall, therefore, move that this House, at its rising, adjourn until Thursday next. I may, perhaps, take this opportunity of answering the Question which was put to me on Tuesday by the hon Member for Cork (Mr. Maguire). In reply to the Question which the hon. Member then put, I would say, on behalf of my right hon, Friend, that we shall be prepared to give a day for the Irish debate, which was to have come on on Tuesday last. I am not authorized or enabled to fix the precise day; but it will be announced on Thursday next, and it will be as early a day as possible.
MR. GLADSTONEI do not rise for the purpose of offering any opposition to the Motion which has been made by the noble Lord; but I confess I am not entirely of his opinion—so far as my recollection goes—that upon an occasion when the Prime Minister has unfortunately been compelled to retire, and when some few changes have taken place in the Government, it has been usual to ask the House of Commons to suspend the progress of public business for so long a period as ten days. I am certainly mistaken in my remembrance if that has been the case; and therefore, while I am very far indeed from thinking that we ought to object to the proposal, I do not think it ought to be acquiesced in without putting it upon record that that must be done upon special 1101 grounds. I freely admit that there are special grounds in this case. It is quite true that upon Tuesday last Her Majesty's Government was prepared to make a declaration of Irish policy; but, at the same time, we must all feel, I think, that, owing to the prolonged and unhappy absence of the noble Earl then at the head of the Government from London, it could not but be that the Cabinet must have approached the consideration of that question in a partially crippled or restrained condition. And I own it is very much with reference to the extreme gravity of the questions we shall have to consider during the present Session with respect to the sister country, that I should feel a special reluctance, even if I were inclined upon other grounds, to show any disinclination to accede to the proposal of the noble Lord. I think that Her Majesty's Government, having undergone a modification, of the precise nature and extent of which, of course, we who are outside cannot at present estimate the amount and significance—Her Majesty's Government being charged with these grave responsibilities, and asking this time at the hands of the House—I do not look at it merely as a question whether the formal arrangements of election and reelection would warrant the request; but I think, upon a grave consideration of the policy they will have to dispose of, that they are entitled to expect, both on their own account and on account of the country, that they should not be unduly pressed for time; consequently, I freely and cheerfully, upon these special grounds, accede to the proposal of the noble Lord, that another week should be granted before we proceed to business, although we must all be aware that we shall then have to commence the business of the Session, which promises to be severe rather than otherwise, at a very much later period—later, I think, practically, by a whole month—than is usual.
§ Motion agreed to.
§ House, at rising, to adjourn till Thursday next.