§ COLONEL NORTHasked the First Lord of the Treasury, Whether it is intended to take any notice of the Special Report made to the House by the Select Committee on Public Petitions, that in the case of the Petition 14,619, the heading was inserted by one W. H. Cornish of Stroud, after the signatures had been appended to the Petition?
MR. GLADSTONE,in reply, said, it would be a serious matter for the consideration of the Government whether they should interfere on behalf of the House, provided the case appeared to those who had been officially intrusted with the duty of examining it to be one calling for such interference. But he did not learn that, in the opinion of these authorities, it would be wise to take any steps in the matter. Under these circumstances, he did not think the Government would interfere.
§ MR. C. FORSTER,as Chairman of the Committee, said the junior Member for Stroud (Mr. Winterbotham) attended before the Committee and gave such explanations as were possible, in addition to which he had received a letter from a person implicated, expressing regret at what he had done while labouring under a misapprehension. The Committee had reported the matter to the House as an illustration of the way in which Petitions were sometimes got up; but, under the circumstances, he should not make any Motion on the subject.