§ Order for Second Reading read.
§ THE ATTORNEY GENERAL FOR IRELAND (Mr. GIBSON) moved that the Bill be now read a second time, and stated that it made an important step towards the revision of the Irish ante-Union Statutes, and carried the work down to 21 Geo. II. If the Bill was now read a second time, the Committee stage should not be taken until after Easter.
§ Motion made, and Question proposed, "That the Bill be now read a second time."—(Mr. Attorney General for Ireland.)
§ MR. PARNELLadmitted the Irish Statute Book sorely needed revision, and was sorry to have to ask the House to postpone the second reading. The duty of revision, so far as Ireland was concerned, had been long neglected by the Law Officers; and now, when it was undertaken, he could not understand why they should stop short at the 1259 reign of George II. It might be said that the work must go on, as in the case of England, by several successive Bills; but, still the right hon. and learned Gentleman would do well to defer the Bill for a Session, until he was in a position to revise the Statute up to the Preventive Act—an obsolete Act passed in the reign of George III.
§ And it being ten minutes before Seven of the clock, the Debate stood adjourned till this day.
§ The House suspended its Sitting at five minutes to Seven of the clock.
§ The House resumed its Sitting at Nine of the clock.