§ MR. LABOUCHEREsaid, he begged to present a Petition from George Henry Lewis, gentleman, of Ely Place, Holborn, praying that leave be given to the proper Officer of this House to attend the Queen's Bench Division of the High Court of Justice, in the action now pending, wherein Joseph Gurney is Plaintiff and Charles Bradlaugh, esquire, one of the Members for the Borough of Northampton, is Defendant, in order to produce the paper writing subscribed by him at the Table of the House on the 21st of February last, and the copy of the New Testament named in the Journals of the House on the same date. He begged also to move—
That leave be given to the proper Officer to attend the Queen's Bench Division of the High Court of Justice with the said paper writing and copy of the New Testament.
§
Motion made, and Question proposed,
That leave he given to the proper Officer to attend the Queen's Bench Division of the High Court of Justice with the said paper writing and copy of the New Testament."—(Mr. Labouchere.)
§ MR. NEWDEGATEsaid, he opposed the Motion, and should feel it his duty to move the adjournment of the debate. He had not himself been informed that the Motion would come on to-day, and he believed other hon. Members had been equally taken by surprise.
§ MR. SPEAKERI must point out to the House that the House allows unopposed Motions for Returns to be taken before the commencement of Public Business; and if this were an unopposed Motion for a Return, I should say that the Motion might be made, and dealt with by the House at this period; but as the matter appears to be opposed, it will have to come on for debate when the Orders of the Day and Notices of Motion have been disposed of.