§ LORD RANDOLPH CHURCHILLasked the Prime Minister, Whether he was aware that on Monday last the sittings in Committee of Supply had been kept up until half-past 1 o'clock in the morning; and also whether it was the intention of the Government to continue the Sittings in Supply until a late hour this evening, and this, in the face of the declaration of the right hon. Gentleman himself, that half-past 12 o'clock was a reasonable hour at which to close Supply? He asked this Question, in the first place, for the purpose of obtaining information; and, secondly, with the object of drawing the attention of the country to the lateness of the hour at which the public money was voted by the House of Commons.
MR. GLADSTONESir, the noble Lord is perfectly correct with regard to the substance of my declaration with regard to the reasonable hour for closing Supply on ordinary occasions. I, however, also stated that the Supplementary Estimates must be regarded as exceptions to the ordinary rule. We are under necessities so stringent with regard to the Supplementary Estimates on the present occasion, that I am afraid that we shall have to tax the patience of the House to-night. There are, of course, other methods of proceeding which we 1759 might have adopted as a means of getting out of our difficulty, such, for instance, as by Morning Sittings; but our object is not to have Morning Sittings unless we cannot avoid resorting to them.