§ MR. SPEAKERBefore I call upon the Clerk to read the Orders of the Day, it is right that I should state to the House that the Amendment on the Paper standing in the name of the hon. Member for Eye (Mr. Ashmead-Bartlett) would be irregular. It clearly involves the re-opening of the debate on the affairs of Madagascar, and would be out of Order at this stage. The second paragraph of the Address, which contains a reference to Madagascar, has already been passed by the House.
§ MR. ASHMEAD-BARTLETTsaid, he must venture to think that the Speaker's ruling was rather a novel one. ["Oh, oh!"] He meant no disrespect by that expression; but he would like to ask whether the ruling was intended to imply that those portions of the Address, prior in point of verbal order to a subject that had been discussed, were not open to any debate, although they had not been even referred to in such discussion? There had been no reference made to the affairs of Madagascar in the debate last night.
§ MR. SPEAKERI would invite the hon. Member to read the first paragraph of the Address.