Lords Sitting of 15 November 1852

MINUTES.
Took the Oaths.— Several Lords. Sat First in Parliament. —The Lord Panmure, after the Death of his Father.

THE DUKE OF WELLINGTON'S FUNERAL (BILLS OF EXCHANGE AND NOTES) BILL.
The EARL of DERBY: My Lords, I have to move the First Reading of a Bill which has been passed by the other House of Parliament under rather peculiar circumstances, which make it necessary that I should ask your Lordships to dispense with your Standing Orders in order that it might be passed as speedily as possible. The Government has received representations on the part of a great number of merchants and commercial men of the city of London, with respect to the great inconvenience that will arise in connexion with the presentation and payment of bills falling due on Thursday next, the day of the Duke of Wellington's funeral, unless some arrangements be made by Parliament. It is proposed, therefore, to enact that Thursday next shall be considered a dies non; and that all bills falling due on that day shall be presented and be payable on Wednesday; but that if these bills are paid before two o'clock on Friday, the parties shall be subjected to no notarial charges arising from the delay.
Bill read 1a; to be printed; and to be read 2a To-morrow. And Standing Orders Nos. 37 and 38, to be considered, in order to their being dispensed with.

MESSAGE FROM THE QUEEN—FUNERAL OF THE DUKE OF WELLINGTON.
The Queen's Message considered.
The EARL of DERBYagain rose and said: I have now to ask your Lordships to agree to an Address to Her Majesty in answer to Her Majesty's gracious Message of Friday last, in reference to which I am sure that it is quite unnecessary for me to say a single word, because I am convinced that it will meet with the universal concur-
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rence of your Lordships. And if I had not been convinced of this before, the language of general eulogy which I heard in this House a few days ago would have relieved me from the necessity of addressing your Lordships at any length, and would have made me perfectly certain that you would have but one feeling as to the propriety of doing all that you at present can to honour the memory of the late Duke of Wellington in that public funeral which Her Majesty, in anticipation of the wishes of Parliament and the country, has already directed. I beg therefore to move—
"That an humble Address be presented to Her Majesty, to express to Her Majesty the Thanks of this House for Her Majesty's most Gracious Message of Friday last, humbly to thank Her Majesty for having given Directions for the Public Interment of the mortal Remains of His Grace The Duke of Wellington in the Cathedral Church of Saint Paul, and to assure Her Majesty of the cordial Aid and Concurrence of this House in giving to the Ceremony a fitting Degree of Solemnity and Importance."
On Question, agreed to, Nemine Dis-sentiente.
The EARL of DERBYthen said: I have now to move the following Resolution: —
"That this House will attend at the Solemnity of the Funeral of Arthur Duke of Wellington in the Cathedral Church of St. Paul on Thursday next."
On Question, agreed to, Nemine Dissentiente.
It was also moved—
"That a Select Committee be appointed to consider the Circumstances relating to the Attendance of this House and their Place at the Solemnity of the Funeral of Field Marshal the late Duke of Wellington."
The DUKE of CLEVELANDsaid, that he wished to suggest to the First Lord of the Treasury the propriety of giving facilities for the departure and return from the cathedral of St. Paul of those persons who had been officially engaged in the procession and solemnity. He thought it was but reasonable that if those persons were not to return in procession, they should have some priority of departure over those who were present merely as spectators.
The EARL of DERBYsaid, he need hardly assure the noble Duke that the question of the whole of the arrangements connected with the funeral had been a matter of very anxious consideration on the part of the Government, and of those connected with the responsibility (for such it was) of conducting a ceremony of such magnitude; and he had no doubt that pro-

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vision had been made for the fitting accommodation of those persons who had to join officially in the procession, and for facilitating as far as possible their return after the ceremony had been performed; but he thought it would be convenient, if their Lordships agreed to the appointment of a Committee, that that Committee should have in attendance before them on the following day Garter King-at-Arms, from whom they might ascertain what were the precise arrangements made, and then the Committee or any noble Lord would have an opportunity of suggesting any alterations which they thought desirable; and if it was possible to make them within the limited time which remained, he was sure that every person engaged would be ready to pay the utmost deference to the wishes of the House, and would have every disposition to meet them.
On Question, agreed to.
House adjourned till To-morrow.