The Sun.
London, England, 1833-04-04 00:00:00

HOUSE OF COMMONS, APRIL 3.

The SPEAKER took his seat at five o'clock.
MESSAGE FROM THE LORDS.
A message from the Lords announced that their Lord-
ships had agreed to several private Bills.
Persons from the Bank of England and the East India
House appeared at the Bar with returns which had bee❑
ordered.
Mr. COBBETT, understanding that there was business
of importance before the House to-night, and learning
that the House would sit to-morrow, postponed his 'notion
respccting the stamp and auction duties until then.
ADJOURNMENT OF THE HOUSE.

Mr. S. part of his Noble Friend (Lord
Althorp) who was unable to attend from illness, postponed
hi., motion for the adjournment of the House until to-

morrow.

TWELVE O'CLOCK SITTINGS.

The SPEAKER said, that before they entered upon
public business, he wished to call the attention of the
House to the result that ha i ensued from a new experi-
ment adopted from a very early period of the pre-
sent session down to the present time. The impor-
tant alteration that had taken place was the meeting of the
House at twelve instead of three o'clock for the purpose of
discharging its private duties, receiving returns to the
orders of the House, and more especially for the
purpose of receiving petitions. The House having set
apart that time for private business, felt itself authorized in
concluding that the regular public business of the day
should commence at the return of the Speaker to the
Chair at five o'clock. He believed that no proposition
that had ever been brought forward before the House,
had produced to a certainty the beginning of public
business, upon the return of the Speaker to the Chair.
However that might be, be thought that the House
would agree with him in saying, that with respect
to the presentation of Petitions, the practice that had been
resorted to, purely as an experiment, had totally failed.
By the arrangement which had been made, the sitting
of the House from 12 to 3 o'clock was to be terminated at the
latter hour ; at that period, if the paper had not been gone
through, it was to be commenced again next day, from the
place where the Sp aker left off on the previous one. No
sooner was the adoption of this plan known, than from
500 to '7OO names of Members were attached to the list,
arid the result had been, that no gentleman knew when
his name would be called. He could not better illustrate
the inconvenience that had resulted from this, than by
reference to the proceedings of this morning.—(Hear.)
He believed there was no gentleman whose name was in
the book at twelve o'clock to-day, who would give credit
to the assertion he was about to make, that by three o'clock
the whole of the names in that book hail been called over.
The result of this was that a very unfair inference went
forth to the public that Members, charged with the
presentation of petitions, were wilfully absent, when their
names were called over. Nothing, however, was more
unjust than such a statement, as it was quite impossible
that gentlemen could calculate upon the chance of present-
ing petitions, whose names stood upwards of 120 out of
the day's list. Such, however, was the result this day.
Under these circumstances, he would venture to propose
that the House should continue the s}stem of the
Speaker taking the chair from twelve to three, for
the purposes he had mentioned, and that the paper
made out each morning as the list of Members desirous
of presenting petitions should be confined to that
day only. The particular advantage which would result
from this would he, that every gentleman who wished to
present petitions, referable to the subject matter of peti-
tions on that day, would almost be certain of having the
opportunity to present them. He would he present, and if
present the opportunity would be afforded. If that list
were not exhausted at three o'clock, he (the Speaker)
would be quite ready to receive remaining petitions after
public business was over in the evening. From day
to day, then, according to this arrangement, a new
paper should be made out. One alteration be
wou'd naturally suggest, that instead of the paper
being open at ten o'clock, as in former sessions, giving
obviously an undue advantage to those who lived in proxi-
why to the House—it should be at eleven ;he did not
doubt that one hour's entering of names would be
quite sufficient to furnish a sufficient number for
the presentation of three hours' petitions.—(Hear hear.)
The House would see that in making this proposition, he
was only desirous of giving efficiency to the plan which
had been adopted—(Elear, hear)—and in no way anxious
to diminish his personrd attendance in that House—
(Hear,
he was satisfied that the plan lie
had now proposed would completely gain the object
originally contemplated by the early sitting—namely,
being able tc, go to public business at five o'clock.--( Hear.)
Mr. LITTLETON said that in last session of Parlia-

mer.i, although there were no Election Committees sit-
(mg, there had been, up to the Qd of April, only 926
petitions presented, but in this session, as a proof of
the advantage which had accrued from the early
sittings, no fewer than 2,456 had been presented.—(Hear,
hear.) He would make a suggestion in reference to what
had been proposed by the Speaker, that in place of the
open from 11 till 12, it should only he open at
half-past 11. It was obvious that those who resided at a
list being
distance would, if the list was open at 11, be obliged to loiter
about the House till 12, whereas, if from half-past 11 till
12 only were allowed, which would be sufficient, that in-
convenience would be obviated.

The SPEAKER was only anxious to direct the attention
of the House to the subject. From 10 till 12 was utterly in-
commensurate with the time which was required and gave a I
unfair priority to those who resided near the House. He
thought half-past eleven would be the best and most con-
venient time for the paper to lie on the table.
Mr. R. TREVOR did not think if the plan now pro-
posed were adopted, there would be any necessity for re-
ceiving petitions after the business was despatched in the
evening sitting.
The SPEAKER said that the occasion might not only
justify, but call for it. A Bill might he in progress against
which petitions were presented between twelve and three.
At five o'clock that Bill came on at a particular stage,
Orl which there might be an
adjournment, Its that case,