(3) Poor Law Amendment Bill, 1879.—To insert in this bill, which was confined to the English law, provisions which amended and repealed the Scotch poor law.1 (4) The Game Laws Amendment (Scotland) Bill, 1879.—To insert clauses which extended the operation of the bill to England.2 (5) Crofters (Scotland) Bill, 1886.-To extend the scope of the bill, which was limited to the highlands and islands of Scotland, to other parts of Scotland.3 (6) Agricultural Land Rating Bill, 1896.-To extend the operation of the bill to Ireland.1 (7) County Councils (Bills in Parliament) Bill, 1903. To extend the bill to Scotland. ADDRESSES FROM THE CHAIR REGARDING INSTRUCTIONS. The following statement regarding procedure on instructions was made by the Speaker, in deference to an application made to him in the house: "I have naturally, within the last few weeks, given special attention to the subject, and if the right hon. gentleman and the house will permit me, I would like to state my views as explicitly as I can to the house. I have searched the precedents connected with instructions. The house will perhaps be best put in the possession of my views on the subject when I say that there is a very vast and material difference between an instruction to the committee, and an amendment on the second reading of a bill, such as a resolution which traverses the principle of the bill. When a bill has been read a second time, the house has assented to the principle of the bill. In the last few years a standing order has been passed, stating that when the house is prepared to go into committee, the Speaker is to leave the chair without question put: but there is a reservation made with regard to instructions to the committee. It would be obvious to the house, that if an instruction moved on that occasion were to traverse the principle of the bill, or go so far outside the limits and scope and framework of the bill, so as to set up an alternative scheme, or a counter proposition to the bill, that would virtually be a second reading debate over again. It would be an amendment to the principle of the bill, and would therefore reduce to a minimum, and would nullify altogether, the provision which the house has passed in the standing order which states that, when the house is prepared to go into committee, I should leave the chair at once without any question put. There is nothing in the precedents, I believe, which go beyond an instruction of this nature-an instruction to amplify the machinery of the bill to carry out the general purpose and scope of the bill within the general framework and idea of the bill. There is no instruction, that I am aware of, certainly not since the alteration in the standing order, which could be construed into the traversing of the principle of the second reading of a bill.”1 During session 1890, instructions to the number of seven, ten, and fifteen, were put down to three bills, several of the instructions standing in the name of the same member. An amendment of a closure nature to restrain the further proposal of instructions to one of these bills (see p. 219, n. 3) was proposed in consequence. The Speaker's attention having been called to the unusual form of this amendment, he made the following statement :— "The house is indebted to the right hon. gentleman for having called attention to this matter. No doubt the amendment standing in the name of the right hon. gentleman, the president of the local government board, is not out of order. It resembles the motion familiar to the house, that the house do pass to the orders of the day, by which the house disembarrasses itself of matter which it does not wish to pass judgment on, and proceeds to its appointed business. The motion, I acknowledge, is primâ facie to be regarded with some suspicion as a form of closure: but on the other hand, I must call the attention of the house to the fact that there are a great number of instructions on the paper, more than one, I think, being in the name of the same hon. member. This is the first session, I think, that this practice has been extensively adopted, and there are two other bills in regard to which notices of a still larger number of instructions have been given. In my opinion the house ought to take notice of this. The new rule that the Speaker should leave the chair without question being put, would obviously be somewhat modified, if not robbed altogether of force, if a great number of instructions are put down so as to prevent the Speaker from leaving the chair-instructions which, in the case before us, might occupy the house for several sittings; and if one hon. member is to be entitled to put down more than one instruction in his name, it gives him a greater right of speaking than he has on the second reading of the bill itself." 2 1 345 H. D. 3 s. 347. See also the Speaker's rulings on the series of instructions moved on the Representation of the People Bill, 1860, 158 ib. 1951-1988; the Local Government (England and Wales) Bill, 1888, 326 ib. 1440; Private Bill Procedure (Scotland) Bill, 1891, 352 ib. 154; Elementary Education Bill, 1891, 354 ib. 1870. See also Mr. Speaker's rulings (Government of Ireland Bill), 5th and 8th May, 1893, 12 Parl. Deb. 4 s. 205. 345; Tithe Rent-Charge (Rates) Bill, 1899, 74 ib. 325; London Water (Recommitted) Bill, 1902, 111 ib. 9. 19. 2nd May, 1890, 314 H. D. 3 s. 39 C. J. 842, 17th Dec. 1783, East India affairs. III. EXAMPLES OF AMENDMENTS TO PROPOSED AMENDMENTS. For leaving out words of Proposed Amendments, such Amendments being to omit words from the Question. A MOTION was made, and the question being proposed, "That it is necessary to the most essential interests of this kingdom, and peculiarly incumbent on this house, to pursue, with unremitting attention, the consideration of a suitable remedy for the abuses which have prevailed in the government of the British dominions in the East Indies; and that this house will consider as an abettor of those abuses, and an enemy to his country, any person who shall presume to advise his Majesty to prevent, or in any manner interrupt, the discharge of this important duty; And an amendment being proposed to be made to the question, by leaving out the words, "and that this house will consider as an abettor of those abuses, and an enemy to his country, any person who shall presume to advise his Majesty to prevent, or in any manner interrupt, the discharge of this important duty;" An amendment was proposed to be made to the said proposed amendment, by leaving out the words, an abettor of those abuses, and." And the question being put, "That the words, 'an abettor of those abuses, and,' stand part of the said first proposed amendment: "-it passed in the negative. Then the question being put, "That the said amendment, so amended, ' and that this house will consider as an enemy to his country any person who shall presume to advise his Majesty to prevent, or in any manner interrupt, the discharge of this important duty,' stand part of the question ;"-it was resolved in the affirmative. Then the main question, so amended, being put— Resolved, "That it is necessary to the most essential interests of this kingdom, and peculiarly incumbent on this house, to pursue, with unremitting attention, the consideration of a suitable remedy for the abuses which have prevailed in the government of the British dominions in the East Indies; and that this house will consider as an enemy to his country any person who shall presume to advise his Majesty to prevent, or in any manner interrupt, the discharge of this important duty." 123 C. J. MOTION MADE, and question proposed, "That when the Anglican 159, 7th Church in Ireland is disestablished and disendowed, it is right and May, 1868, Established necessary that the grant to Maynooth and the Regium Donum be disChurch continued; and that no part of the secularized funds of the Anglican (Ireland). Church, or any state funds whatever, be applied in any way, or under any form, to the endowment or furtherance of the Roman Catholic religion in Ireland, or to the establishment or maintenance of Roman Catholic denominational schools or colleges;" Amendment proposed, to leave out from the first word "That" to the end of the proposed resolution, in order to add the words, "when legislative effect shall have been given to the first resolution respecting the Established Church of Ireland, it is right and necessary that the grant to Maynooth and the Regium Donum be discontinued." Question put, "That the words proposed to be left out stand part of the proposed resolution; "—it passed in the negative. Question proposed, "That the words, 'when legislative effect shall have been given to the first resolution respecting the Established Church of Ireland, it is right and necessary that the grant to Maynooth and the Regium Donum be discontinued,' be added, instead thereof." Amendment proposed to the said proposed amendment, by adding, at the end thereof, the words, "due regard being had to all personal interests." Question, "That those words be there added; "-put, and agreed to. Amendment proposed to the said proposed amendment, as amended, by adding, at the end thereof, the words, “and that no part of the endowments of the Anglican Church be applied to the endowment of the institutions of other religious communions." Question put, "That those words be there added;"-it passed in the negative. Question, "That the words, 'when legislative effect shall have been given to the first resolution respecting the Established Church of Ireland, it is right and necessary that the grant to Maynooth and the Regium Donum be discontinued, due regard being had to all personal interest,' be added to the word 'That' in the original question;' put, and agreed to. Original question, as amended, "That when legislative effect shall have been given to the first resolution respecting the Established Church of Ireland, it is right and necessary that the grant to Maynooth and the Regium Donum be discontinued, due regard being had to all personal interests; "-put, and agreed to. 134 C. J. THE ORDER of the day being read for the committee of supply; And a motion being made, and the question being proposed, "That 136, 4th Mr. Speaker do now leave the chair;" April, 1879, An amendment was proposed to be made to the question, by leaving (Import out from the word "That" to the end of the question, in order to add Duty on the words, "the Indian import duty on cotton goods, being unjust alike Cotton). to the Indian consumer and the English producer, ought to be abolished, and this house is of opinion that the expenditure incurred for the Afghan War affords no satisfactory reason for the postponement of the promised remission of this duty," instead thereof. And the question being put, "That the words proposed to be left out stand part of the question; "-it passed in the negative. And the question being proposed, "That the words, 'the Indian import duty on cotton goods, being unjust alike to the Indian consumer and the English producer, ought to be abolished, and this house is of opinion that the expenditure incurred for the Afghan War affords no 140 C. J. 71, 27th March, 1885, Egypt and the Soudan. satisfactory reason for the postponement of the promised remission of this duty,' be added, instead thereof;" An amendment was proposed to be made to the said proposed amendment, by leaving out from the word "goods" to the end of the question, in order to add the words, "is a tax which ought ultimately to be abolished; but that, in view of the present state of Indian finances, it is highly inexpedient to deal with the matter at the present moment," instead thereof. And the question being put, "That the words, 'being unjust alike to the Indian consumer and the English producer, ought to be abolished, and this house,' stand part of the said proposed amendment;"—it was resolved in the affirmative. And the question being put, "That the words, 'is of opinion that the expenditure incurred for the Afghan War affords no satisfactory reason for the postponement of the promised remission of this duty,' stand part of the said proposed amendment; "-it passed in the negative. Another amendment was proposed to be made to the said proposed amendment, by adding after the words, "this house," the words, "accepts the recent reduction in these duties as a step towards their total abolition, to which her Majesty's government are pledged." And the question being put, "That those words be there added; "it was resolved in the affirmative. And the question being put, "That the words, 'the Indian import duty on cotton goods, being unjust alike to the Indian consumer and the English producer, ought to be abolished, and this house accepts the recent reduction in these duties as a step towards their total abolition, to which her Majesty's government are pledged,' be added to the word 'That' in the original question; "-it was resolved in the affirmative. Then the main question, so amended, being put Resolved, "That the Indian import duty on cotton goods, being unjust alike to the Indian consumer and the English producer, ought to be abolished, and this house accepts the recent reduction in these duties as a step towards their total abolition, to which her Majesty's government are pledged." THE ORDER of the day being read, for resuming the adjourned debate on the amendment which, upon the 23rd day of this instant February, was proposed to be made to the question, "That an humble address be presented to her Majesty, humbly representing to her Majesty that the course pursued by her Majesty's government, in respect to the affairs of Egypt and the Soudan, has involved a great sacrifice of valuable lives and a heavy expenditure without any beneficial result, and has rendered it imperatively necessary, in the interests of the British Empire and the Egyptian people, that her Majesty's government should distinctly recognize, and take decided measures to fulfil, the special responsibility now incumbent on them to assure a good and stable government to Egypt and to those portions of the Soudan which are necessary to its security;" And which amendment was, to leave out from the first word "That" to the end of the question, in order to add the words, "this house, while refraining from expressing an opinion on the policy pursued by |