FORMS OF PROCEEDING.
THE mode of proceeding in the House of Commons in respect of its various business—Bills Public and Private, Petitions, and Motions—is as follows-
1. When a member purposes the introduction of any bill, whether for the ainel.thrient or abrogation of an existing law, or for the purpose of making some additional provisions to those already in force, he gives notice, generally in writing, of his intention to the Nouse, which no- tice is printed in the Votes for the information of the members.
2. On the day fixed for making the motion of which notice has been given, the member brietly states the principle and purpose of his bill, and moves the House for leave to introduce it. If the House consent, arm order for its introduction is made; and that task is confided to two or more members, of whom the member who gave the notice is one.
3. The bill in manuscript being brought into the House, the intro- ducers move the House that it be read a first time. The question for discussion on the second and third step are precisely the satne,—namely, whether the House will entertain the bill atoll; for, as yet, the House kfiows nothing of it, save what has been stated to them by the intro- ducer. If the first reading be agreed to, that motion is followed by an order for the printing of the bill, and a day is fixed for the second reading.
4. 011 the second reading, the question submitted to the House is, whether, taken as a whole, the end and purpose of the bill is such as i may be properly entertained. As this s a question of principle, and not of detail, the entire bill must at this stage be accepted or rejected. If the bill pass the second reading, an order is made, and a day appointed, for its being committed to a Committee of the whole House.
5. On going into Committee, the Speaker leaves the Chair, and the Chairman of Committees presides, not in the Chair, but at the head of the table, .on the seat usually occupied by the First Clerk. The House then proceeds to consider the bill clause by clause, either in the order
in which the clauses stand, or in any other which may be deemed Most convenient. If there be not time for the consideration of all the clauses at one sitting, the Speaker having again taken the Chair, the Chairman of Committees reports the progress that has been made, and asks leave to sit again. When all the clauses are gone through, he brings up the Report, that is, the bill with all the amendments made in it by the Committee, and a day is fixed for taking the Report into consideration.
6. The question in considering the Report is, whether the amend- ments, alterations, omissions and additions made in Committee shall receive the sanction of the House; and whether for all or any of them shall not be substituted certain other amendments, alterations, omis- sions, and additions. If the latter be numerous, it is usual to send the bill to the Committees second time, or to re-commit it, as it is termed. When the Report has been considered, and approved of, the bill is ordered to be fairly written out or engrossed, and a day is fixed for the third reading.
7. The question on the third reading is similar in substance to the question on the first reading,-namely, whether as a whole the House will entertain the bill with the various alterations that have been made in it. If the third reading be agreed to, the House proceeds to consider whether it shall pass the bill to which it has agreed.
8. Previous to the question of the bill's being passed, any number of amendments may be made in the bill by way of "rider ;" but these amendments must be purely additive; and, for the most part, they respect the machinery only. The passing of the bill is simply its transmission to the Lords, if it have not been there already ; or its re- transmission thither, in order to the Royal assent being given to it.
These are the ordinary steps of a PUBLIC BILL. Sometimes, instead of a Committee of the whole House, where the allegations of the advocates or opponents of the bill' require minute sifting, a Public Bill is committed to a Select Committee to consider and report. PRIVATE BILLS are introduced on petition instead of notice ; and, if any Opposition be signified, the first step is to refer the petition to a Select Committee, in order to inquire how far the preamble is true, and if the orders respecting Private Bills have all been complied with. If the Committee report favourably, the bill is read a first time, and goes through the other steps, in the same manner and order as a Public Bill. In regard to PETITIONS, the department of House of Commons busi- ness next in importance to Bills, there are three motions,-1. The bringing up, that is, the introduction of the Petition to the House. 2. The laying upon the table, that is, its reception. 3. The printing. It is not usual to print petitions that do not contain some matter of fact or argument that is of importance ; and there is a rule against printing the petitions of individuals. .In moving for RETURNS, if the information be in the power of the House, it is at once ordered; if not, the House address the King, and the Ministers give the required information, if obtainable. Returns are laid.on the table in manuscript; any member may move to have them Printed. Chairmen of Committees of Inquiry present the Reports of their several Committees without special motion. There are also cer- tain Returns made by Act of Parliament, which require no special motiou for their production. There are three ways in which a MoTtoN maybe rejected,—lst, by a direct negative ; 2d, by a motion of adjournment ; 3d, by the previous question. When the question is put, "that this bill be now read a second time," those who are against the bill may, according to the first method, simply negative the question ; but the more usual way is to move that the question be altered by leaving out the words after " that," and inserting the words " a second time this day six [or three] months." The question pat to the House in this case, is whether the won's proposed to he left out shall stand part of the question or not. The pre v us question is chiefly tired in respect of resolutions or mo-
tions t'or met MIMS. 111,t0:111 of simply rejecting the resolution, it is got rid of by moving that tho question ii 'r its adoption be not put to the House at that time. In bills that have rissed the Lords bei.ore coming to the Commons, no motion for leave to liming in is reqziircd, and the first reading is always conceded as matter of corn U's. The Lords observe the same rule in respect of hills that have passed the Commons. At every step in the progress of a 1311.1,, it may be opposed ; and, if the House see lit, rijeettal. in Committee, every clause, every hoe, every word may be made the subject of a question. At every st,p of its pro- gress in the limit m.c, it is competent for a member to olov: the indefinite adjournment of the debate or of the J louse, and he may renew this mo- tion of adjournment as often as he pleases. In the eionmittal of the Reform Bill, the session before last, Sir C1IArt-.1:s Wurruratirr., Mr. PRAE0, and others, on the question of the SFea'cer's leaving the Chair, contrived, by motions of adjournment. to keep the Ilmise sitting until seven in the wonting. The number of motions made were eight, on each of which Omen! Ni•as a delmo. In committee, instead of the mo- tion for actimirmnent, a member mav on :re that progress be reported ; which amounts to the SEIM! thing. During the late session, Mr. SHAW, member for Dublin, in Committee on the " Party Processions Bill," divided the house tv.-enty.four times.
In the House,—that is, when the Speaker is in the Chair,—a mem- ber can only speak once, unless by way of explanation ; or, in the case of the mover of the question, by way of reply. In Committee, a mem- ber may speak an indefioite number of times. A member may, how- ever, speak not only on the main question, but on all such questions as arise incidentally in time course of the debate. In one of the many dis- cussions that signalized the close of Lord CASTLEREAGH'S Alinistry, Mr. AMBTON, ILOW Lord Dunn.ot, raised a debate on the seemingly matter-of-course motion, that fresh candles should be lighted,—the House having nearly sat the old ones out; and, by so doing, compelled the Ministry to adjourn the main question until another day.
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