ordered to withdraw, and withdrew accordingly amid
the cheers of the house.—Sir R. H. INGLIS then moved,
as a resolution; that it had been the practice of this
country ever since it had been Christian, to regard all
the members of its supreme legislature, whether Lords
or Commons, as bound by Christian obligations; and,
therefore, when any one approached that table to take
part in the deliberations of that house, he ought not to
be permitted to take such part without first having taken
upon him the obligations of a Christian solemnity.—Mr.
HUME asked if the honourable baronet would have any
objection to embody in his motion the words, that Baron
Rothschild had been chosen and elected by the citizens
of London. This question gave rise to considerable
uproar, in the midst of which Sir R. Inglis's reply, if
he made any, was lost.—A debate ensued which was
adjourned to the Monday following, and Mr. B . OSBORNE
gave notice that on resuming the debate, he should
move, as an amendment, that Baron Rothschild, one of
the members for the City of London, having presented
himself at the bar of the house, and having requested
that an oath should be administered to him on the Old
Testament, the form which he believed to be most
binding on his conscience, that the clerk of the house
be directed to administer to him the oaths of allegiance
and supremacy upon the Old Testament.

PROGRESS OF BUSINESS.

House of Lords.—June 27th. Crime and Outrage Act
Continuance Bill read a third time.

28th.—Drainage and Improvement of Lands Advances Bill
read a third time and passed.—Australian Colonies Bill reported.
—Metropolitan Interments Bill and Board of Health Bill read
a second time.

July 1st.—Parliamentary Voters (Ireland) Bill considered in
committee; Lord Dysart's amendment carried against ministers.

2nd.—Educational Grants, motion for select committee
negatived.

4th.—Metropolitan Interments Bill referred to a select
committee.—Larceny Summary Jurisdiction Bill read a second
time.

5th.—Parliamentary Voters (Ireland) Bill in Committee;
amendment carried against ministers.—Australian Colonies Bill
read a third time and passed.

8th.—General Board of Health Bill passed through Committee.
—Court of Chancery (Ireland) Bill, Factories Bill, County Courts
Extension Bill, and Benefices in Plurality Bill, read a third
time.

9th.—Parliamentary Voters (Ireland) Bill reported.—Electors
(Ireland) Bill and Inspection of Coal Mines Bill, read a second
time.—Metropolitan Interments Bill considered in Committee.—
General Board of Health Bill read a third time and passed.

11th.—Benefices in Plurality Bill read a third time.—Inspection
of Coal Mines Bill committed pro forma.—Larceny
Sunmary Jurisdiction Bill passed through Committee.

12th.—Court of Chancery Bill, Metropolitan Interments Bill,
and Parliamentary Voters (Ireland) Bill, read a third time and
passed.—County Courts Extension Bill referred to a Select
Committee.

15th.—County Rates Extension Bill reported.—Factories Bill
considered in Committee.

16th.—Landlord and Tenant Bill thrown out on second reading.
—Elections (Ireland) Bill reported.—Municipal Corporations
(Ireland) Bill read a third time and passed.

18th.—Elections (Ireland) Bill read a third time and passed.
County Courts Extension Bill considered in Committee.

19th.—Inspection of Coal Mines Bill and Factories Bill read
a third time and passed.

22nd.—Breach of Privilege; parties committed to Newgate.—
County Courts Extension Bill read a third time and passed.

23rd.—Population Bills and Militia Ballot Suspension Bill
read a third time and passed.

25th.—Marriages Bill withdrawn for this session.

House of Commons.—June 28th.—Vote of Confidence; Mr.
Roebuck's motion carried by 310 to 264.

July 2nd.—Landlord and Tenant Bill read a third time and
passed.

4th.—Business of the Session.—Site of Exhibition; Colonel
Sibthorp's and Sir B. Hall's motions negatived.—Home-made
Spirits in Bond Bill read a second time.

5th.—Repeal of Malt Tax; Mr. Carley's motion negatived.—
Railways Abandonment Bill read a third time and passed.

8th.—Mercantile Marine Bill (No. 2) and Ecclesiastical
Commission Bill considered in Committee.—Population Bill passed
through Committee.—Home-made Spirits Bill thrown out on
second reading by 121 to 120.

9th.—Mercantile Marine Bill in Committee.—Mr. Locke
King's motion on the County Franchise negatived.—Mr. Locke's
motion on Sunday Post-office Labour negatived, and amendment
carried.

10th.—Marriage Bill read a third time.

11th.—Convict Prisons Bill read a third time and passed.—

Poor Relief Bill passed through committee.—Mr. Ewart's motlon
against Death-punishment negatived.

12th.—Medical Charities (Ireland) Bill considered in
Committee.—New writs for Tamworth, Southampton, and Devonport.
—Monument to Sir R. Peel.

15th.—Mercantile Marine Bill (No. 2) considered in Committee.
—Attorneys Certificate Bill read a second time.—Ecclesiastical
Commission Bill considered in Committee.—Marriages Bill
passed.

16th.—Mercantile Marine Bill considered in Committee.

17th.—Copyhold Enfranchisement Bill considered in
Committee.—Smoke Prohibition Bill thrown out on second reading.

18th.—Mercantile Marine Bill further considered in
Committee.—Royal Commission of Inquiry into the Universities;
adjournment of debate carried by 160 to 138—Attorneys Certificate
Bill; motion for commitment carried against ministers;
passed through Committee.

19th.—Mercantile Marine Bill further considered in
Committee.—Provision for family of the late Duke of Cambridge.—
Committee of Supply; vote for establishments on Coast of Africa
carried.

22nd.—Mercantile Marine Bill passed through Committee.—
Jews Oath of Allegiance Bill laid aside this session.—Committee
of supply.—Ecclesiastical Commission Bill read a third time and
passed.—Attorneys Certificates Bill thrown out on third reading.

23rd.—Medical Charities (Ireland) Bill considered in
Committee.—Irish Poor Law Amendment Bill brought in.

24th.—Poor Relief (Cities and Towms) Bill withdrawn.—
Compound Householders Bill, and Sunday Trading Prevention Bill,
read a second time.—Copyholds Enfranchisement Bill thrown
out.

25th.—Mercantile Marine Bill, and Medical Cbarities
(Ireland) Bill considered in Committee.—Committee of supply.—
General Board of Health Bill and Charitable Trusts Bill read a
third time and passed.

An illustration of the abuses in the exercise of the
Right of Petition is to be found in a parliamentary
document just issued. The Liverpool Corporation
Water-Works Bill, now pending before the House of
Lords, has been keenly opposed, and a petition, pur-
porting to proceed from 18,000 rate-payers, was pre-
sented against it. In consequence of some suspicious
appearances, this petition was referred to a select com-
mittee, who have reported that a great number of the
names attached to the petition are spurious, and that
the petitioners have no locus standi, and are not entitled
to be heard. The following facts are extracted from
the minutes of evidence:—” Mr. Uriah Phipps, a law-
stationer, swore that from 900 to 1000 of the signatures
were in the handwriting of some copying clerk who had
been employed in his own office. Mr. Arnaud, the
keeper of a spirit vault, described tlie proceedings of
five agents employed to procure signatures. He stated
that these persons did their day's work in his premises.
They filled up the required number of sheets with the
first names that came into their heads; and then took
the sheets into the yard, and threw a bucket of water
over them, and over their own hats, to make it appear
that they had been out, carrying the papers from place
to place in the rain. Between forty and fifty agents
were employed at 4s. 6d?. a day each, and a diligent
agent was expected to bring in three sheetsfuls of names
in a day. One of these men was in the habit of going
to the first house in a court, ascertaining the names of
the inhabitants and putting them all down; another
avowed that he never troubled himself about getting
rate-payers to sign after the first day: " When I found
the thing was so slightly slurred over, I thought it
would be useless to take so much trouble." This man,
whose name is M'Arthur, also gave evidence, which
showed that his employers could scarcely have been
ignorant of his mode of proceeding. This appears from
the following extract:—" When you have been employed
in getting signatures for other petitions in Liverpool,
have you acted in the same manner as this case?—” Yes;
it is quite a common custom. To draw upon your
imagination?—” Yes. It is a common custom, when you
are employed in Liverpool to get signatures to a petition,
to retire to a public-house, and make out an imaginary
list?—” Yes. The parties employing us expect a physical
impossibility. If they do not know that, common sense
ought to teach them." The Lords' committee conclude
their report by saying that " they were imperatively
called upon to "take" measures that might havo a tendency
to deter, for the future, such shameful practices as would
inevitably (if continued) render the right of petitioning