I think, Sir, it is but respectful to the House that I should formally announce to them that of which, no doubt, every Gentleman present is already cognisant;—that in consequence of the vote which a week ago the House was pleased to arrive at, Lord Derby and his colleagues felt it their duty immediately to tender the resignation of their offices to Her Majesty, and that Her Majesty has been graciously pleased to accept the same. So that at the present moment they hold, and for some days past they have held, those offices only until their successors are appointed. The noble Lord the Member for Tiverton has received the commands of Her Majesty to form an Administration, and I believe he has accomplished the task. Under these circumstances, I feel that it will be for the convenience of the House—and also of the noble Lord—that I should move that the House at its rising adjourn until Tuesday next. I fix Tuesday because that is the last day on which election petitions can be received. Should any further adjournment be necessary those who succeed us will then have the opportunity of moving it.

(Colonel Forester) reported Her Majesty's Answer to the Address, as follows:

appealed to the hon. and learned Gentleman to postpone the Bill until the new Government were present to express their opinion upon it.

said, he saw no reason for postponing the measure.

urged the inconvenience of proceeding with the Bill under the circumstances in which the House was placed with regard to the Government, and added that there was an objection in point of form. The Bill interfering with revenue ought to have emanated from a Committee of the whole House.

said, he had consulted the legal advisers of the Treasury, and was assured there was no objection either in point of form or substance.

said, he thought the best way would be to adjourn the debate for a fortnight.

objected. Three times a Bill had been brought in to increase the salary of the late Mr. Serjeant Adams who held the office a long time, and was a most efficient Judge, and it was rejected; a very distinguished person succeeded that learned Judge, and he had never applied for an increase; and although he admitted the high talents of the learned Judge recently appointed (Mr. Bodkin) he did not think that any sufficient reason for the proposed increase could be shown which could not exist with reference to his two predecessors. It was suggested that the new Judge would give up his private practice; but there was no necessity for that, for he had plenty of leisure time and had two Assistants.

thought the Bill ought not to be proceeded with in the abeyance of the Government.

observed that the Assistant Judge was often called upon to decide upon important questions connected with the poor law; and what could be more unseemly and inconvenient than that he should previously have given as a Barrister his opinion upon the points he had to determine as a Judge? It should be recollected that the practice which the Assistant Judge would have to surrender under the new arrangement was probably worth more than £1000 a year.

begged to confirm this statement.

was in favour of the Bill, but thought that it ought not to be proceeded with in the absence of the new Government.