resolve itself into such committee. 7. That the report of the committee
be received. 8. That the bill be re-committed. 9. That it be engrossed.
10. That it be read a third time. 11. That it do pass. 12. The title of
the bill. These are quite exclusive of any divisions concerning the
particular days to be appointed for proceeding with any stage of the
measure, or of any proceedings in committee, or any amendments, or any
clauses added to or expunged from the measure in or out of committee."
Thus it is Acts of Parliament often made in one sense are ruled by the
judges to have another, and we have Acts to amend Acts in endless
succession. Tom Moore tells us of an Act of Parliament referring to a
new prison, in which it was stated that the new one should be built with
the materials of the old, and that the prisoners were to remain in the
old prison till the new one was ready. This is an extreme case, but
blunders equally absurd are made every day.

What is the remedy? Why, none other than the panacea recommended by Mr.
Lilwall as applicable to every earthly ill--the Early-closing Movement.
Early closing in the House of Commons would shut up the lawyers, who want
to make long speeches--the diners-out, who enter the House ofttimes in a
state of hilarity more calculated to heighten confusion than to promote
business--the young swells, to whom the House of Commons is a club, and
nothing more. We should have a smaller house, but one more ready to do
business; and if we should lose a few lawyers on promotion, and,
consequently, very industrious, very active, and very eloquent, that loss
would be compensated by the addition to the House of many men of great
talent and political capacity, who cannot stand the late hours and the
heated atmosphere, and the frightfully lengthy speeches, and the furious
partisanship of the House as at present constituted.

I have seen it suggested that a large board should be placed behind the
Speaker's chair; and that when any member makes a point, or advances an
argument, the point or argument, whether for or against the measure,
should be noted down and numbered; that a speaker, instead of repeating
the point or argument, as is now the case, should simply mention the No.
1, 2, or 3, as the case may be, and say, "I vote for the bill because of
No. 1," and so on. We should then have no vain repetitions; business
would be done better, and more speedily; members would not be confused;
the rep