29 SEPTEMBER 1832, Page 42

ATTENDANCE FURTHER ILLUSTRATED.

LISTS of Divisions form no part of the Records of the House ; divisions in Committee, even the numbers are not recorded. We notice the latter fact with reference to the following Table, which contains an account of divisions that took place in the House in the course of last session. We might have included the divisions in Committee, as given in the newspaper reports ; but not a few of them are omitted even there, and we have no means of proving the accu- racy of the rest. We take the last session in preference to any for- mer session, first, because, from the party heats that prevailed, a greater number of divisions than ordinary took place; and secondly, because the attendance, compared with former sessions, may be termed exemplary. The first column in the following table marks the day on which the division took place ; the second, the question on which the House divided ; the third gives the number for and against it as given in the Votes, increased in each case by 4, in order to include the two Tellers on each side ; the fourth gives the difference between the numbers in column third and the con. stant number of 657, being the number of members which constitute the entire House, diminished by the Speaker, who is present, though he be not included in the Division-lists.

Cate. Qaest ion.

No. Presmit. No. Orders.

Motions, PeL. -. Exchequer Court (Scotland) Mu ... .197 ...

5 ... 7

Foreign Enlistment (Portugal) ---- ... 417 ... 240 ... 7 ... 5 14 South Shells Railway ---- .- 0; ... 589

---- 16 -. Tithes (Ireland) 1;5 ...

-l72 ... 8 ... 5 10 Courts-ntrtial 2r;

')84 . 8 . . 5 Iletbrin (England) 186 ... 471 ... 15 ... 2

t1:2 2.1aster of the Rolls (Ireland)

— 176 ... 4'31 ... 13 ... 2:3

27 Bridgewater Canal

— ... 136 ... 491 ... 8 ... 4 Birmingham Hallway — 175 ... 182 ... 2 ... 9 29 Malt Drawback —

02 ....

1113 ... 11 ... 8 March 9 ... Titla2s (Ireland) . 149 603 ... 13 ... 1 Reform. (England) 182 ... 475 ... 4 ... 11 Manclicster Meeting :' 11 416 ... 4 ... 11 Purton Pill Raihvar 151 ... 506 ... 9 ... 10 — Reform (England) - — ... (101 ... 5ti ... 17 ... II

26 South Shields Railway

— ... 6) ... 591 ... 18 ... 6 30 A lalt Drawback — ... 114 ... 543 ... 14 ... 4 April 2 ... Ditto ditto 127 ... 530 ...

2:3 ... 3

3... Highhury Place Road 102 ... 353 ... 9 ... 6 — Nisi Prins Courts (Dublin) 29 ... 028 ... 9 ... I Tithes (Ireland) 144 -. 513 -. -- . - --

10 Registry of Deeds (Ireland)

...

P13

524 ... 9 ... 4

17 Tirhes ( Indand)

... 66 ... 591 ... 1 ... 13 May 11 ... Public Affitirs (the Ministry) 500 ... 157 ... 11 ... (i '23 Norfolk Assizes ... (i1 ... 593 ... 14 ... 4 Slavery ( Negro) ... 257 ... 400... 17 ... I :26 ReMrin (Ireland) ... 350 -. 277 -. — -. -- :30 King's County Aizes 02 565 25 I; ...

:31 Sale of Beer ... / 27 ... 5:30 ... 5 ... 7 June King's County Assizes

Edinburgh Police

74 ... 583 ... 32 ... :1 .13 ... 614 ...

24 ... 1 .. of

103 ... 332

Privileges Parliament

13 Reform (Ireland) ... 199 ....

138 ... 24 ... 4

14 Ditto ditto

... 248 409 ... 4 ... 8

19 Ditto ditto

...

023 .

-1:32

0 6

Division of Counties 198

....

162 ... 16 2 ...

26 Party Processions (Ireland) — ...

143 ....

314 ...

I ... 9

Privileges of Parliament — 1:2:3 . 334 ... 9 10 ...

23 New South Wales — ... 89 ... 568 ... 9 ... 10 July 6 ... Tithes (Ireland) 178 ... 479 ... 22 ... 9 12 Call of the House — ... 223 ... 4:34 ... 24 ... 13 Dutch Loan 444 -. 213 -. 23 -. 5 14 Tithes (Ireland) — ... 130 ... 497 ... — ... — 17 Russian Dutch Loan -- ... 350 ... 307 ... 2... 5 Sheriffs' Expenses — ... 51 ... 606 ... 8 ... I

—25 ... Tithes Composition

97 ... 560 ...

25 ... 2

23 Supply (Maynooth College) ... 137 ... 590 ... 3 ... 2

Aug. 2 ... Tithes (Ireland) 51 ..

603 ... 13 ... 6 —1.3 ... Ditto ditto 55 ... 602 ... 27 ... 6 —8 ... Elective Constituency 72 ... 585 ... 21 ... 4

The above table gives us the greatest number of members that divided on fifty questions on fifty different nights ; and we may safely infer from that fact, the greatest number of members that was present on these nights ; for it is hardly to be expected that a greater number was present at the debate than at the division, unless in a few remarkable instances, in which pairing etook place. The Votes afford no data by which to calculate the amount of these accordant belligerents ; and they may be safely left out yi estimating the average attendance ; for if it be certain, that in four or five cases the attendance at one part of the night exceeded the number that divided, it is no less certain that the number which divided greatly exceeded the number in attendance at another part of the night. That this was the case, we are not left to mere • conjecture. On not a few occasions it has happened that two or more divisions took place, by which we are enabled to state the number of members present at different periods of the same night. The Table which we have just given shows the greatest. The Table that follows shows, where more than one division took place, the smallest as well as the greatest. The contrast in some of the instances is edifying.

Date. Smallest Largest. Date. Smallest Largest. February 23 70 ...... 175 June ... 13 122 ...... 199

March... 23 200 601 19 139 . ..... 225

April .... 3 ...... 74 102 . 22 107 ...... 195 May 11 52 500 July . 17 32 ...... 350

31 46 ..... 127 August 8 ...... 48 ...... Here we have on the 28th February 105 members seceding front their duties in the interval between the two divisions. On the 23a March there is a secession of 401, two-thirds of the entire number; and on the 11th May, of 500 who came down to support the Mi- nisters, only 52 remained to discuss the Anatomy Bill. The most

remarkable instance of this breaking up of the House while its business ',vas yet incomplete, occurs on. the 17th July, where at one part of the night we have a muster of 330, and in a short time afterwards we find the House counted out; the entire number being reduced to 32! There were two noticeable subjects before the Commons that evening,-the one, the announcement of the Speaker that he meant at the dissolution of Parliament to resign the Chair; the other was the statement of the Chancellor of the Exchequer respecting the Civil List, and, other money-matters, in which every person in the kingdom was more or less interested, and concerning which considerable doubt as well as discussion was to be expected.

The Table which follows shows the number of nights on which, from want of attendance, no House could be ,fornted. The mini- mein of absentees on each of these nights was of course 619,-that is, including the Speaker, there were not 40 members present. The fourth column shows that there was at least one important question for discussion, had the members felt inclined to discuss it.

No. of No. of Date. Ordors. hlotions. Leading Questions.

I. Tuesday ... 13 Dee. ... 3 .... 7.... Taxes on Knowledge.

2. Wednesday 18 Jan..- 8 .... 4 .... Russian Dutch Loan.

3, Wednesday 25 Jan..... 12 .... 6 .... East India Company. Committee.

4. Monday.- 12 March. 14 .... 9 .... Navy Consolidation Bill.

5. Thursday.. 29 March . 11 .... 6 .... Col. Torrens's Resolutions.

6. Thursday.. 5 April... 6 .... 7.... Taxes on Knowledge.

7. Thursday.. 12 April... 6 .... 12.... State. of Poland.

S. Tuesday ... 17 April... 0 .... 13 Bank Charter. Committee.

9. Thursday.. 19 July ... 19 .... Il.... Corn-Laws Repeal.

On the subject of attendance, a paper of some curiosity and interest has been drawn up by Mr. RICKMAN, Clerk of the House, for the instruction of the Committee on Petitions which sat during the late session. We have noticed the highest number that divided during the present session to be 601. Mr. RICKMAN'S Table gives the highest numbers that divided on any one ques- tion during the twenty-eight sessions that preceded the last.

LARGEST NUMBER OF MEMBERS PRESENT AT ANY DIVISION OR BALLOT.

Year. Days. Questions. Numbers.

1143. 30 May . . . Clause in Mutiny Bill '3141

I -,cri.

3 April . . Dismissal of Administration

1807. 26 June . . . Address 510 1808. 29 March . . At a Ballot • ;)) 1809. 15 March . . Duke of York's Conduct 497 leln. if) ..Sli:rell . . SAO& Expedition 509 1811. :11 December Creation of Peers by the Regent . 449 1812. 24 April. . . Roman Catholic Question 519 1813. 24 Slay . . . Roman Catholic Rill 501 1814. 22 April . .

Lord Morpeth ,,ysas the Speaker

1383 1815. 23 Slav . . . War against Buonaparte 426 I:316. IS Mai•cli . . Property Tax 443 1817. 2 June . . . Election of a Speaker 470 1518. 11 March . . Indemnity Bill, Habeas Corpus $08 1819. 18 May . . . Committee, State of the Nation. 540 1819. 14 Novemlier Address 5:36 1820. 22 June . . . Resolution regarding Queen Caroline . 520 1821. 26 January . Queen's Name in Liturgy 524 1622. :30 April . . Roman Catholic Peers in Parliament . 495 1823. 24 April . . Reform of Parliament 454 1524. 11 June . . . Condemnation of Missionary Smith . :344 1825. 1 March . . Roman Catholic Claims 483 1826. 27 April. . . Reform of Parliament '373 1827. 6 March . . Roman Catholic Claims 533 1828. 26 February. Corporation and Test Acts Repeal . . 4:35 1529. 18 March . . Roman Catholic Relief Bill, 2.. . . . 531 1830. 17 May . . . Jews' Relief Bill 993 1831. 22 March . .

Reform of Parliament Bill, 20 . . . .

608 1831. 6 July . . .

Reform of Parliament Bill, 20 . . . .

603