members present was twenty-seven! Two or three junior members of the Government kept possession of the Treasury benches, and some four or five forlorn figures sat at easy distances on the back ministerial seats, conspicuous amongst whom was the stout form of Mr. Childers. Here and there in other parts of the House, sat solitary members, as if doing penance for their political sins. But all the notabilities, including the veteran Premier, had vanished. Mr. Gladstone had sat out part of the debate; so had Mr, Disraeli. Mr. Bright had shewed himself at the door once or twice, but had speedily disappeared again. The sight, of the empty benches seemed to freeze Mr. Adderley's tongue to the roof of his mouth. He had not power to touch his notes when the Speaker rose to put the question from the chair; and it was put as amended by Mr. Baxter in a house of three-fourths of a quorum, and passed in the affirmative. Five minutes after, Mr. Locke King moved the second reading of his Register of Voters' Bill, and the House thereupon was counted out. The process of "counting out" is very different from that of the New South Wales Assembly, and certainly much more sensible.
