BILL. 



presentment, thereby signifying, that 

 they find the same made with probable 

 evidence, and on that account worthy 

 of further consideration. 



BrLLw parliament, a paper containing 

 propositions offered to the Houses to be 

 passed by them, and then presented to 

 the King to pass into a law. To bring a 

 bill into the House, if the relief sought 

 by it is of a private nature, it is first neces- 

 sary to prefer a petition ; which must be 

 presented by a member, and usually sets 

 forth the grievance desired to be reme- 

 died. This petition (when founded on 

 facts that may be in their nature disputed) 

 is referred to a committee of members 

 who examine the matter alleged, and ac- 

 cordingly report it to the House, and 

 then (or, otherwise, upon the mere peti- 

 tion) leave is given to bring in the bill. 

 In public matters, the bill is brought in 

 upon motion made to the House, without 

 any petition at all. The persons directed 

 to bring in the bill present it in a compe- 

 tent time to the House, drawn out on pa- 

 per, with a multitude of blanks or void 

 spaces, where any thing occurs that is 

 dubious, or necessary to be settled by the 

 Parliament itself, (such, especially, as the 

 precise date of times, the nature and 

 quantity of penalties, or of any sums of 

 money to be raised,) being, indeed, only 

 the skeleton of the bill. In the House of 

 Lords, if the bill begins there, it is, (when 

 of a private nature j referred to two of the 

 judges, who examine and report the state 

 of the facts alledged, to see that all neces- 

 sary parties consent,and to settle all points 

 of technical propriety. This is read a first 

 time, and, at a convenient distance, a se- 

 cond time ; and, after each reading, the 

 Speaker opens to the House the substance 

 of the bill, and puts the question, whe- 

 ther it shall proceed any farther? The in- 

 troduction of the bill may be originally 

 opposed, as the bill itself may, at either 

 of the readings ; and if the opposition 

 succeeds, the bill must be dropped for 

 that session ; as it must also, if opposed 

 with success in any of the subsequent 

 stages. After the second reading, it is 

 committed ; that is, referred to a commit- 

 tee: which is either selected by the House, 

 in matters of small importance, or else, 

 upon a bill of consequence, the House 

 resolves itself into a committee of the 

 whole House. A committee of the whole 

 House is composed <if every member ; 

 and, to form it, the Speaker quits the 

 chair, (another member being appointed 

 chairman,) and may sit and debate as a 

 private member. In these committees, 



the bill is debated, clause by clause, 

 amendments made, the blanks filled up, 

 and sometimes the bill entirely new mo- 

 delled. After it has gone through the 

 committee, the chairman reports it to the 

 House, with such amendments as the com- 

 mittee have made ; and then the House 

 considers the whole bill again, and the 

 question is repeatedly put upon every 

 clause and amendment. When the House 

 has agreed, or disagreed to the amend- 

 ments of the committee, and sometimes 

 added new amendments of its own, the 

 bill is then ordered to be engrossed, or 

 written in a strong gross hand on one or 

 more long rolls (or presses) of parch- 

 ment sewed together. When this is fi- 

 nished, it is read a third time, and amend- 

 ments are sometimes then made to it ; 

 and if a new clause be added, it is done 

 by tacking a separate piece of parchment 

 on the bill, which is called a ryder. The 

 Speaker then again opens the contents ; 

 and in holding it up in his hands puts the 

 question, ^whether the bill shall pass? If 

 this is agreed to, the title to it is then set- 

 tled ; which used to be a general one for 

 all the acts passed in the session, till in 

 the fifth year of Henry VIII. distinct ti- 

 tles were introduced for each chapter. 

 After this, one of the members is directed 

 to carry it to the Lords, and desire their 

 concurrence ; who, attended by several 

 more, carries it to the bar of the House 

 of Peers, and there delivers it to their 

 Speaker, who comes down from the 

 woolsack to receive it. It there passes 

 through the same forms as in the other 

 House (except engrossing, which is al- 

 ready done :) and, if rejected, no more 

 notice is taken, but it passes sub silentio, 

 to prevent unbecoming altercations ; but 

 if it is agreed to, the Lords send a mes- 

 sage by two masters in chancery, (or 

 sometimes two .-f the judges,) that they 

 have agreed to the same, and the bill re- 

 mains with the Lords, if they have made 

 no amendments to it ; but if any amend- 

 ments are made, such amendments are 

 sent down with the bill, to receive the con- 

 currence of the Commons. If the Com- 

 mons disagree to the amendments, a con- 

 ference usually follows between members 

 deputed from each House ; who. for the 

 most part, settle and adjust the difference; 

 but if both Houses remain inflexible, the 

 bill is dropped. If the Commons agree 

 to the amendments, the bill is sent back to 

 the Lords by one of the members, with a 

 message to acquaint them therewith. The 

 same forms are observed, mutatis mutan- 

 dis, when the bill begins in the House of 



