IV. THE KING'S MESSAGES. Nov. 4. In Answer to the Address from the Lords Page 195 200 In Answer to the Address from the Commons on opening the V. ADDRESSES TO THE KING. Nov. 2. In Answer to his Majesty's Speech on opening the Session- In Answer to his Majesty's Speech on opening the Session- 18 57 VI. LISTS OF DIVISIONS IN THE HOUSE OF COMMONS. Nov. 11. LIST of the Minority, in the House of Commons, of twenty-four, on the Motion to Repeal the Sub-letting Act (Ireland).. 409 --- of the Minority, in the House of Commons, on Sir Henry Parnell's Motion to reduce the Duty on Wheat imported into the West-India Islands 12. 15. of the Majority, Minority, and Absentees, in the House of 484 549 PARLIAMENTARY tleman of the House. {COMMONS} quired as Speaker, a Gentleman able to Mr. N.Calvert said, that the House represerve order in its proceedings, well acquainted with constitutional law, and with all the forms of the House; endowed with good temper, and of great impartiality. its proceedings before the eyes of the coun- | in the eyes of the country, which that genSpeaker. try, in its relations to the other House of tleman did not possess. His merits were Parliament, and in its communications known to all the Members, and to the with the Throne itself. They ought to country at large. He would not further choose a person who was capable, both by trespass on their time, but at once prohis public talents and his private virtues, pose "That the right hon. Charles Manners to confer dignity on the proceedings of Sutton be chosen Speaker." Parliament. In calling on the Members to make such a choice, he should not have thought himself entitled to claim their attention, had he not been assured that the Gentleman to whom he should propose that they should do the honour of offering the chair was a person already well acquainted with all the great inter- of access, and whose gentlemanly manests and with all the wishes of the House; ners would ensure him the support of all He should be a person easy and that he was only giving expression to the Members, and to whom all might with a desire which must be felt by every Gen-pleasure refer all doubtful points, particu choose a person of a high description, who over the list of representatives, and he had They ought to larly of private business. He had looked was impressed with a necessity of pre- not been able to find one gentleman so serving order in their proceedings, who well qualified to fill the office of Speaker had abilities to preserve that order, and as his right hon. friend, Mr. Manners Sutwho had, moreover, eloquence, grace, and ton, and he therefore had great pleasure dignity, to give effect to the proceedings of in seconding the Motion. the House. He should be a person of great constitutional knowledge, well versed in the orders and forms of proceeding of the House, able to express the sentiments of the House as well to an individual appearing at the bar as to the other great branches of the Legislature. Besides the knowledge which was requisite to fill this great office efficiently, it was necessary, as every Member knew who had been engaged in private business, that the Speaker should be a gentleman of frank, conciliating, intelligent manners, not only able to give effect to the public acts of the House, but to give that information to individual Members which was necessary to facilitate the performance of their duties. There was no one qualification necessary and proper to execute the duties of this high office which had not been exhibited, as the House and the country well knew, by the right hon. Gentleman who had filled it for four successive Parlia- been my pride to be the servant of the Mr. Manners Sutton: Long as it has ments, and who had in an exemplary man- House, and frequently as I have had occaner performed those duties, both private sion to address it, yet it is impossible for and public, which it was so important to me entirely to divest myself of embarrassthe House should be well performed. He ment, and not to feel some distrust of might say a great deal more in his praise, myself in returning my thanks to my acquaintance, it must be known to every the House as a fit and proper person for but it was unnecessary, when, from long hon. friends who have proposed me to Member of former Parliaments, that there the high office of Speaker, as well as for Me not one virtue, nor any species of abi- the terms in which they were pleased to there was a time when, from the state of public affairs, it was necessary, in order Sir Joseph Yorke observed, that if ever to gain the confidence of the Members, and give full effect to the proceedings of the House, that they ought to choose a proper person as Speaker, the present was the time. He concurred in all that had fallen from the Mover and Seconder. He was sure that there was not in the House a single person better qualified-that there amidst all the Members of the House, men of talents, of different professions, of great was no one equal, he would not say-for virtue and integrity, some equally proper person might be found; but he must say, that from the great suavity of the individual named, as well as his great knowledge, he was a fit and proper person to fill the Chair in as tremendous times as ever any man was called to fill it in. lity necessary to fill that high station, and express their sentiments of me; I must give effect to the proceedings of the House also acknowledge the speech of the Gal country, which possess. His Members, and He would time, but at -ht hon. Charles Speaker," aid, that the a Gentleman a =proceeding stitutional las the House; a and of great 1 be a perso e gentleman: the supp whom all Stful points, pr ss. He had tatives, and one gentless office of S Mr. Mannes ad great p rved, that d from the s essary, in f the Mas proced ht to chas the presc all that's econder in the H -that the not sa House ns, of s ally p {OCT. 27} 6 Business of the House. decisions had been given with the strictest impartiality, and received with satisfaction by the House. But the right hon. Gentleman's merits were so familiarly known to all the Members, that it was unnecessary for him to say more. The unanimous vote of that evening secured the devotion of the House to its Speaker, and it was impossible that the public and the country should not find that, in addressing the Members, the unanimity would give authority to his opinions and weight to his decision. lant Admiral, and his great kindness and tended to the public business, to a subject which urgently demanded attention, to which he had on former occasions adverted He some arrangement by which the private business should be separated from the public business, securing to the latter a ADJOURNMENT BUSINESS OF THE sufficient time for its discussion. HOUSE.] Sir Robert Peel, in moving only wished, however, to throw out some that the House do adjourn, begged to take hints on this subject for reflection during that opportunity of offering to the Speaker the week. He was confident, that unless his most sincere congratulations at the some arrangement were made, by which unanimity with which he had obtained an the private business should be postponed honour he so well deserved. He begged or brought forward on separate and disalso to congratulate the House that it was tinct nights, or by which the time of the enabled to place in the chair, a Gentle- House should not be occupied in hearing man of great experience in public busi-petitions from individuals on private subness, and well entitled, by his conduct injects, or expressing their individual opithe Chair, to the approbation and confi- nions on public affairs, he was confident, dence of the House. In the fourteen unless something was done to call on pubyears which had elapsed since he had lic business at a reasonable hour, that been first placed in that situation, he be- they would not be able to get through lieved that during those fourteen years with it. He wished merely to direct the there had been only one single day in attention of Members to this subject, and which the right hon. Gentleman had should be ready to support any proposition asked, or rather consented, to a remission which would secure to the country, that of his public labours. No considerations a proper share of the time of its Repreof personal convenience-no consideration sentatives should be devoted to its busiof his private affairs-nothing but the ness. claims of private affliction, could make him even consent to abstract that day from the public service. During these fourteen years, whatever might have been the conflict of parties, all his opinions and all his HOUSE OF LORDS, The Lord Chancellor, the Earl of Rosslyn, Earl Bathurst, Lord Ellenborough, 12 of the country the property of my subjects | thought he should but ill discharge his 66 'I cannot view without grief and indignation the efforts which are industriously made to excite among my people a spirit of discontent and disaffection, and to disturb the concord which happily prevails between those parts of my dominions, the union of which is essential to their common strength and common happiness. "I am determined to exert to the utmost of my power all the means which the Law and the Constitution have placed at my disposal, for the punishment of sedition, and for the prompt suppression of outrage and disorder. "Amidst all the difficulties of the present conjuncture, I reflect with the highest satisfaction on the loyalty and affectionate attachment of the great body of my people. duty to their Lordships and the subject if he attempted to burthen it with many that his Majesty would have, from the observations of his own. He felt assured assurance that he would not be mistaken voice of a unanimous Parliament, the full in the confidence with which he treated racter had taken place since their Lordthem. Events of an extraordinary chaships had last assembled together in that House; but those events, though of so notorious a character that his Majesty's advisers would have been deserving of blame had they not noticed them, were cluded the details from being made a obviously of a description which presubject of discussion in Parliament. He was persuaded that their Lordships would concur with him in believing that his frankly recommending his Majesty to acMajesty's Ministers had acted properly in and in doing so he was sure that they knowledge the present Monarch of France, acted in accordance with the general wishes of the people of this country. mutual good understanding which so rejoiced-he sincerely rejoiced-at the Powers of France and England: he rehappily existed between the two great joiced at it, because he saw in their mutual good-will the best assurances, the best of Europe. Entering further into his possible pledge for the permanent peace Majesty's Speech, Parliament, he would observe, must find it very agreeable to receive proofs and assurances that all the Powers of Europe had observed their ligations. It was particularly gratifying to see that France was disposed to preserve inviolate the faith of treaties, without doing which a nation might attain a momentary greatness, but could never be permanently prosperous. Their Lordships were aware, that by the additional Article He "I am confident that they justly appreciate the full advantage of that happy form of Government, under which, through the favour of Divine Providence, this country has enjoyed, for a long succession of years, a greater share of internal peace, of commercial prosperity, of true liberty, of all that constitutes social happiness, than has fallen to the lot of any other country of the world. It is the great object of my life to preserve these blessings to my people, and to transmit them unimpaired to posterity; and I am animated in the discharge of the sacred duty which is com- of a Treaty to which we were parties, and mitted to me, by the firmest reliance on the wisdom of Parliament, and on the to which our Ally, France, was also a party -a treaty that was known by its local cordial support of my faithful and loyal name of the Fundamental Law-their subjects." Lordships were aware that by that treaty arrangements were made, by which the Provinces of Belgium were declared to ADDRESS IN ANSWER TO THE SPEECH.] form an integral part of the dominions of The Marquis of Bute said, he rose to move the King of the Netherlands. He saw, their Lordships to agree to an humble Ad- therefore, and he had no doubt their Lorddress to his Majesty, in reply to the ships saw, with much pain, the wretched read to the House-a Speech so frank, so particularly as the king of that country affectionate and consolatory, that he had called together an extraordinary arge his bject if many assured m the he full taken eated cha Lordthat f so Sty's - of =ere re a He ld is n meeting of the States General, hoping, by disorder had manifested themselves in cur, as they would in the prayer he addressed to Almighty God, that the period might never arrive when any enactment on this subject would be brought into operation. Parliament could not have better instructions for the framing of a measure upon this subject than the manly and constitutional declaration which his which it ought to proceed. He knew well that their Lordships were strictly bound to consider the Speech delivered from the Throne as the composition of Ministers; but if ever there was an occasion which would justify the supposition that the sentiments uttered by his Majesty were the sentiments of the individual who delivered them, it was the present. He thought he might venture to say, that the Speech which they had heard that day, and the declaration they had heard of his Majesty's principles, with the measure he had recommended them to adopt, was decidedly the language of the heart. He |