Mr. Rigby.

Mr. Rigby faid, he did not rife to advert to any thing let fall by the noble Lord who spoke laft, because the question was not now, how to difpofe of the miniftry; when the miniftry were to be pulled down, and that was the confideratiof the Houfe, he did not doubt but the noble Lord would affift in the work, as indeed he was bound in honour to do. Nor did he rife to talk of the late speaker's good or ill health, as neither the one nor the other was, as far as he faw, a part of the prefent queftion. The House had a motion before them for the election of a speaker, to which office the motion recommended Mr. Cornwall, and to that motion he meant to fpeak. This, he said, was the very first debate in which he had heard it afferted, that there was any thing of infult, difgrace, or contempt to any man, in appointing a speaker, or that any gentleman was either to be called on, or expected to ftate his reasons why he recommended, or why he voted for this or that particular candidate. He had always underftood that when a new Parliament was fummoned, every individual member had a right to give his vote as he pleased for a new fpeaker, and he defied the most learned in the law to prove, that it was any part of the conftitutional law of Parliament, that when a member was once elected to the chair of the House, he was to fit there just as long as he pleased, unless fome charge of criminality could be made out against him. He had fat in that Houfe a great many years, having been fent to Parliament when he was only twenty-two years of age, and he had seen several speakers chofen, but never before heard fuch doctrines broached, as he had heard that day. With regard to the vote of thanks to Sir Fletcher Norton, read from the Journals of 1777, he had at that time expreffed his difapprobation of it, and of the fpeech which occafioned it; he thought then that the speaker went too far, that he was not warranted to make fuch an address to the throne, and that it was flying in the King's face, and he thought the fame now. [A cry, to Order, to Order!] He infifted upon it, he was not disorderly in what he had faid, he had a right to speak of the last Parliament. He could not, he faid, but remark the particular epoch, when the late speaker became the great favourite of thofe who were this day fo loud in his praife. It had been hinted at by a learned gentleman near him [Mr. Dunning] and more directly alluded to by his honourable friend oppofite [Mr. Fox]. The epoch was no other than the period at which the late speaker joined thofe gentlemen, and voted, as they termed it, with the Houfe of Commons. Let the gentlemen remember, however,

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however, that towards the close of the last feffion, the Houfe of Commons altered its opinion and its decifions. A great deal had been faid about the conduct of Sir Fletcher Norton, while fpeaker; perhaps he did not perfectly coincide in all that had been urged on that topic; and for this, and other reafons not fit to be given in that Houfe, was difpofed to fupport the nomination of Mr. Cornwall, for whom he fhould certainly vote. He obferved, that only two matters where urged against the appointment of Mr. Cornwall as objections, and those were, his representing a Cinque Fort, and his being a placeman. With regard to the latter, an honourable friend of his had mentioned Mr. Onflow, but he had forgot that Mr. Onflow was for fome years Treafurer of the Navy, a much better place than that held by Mr. Cornwall, and therefore more defirable! Why Mr. Onflow loft that place, was a matter which bis honourable friend would, perhaps, rather talk over with him in private. As to Mr. Cornwall's reprefenting a Cinque Port, that was to him a very extraordinary objection indeed, and he believed it was the first time it had ever been brought forward in the fhape of an objection. He had always understood that there was no local reprefentation within thofe walls, and that gentlemen were to confider themselves in a different light while they were in the Houfe. He, for inftance, was chosen for the town of Tavistock, but while he was then speaking, he confidered himself as the reprefentative of the people of England, and this idea, he had always understood to be the true conftitutional idea of the House of Commons. In this view therefore the baron of a Cinque Port, and the member for Old Sarum, was either of them as eligible to the chair as the member for the county of York. Grantham was the place which fent Sir John Cuft to Parliament, but it was never talked of as a plea of eligibility or ineligibility, when Sir John Cuft was recommended to the chair. Why then ftart the objection now? The conduct of Sir Fletcher Norton had been loudly applauded, and yet it might not strike every gentleman as it did those who had been fo lavish in delivering its eulogy. One part of his conduct had often appeared to him extremely wrong, and that was, his relaxation of the rules of proceeding with the ordinary business of the House, and his want of ftrictnefs in obferving order, and keeping gentlemen within due bounds. This he had spoken of to the late fpeaker more than once, and he hoped it would be a main object of Mr. Cornwall's attention to restore Parliament to its dignity, by reftoring a strict obfervance of all

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the forms of the Houfe. He remembered Mr. Onflow was remarkable for an opposite conduct, and was faid to have too much buckram in his manner, (to ufe a familiar phrafe.) The younger part of the Houfe complained, that he carried matters with rather too high a hand; the fact however was, the House had then more dignity, its proceedings were more grave and folemn, and people without doors treated it more refpectfully than they had done fince Sir Fletcher Norton had filled the chair. He did not mean this as a fevere cenfure on the late speaker, nor did he mean to fet up his understanding in competition with that of Sir Fletcher Norton; he fhould be a fool to attempt it; he only mentioned it, because he thought, though Mr. Onflow might be too pompous, the extreme oppofite line of conduct was infinitely more liable to be attended with bad confequences. Sir Fletcher Norton's relaxation in the points he had mentioned, he was aware was afcribable to that large fhare of good humour and good nature, which all who knew him, knew he was poffeffed of, and to his having a more elevated turn of mind, than could defcend to the observation of fuch minutia.

Much had been thrown out about the influence of the crown, and the fecret reafons for moving to elect a new fpeaker. To him, who was an old member of that House, all that had been faid on that head made not the smallest impreffion. It might have its effect on younger men, and those who had juft entered thofe walls, but he had fo often heard the fame fort of language from different fets of men on different occasions, that it was thrown away upon him; and as to the mighty fecret, the true cause of moving for a new speaker by one fide of the Houfe, and fupporting the old speaker by the other, it was reducible to a very fimple fact, and when put into plain English, and stripped of the drefs of eloquence, and the ornaments of oratory, was no more than this: "We'll vote for you, if you'll be for us." As to the idea of places and placemen, that language would ever be held, while parties continued, but he fhould hear it with great indifference, till he was told that no perfons were feeking for places. He voted for ministry, and fo did others, because he and they thought well of them, at leaft they knew not where to look for better men to put in their fituations; but whenever an administration could be found out, capable of reftoring unanimity to the country, he, for one, would most chearfully give up his place to the fupport of fuch an admini

ftration.

Mr.

Mr. Fox faid, that fide of the Houfe did not call the hon- Mr. Fox. ourable gentleman to order for speaking of the laft Parliament, but for using the King's name; that he hoped the young members would now fee, that what the newspapers and the country faid, was true, that the King's name was on every occafion used as a fhel:er and a fcreen for minifters. With regard to the last Parliament, moft certainly, he, for one, was difpofed to speak worfe of it than the honourable gentleman probably would do; he held it in deteftation, and he hoped every man in England would do the fame. Mr. Fox dwelt for fome time on the King's name being brought forward on all occafions, indecently, and faid, it was now fo hackneyed, that it was heard of at elections. Having purfued this idea, he very ingenioufly turned what Mr. Rigby had faid refpecting Sir Fletcher Norton's having too elevated a mind to attend to the minutia of Parliamentary bufinefs, against Mr. Cornwall, arguing that the honourable gentleman had recommended Mr. Cornwall to the House, because he was inferior in understanding to the laft fpeaker.

Sir Edward Aftly faid, he fhould vote for the late fpeaker, Sir Edwerk because he had acquitted himself in the most fair and impar- Aley.

tial manner.

The Houfe divided,

For Lord George Germain's motion

For Mr. Dunning's motion

November 1.

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The King about two o'clock went to the Houfe of Peers, and being feated on the throne, the Commons were fent for. When they came up to the bar, Mr. Cornwall, their new elected fpeaker, addreffed the throne in a fhort speech, in which he said, that, in confequence of his Majefty's royal indulgence, the Commons had proceeded to the exercife of their ancient and undoubted right, the election of a speaker; that their choice had fallen upon him. He could not refrain from expreffing the apprehenfions of his mind, that his abilities. were not adequate to the difcharge of that weighty and important truft; and therefore he must intreat his Majefty, that he would give his commands to the Commons to proceed to another election.

The Lord Chancellor faid, he had received the commands The Lord of his Majefty, to exprefs the confidence which his Majefty Chanceller had of his abilities, knowledge and integrity. He highly approved of the able choice of a speaker which the Commons VOL. XVIII.

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had

Mr. Cornrall.

The Lord

had made; and it was his Majefty's pleafure that he fhould take upon him the high and important truft.

Mr. Cornwall then, in an humble manner, declared, that the best manner which he conceived he could take to make his acknowledgments of the high fenfe which he had of the honour which his Majefty had been pleafed to confer upon him, by the confidence and approbation expreffed by his Chancellor, would be the most zealous and fteady exertion of his abilities, weak as they were, and the trueft integrity of heart, in the difcharge of the employment,

He must intreat for himself, that his Majefty would be pleafed to put the most favourable conftruction on all his words and actions, and honour him with his royal forgiverefs for the frailties and errors of his natnre. And he must claim for the Houfe of Commons, in which he was to prefide, the continuance of all their ancient rights, privileges and immunities; particularly, that the Perfons of the members, their eftates, and fervants, fhould be free from arreft and molestation; that they fhould enjoy freedom of debate; and have ready access to his Majefty's perfon.

The Lord Chancellor replied, that he was commanded by Chancellor his Majefty to declare, that tho' he has fmall occafion to requeft the royal indulgence on account of his abilities, yet his Majefty gave him his royal affurance of the most favourable interpretation of his conduct; that his Majefty likewife gave his affurance to preferve and confirm, in the most full and ample manner, all the ancient privileges, rights and immunities of the Houfe of Commons; and particularly, that the perfons of the members, their eftates and fervants, fhould be free from arreft and moleftation; that they fhould enjoy protection and freedom of fpeech in their debates; that they fhould have free accefs to his perfon; and that he fhould always put the most favourable conftruction on all their proceedings.

This bufinefs being finished, his Majefty delivered his fpeech from the throne to both Houfes.

After which the Commons returned to their own House, the mace being carried before the speaker (which it had not been before); and the members took their places. The fpeaker faid to the Houfe, that his Majefty had peen pleased to approve of their choice of him as their speaker, and that he had laid claim by petition to all the ancient privileges rights and immunities of the Houfe, particularly, that the perfons of the members, their eftates, and fervants, should be free from arreft and moleftation; that they should enjoy freedom

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