the land, and, above all, be perfectly mafter of the law of parliament. He must have a zealous attachment to the rights and privileges of the Commons of England, and a fufficient degree of ability and integrity to fupport, maintain, and defend them; he must be diligent without being percipitate, and firm and decifive without being arbitrary or rash; and that, which he confidered as a fpeaker's moft important duty, was his conducting himself with the ftricteft impartiality on every occafion.

The late worthy speaker, his Lordship remarked, had, for nearly two Parliaments, gone through the duties of his high office, with great honour, great diligence, and great dignity; the office, he said, was a very laborious one, and required full health and vigour; the right honourable gentleman who last filled the chair, when he was firft elected to that high fituation, was in poffeffion of every qualification both of body and mind, which the duties of the office called for; but the House had, unhappily for the right honourable gentleman, and unhappily for the public, been witneffes in the course of the very laft feffion, that the right honourable gentleman's conftitution was much impaired. It would, therefore, neither be decent in him, nor would it become the House, to fhew fo little gratitude and refpect to the right honourable gentleman for his many and acknowledged fervices, were he to propofe, or they to adopt the propofition for the putting that gentleman again into a fituation, the fatigue of which were too heavy a burthen to be imposed on him, confidering his precarious ftate of health. For that reafon, and from that confideration only, it was that he had turned his mind to another gentleman, and meant to conclude what he had to say with a motion, propofing that gentleman to fill the chair. His Lordship trufted that when he named Mr. Cornwall, all those who had fat in former Parliaments would think he named a gentleman poffeffed of thofe qualifications which were requifite for the due execution of the duties of the chair. Mr. Cornwall, before he came into that Houfe, had done his country effential fervice, and acquired great perfonal honour by the very able and active fhare he took in the adjustment of fome public accounts, fubmitted to the inveftigation of certain perfons commiffioned for that purpose; Mr. Cornwall had alfo fat feveral years in Parliament, was well aquainted with the law of the land, the law of Parliament, and all the forms, orders, and rules of proceeding peculiar to that House; he therefore flattered himself that it would not be thought, that he made an improper motion, or a motion likely to challenge much objection when he moved, "That Mr. Cornwall be elected Speaker."

Right

Right Hon. Welbore Ellis rofe to fecond, the motion, and Right Hon. faid, that although the noble Lord by fo fully ftating to the Web. Ellis. House the duties of the office, the qualifications requifite for the person chofen to fill the chair, and the praises due to the late worthy speaker, had left him little to fay, he could not, confiftent with his refpect to that right honourable gentleman, his duty to the House, and his regard for the gentleman who made the fubject of the motion, content himself with merely feconding the motion. Mr. Ellis, after this exordium went into a difcuffion on the fubject, under the three heads of, the nature and importance of the office itself, the compli ments and thanks merited by Sir Fletcher Norton for his able discharge of it, while he held it, and the reasons for expecting that Mr. Cornwall would prove capable of filling it to the fatisfaction of the House and to his own honour. With regard to the firft, he faid it was an office of confiderable dignity, and of great emolument; that the duties of it were laborious, and he that filled it must expect to be in fome degree a fufferer, in proportion to the good the House and the public derived from the exercife of his talents and the conftant employment of his mind. This fort of exchange of health and honour, he obferved, no elevated fituation was free from, and therefore, though he fincerely lamented, that the late speaker fhould last feffion have had occafion to complain of the impreffion made upon his conftitution by the fatigues of his fituation, he could not but own, he confidered it as a natural confequence, and as it was a proof that his country was the more indebted to the honourable gentleman for his fervices, he thought it neceffary, now an opportunity offered, to afford him the relief the Houfe had in its power, by choofing another fpeaker. Confidering the very critical fituation of public affairs, he faid, there would undoubtedly be many debates in that House, and poffibly there might arife much contention; the perfon to be elected fpeaker, ought therefore, exclufive of a competent share of knowledge of the common law, and the law of Parliament, to poffefs temper to allay heats, prudence to prevent irregularities, and fpirit and firmness to reprefs the rifing ftorms of paffion and conteft. With this view it was that he looked upon Mr. Cornwall as a proper fucceffor to Sir Fletcher Norton; nor could he give that gentleman better advice than to let the conduct of the late speaker be his model, if the House should honour him fo far as to feat him in the chair.

Mr. Dunning expreffed his aftonishment, that the noble Mr. DanLord near him [He fat on the treasury bench, next but one wing. to Lord North.] had not rifen, and faved him the trouble of propofing the late fpeaker to continue in the chair. He was,

he

he faid, exceedingly furprized, on coming down to the House, to hear that it was generally understood within those walls, that Mr. Cornwall was to be fpeaker. There was no gentleman for whom he had a higher regard, nor for whose abilities he had more respect; and if the chair had been in the fair and ordinary fenfe of the word, vacant, the propofition of Mr. Cornwall (as that gentleman, he trufted, well knew) would not have met with the finalleft objection from him; on the contrary, he would readily have given it his fupport, fuch as it was; but at a time, when, in fact and truth, there was no vacancy, when Sir Fletcher Norton, the late speaker, was in the House, and to all appearance as capable of executing the duties of the office, as much to the fatisfacton of the Houfe, and as much to the honour of himself, as ever, (and no man could execute the duties of it more fatisfactorily nor more honourably) it ftruck him as the most fingular of all measures, to confefs, as the noble Lord who made the motion, and the honourable gentleman who feconded it, had done, that the late fpeaker was the propereft and most able of all perfons to fill the chair with dignity, and in the very moment of making that confeffion, for the noble Lord and the honourable gentleman to propofe another candidate. He had expected, when the bad health of Sir Fletcher Norton was talked of, and urged as a ground for not continuing him in the chair, that either the noble Lord, or the honourable gentleman who spoke laft, would have ftated to the House that Sir Fletcher Norton had formerly applied to them, declaring his defire to refign the chair, and affigning as a reafon for his fo doing, that his health was in that impaired ftate, in which the noble Lord and the honourable gentleman had both declared it to be, although every man in the House could fee, that if appearances were to be relied on, or if affurances were to be believed, Sir Fletcher Norton was as well, as fully in health, and as fully capable of going through the duties of the office, as ever he had been fince he was firft chofen to fill the chair, which had received fo much dignity from its being occupied by a perfon perhaps qualified to fill it more to the general fatisfaction, with more accommodation to the business of Parliament, and more to his own honour, than any other member of that Houfe. Mr. Dunning mentioned the happinefs he had experienced in a long and intimate acquaintance with Sir Fletcher, and spoke of his character in terms of the warmest eulogy. He concluded his fpeech with moving, "that Sir Fletcher Norton be continued fpeaker."

Right Hon. T. Townshend and Sir Fletcher Norton rofe together, but the former continuing on his legs, he' was heard firft,

Mr.

Mr. Townshend began with apologizing for the feeming Mr. Townrudeness of his conduct in perfevering in his endeavours to end. be heard before Sir Fletcher Norton, declaring that as he meant to fecond the motion juft made by his honourable and learned friend, he thought it more regular to do it, previous to the right honourable gentleman's dropping any thing on the subject, than afterwards. He then warmly expoftulated with the noble Lord who made the first motion, on the fingularity of it, and objected to Mr. Cornwall, as an improper perfon to fill the chair, were there any vacancy. He faid he was, on the firft view of the queftion then to be difcuffed, fomewhat diftreffed for fear it might be confidered as a perfonal one, and that, in confequence, any thing he might wish to offer, fhould be attributed to views very foreign from those with which he looked at the subject, and be deemed perfonal. He was happy, however, to find, that it would not be fo confidered, and as he meant to give no perfonal offence to any one, and leaft of all to the gentleman who was made the object of the motion offered by the noble Lord, he would according to his custom speak out plainly and unrefervedly. It had in former times, he obferved, been always cuftomary to fee the chair of the Houfe of Commons filled by men who were independent, and men who represented' either a large county, or fome neighbouring borough. Mr. Onflow was no placeman. Mr. Cornwall held an office under the crown, difpofable at the pleasure of the Crown, and Mr. Cornwall was the reprefentative of one of the Cinque Ports, The Cinque Ports, he was free to own, had as much right to have their member speaker of the Houfe of Commons, as any other place which fent members, but he could not disguise his feelings, and muft own he wished the perfon chofen fpeaker, was not a member for one of the Cinque Ports. The Cinque Ports, as the late elections had fhewn, were not allowed a free choice. of their representatives; these were objections which might appear flight aud trivial to other men, but they ftruck him very forcibly. The office of speaker ought to be filled by a perfon free from all influence of the Crown. It was the first duty of the fpeaker to guard the rights and privileges of the people, against the increased and increafing influence of the Crown. Was Mr. Cornwall, a placeman at pleasure, a penfioner, and reprefentative of one of the Cinque Ports, a fit guardian for the privileges of the people? And after all, why was there to be a new speaker? It was confeffed, even by those who propofed Mr. Cornwall, that no man could discharge the duties of the chair more fatisfactorily, or with more dignity than Sir Fletcher Norton. Why then

change

Ser Fletcher

Norton.

change him, and appoint a fucceffor? The noble Lord and the honourable gentleman who feconded the motion, had both talked of his ill ftate of health, and the latter had been particularly diffufe in his praife; Good God! if Sir Fletcher Norton was fo worthy, why difmifs him from the chair? But there was another reafon, a reason, which neither the noble Lord, nor the honourable gentleman, though they had both of them expreffed their wish that every fpeaker fhould difcharge his duty with impartiality, had thought proper to hint at. This lurking reafon originated in Sir Fletcher Norton's having exercited that very impartiality, which was fo much enforced both by the noble motion-maker and the perfon who feconded it, it was this: Sir Fletcher Norton had made a fpeech on a memorable occafion, which did him the highest honour; a fpeech, which proved his impartiality, as a fpeaker, his zeal for his country, his feeling for the national diftreffes under which Great Britain laboured. That was the reafon, that was the caufe of the prefent attempt to difgrace and infult the late fpeaker; and as it was unmanly and illiberal, he trufted every member, young and old, thofe who fat in the old Parliament, and those who were newly chofen, would feel properly on the occafion, and join with him in fupporting the motion of his honourable and learned friend, which he begged leave to fecond.

Sir Fletcher Norton faid, he had rifen before, in order to fave the House the trouble and tell them that he came down with his mind made up to the business of the day, and with a full resolution not to go into the chair again on any confideration. When he was firft chofen fpeaker, he faid, he brought into the chair a hale conftitution, and fuch poor abilities as heaven had been pleased to bestow upon him, were in their fulleft vigour. The very great and increased duties of the office, had, as the House muft have witneffed, impaired his conftitution materially, and he feared, had weakened his intellects; his advanced years, as might naturally be fuppofed, not enabling him to refift the force of his diforder, but rather giving way to it. As a proof of what he had faid, the public bufinefs had, he observed, in the course of last feffion, been twice interrupted, folely on the account of his infirmities; he had then intimated a defire to refign, and his family knew that had the Parliament fat another feffion, it was his refolution to ask leave of the Houfe to quit the chair, and refign it to fome more healthy fucceffor. He therefore thanked his honourable and learned friend for the high opinion he enter-. tained of him, and for the motion he had made to reinstate him, but he must beg leave to decline acceding to that propofition