§ Sir Robert Peel, in moving that the House do adjourn, begged to take that opportunity of offering to the Speaker his most sincere congratulations at the unanimity with which he had obtained an honour he so well deserved. He begged also to congratulate the House that it was enabled to place in the chair, a Gentleman of great experience in public business, and well entitled, by his conduct in the Chair, to the approbation and confidence of the House. In the fourteen years which had elapsed since he had been first placed in that situation, he believed that during those fourteen years there had been only one single day in which the right hon. Gentleman had asked, or rather consented, to a remission of his public labours. No considerations of personal convenience—no consideration of his private affairs—nothing but the 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 6 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.
§ Mr. Broughamseconded the Motion; and expressed his satisfaction and entire concurrence in the well-merited encomiums which the House had respectfully tendered. His object in rising, however, was to direct the attention of his Majesty's Government, and of such Members as attended to the public business, to a subject which urgently demanded attention, to which he had on former occasions adverted —he meant the business of the House — that they might turn the matter in their minds during the week which would elapse before the House began the effective business of the country. He had adverted more than once to the necessity of some arrangement by which the private business should be separated from the public business, securing to the latter a sufficient time for its discussion. He only wished, however, to throw out some hints on this subject for reflection during the week. He was confident, that unless some arrangement were made, by which the private business should be postponed or brought forward on separate and distinct nights, or by which the time of the House should not be occupied in hearing petitions from individuals on private subjects, or expressing their individual opinions on public affairs, he was confident, unless something was done to call on public business at a reasonable hour, that they would not be able to get through with it. He wished merely to direct the attention of Members to this subject, and should be ready to support any proposition which would secure to the country, that a proper share of the time of its Representatives should be devoted to its business.