Sitting of 19 August 1841

CHOICE OF A SPEAKER.
Soon after the House had met, the Commons were summoned by the Gentleman Usher of the Black Rod to the House of Peers.
On the return of Mr. Ley, the Chief Clerk, and the Members who accompanied him, the Chief Clerk informed the House that they were to choose a Speaker, and present him on the morrow for the approbation of Her Majesty.

ELECTION OF SPEAKER.
Lord Worsleysaid, In obedience to her Majesty's commands, which we have been just summoned to hear, I beg leave to propose that we now proceed to the election of a Member to preside over our future discussions. This duty, on our part, is of high importance, in order that we may pursue our debates upon questions of vast moment in a manner worthy of the representatives of the people, by selecting an individual who may be able to allay any temporary irritation, and to check a course of proceeding that would naturally lower the House in the estimation of the country. I hope that the right hon. Gentleman whom I shall propose to fill this high office, will be generally acceptable to those I have now the pleasure to address. I hope so, because lie has already occupied that chair, and discharged the functions belonging to the station, I believe, to the entire satisfaction of Members on both sides of the House. I am sure if hon. Gentlemen, who are new Members, could have witnessed the conduct of my right hon. Friend, or could have heard the testimony borne to that conduct by the right hon. Baronet, the Member for Tam-worth, and by the noble Member for North Lancashire, they would have no hesitation in approving the motion with which I shall presently conclude. The right hon. Gentleman stands so high in the estimation of the House, both for his private virtues, and for his public conduct, that he can need no panegyric of mine. While he was Speaker in the last Parliament, all who resorted to him for assistance and advice, found the most willing compliance with their wishes, and the most earnest desire to promote their objects. Those who are acquainted with his qualifications will, I am confident, be prepared to replace him in the situation he
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recently occupied; and those new Members who have had no personal experience on the subject, may be glad to listen to the handsome expressions of the noble Member for North Lancashire, who on one occasion in the last Parliament said, that "the greater his respect for the personal character of the Speaker, the more thankful he was for the manner in which he had discharged his duties; he had been elected by one side of the House, but by the scrupulous impartiality of his conduct, he had secured the hearty approbation of both sides." I am glad to find that I have judged rightly in the estimate I apprehended the House had formed of the qualifications and services of the right hon. Gentleman, and I conclude that it is not the intention of any hon. Member to propose another person to fill that chair who has less experience, and who possesses less of the confidence of the House. I shall therefore have the utmost satisfaction in moving, that the right hon. Charles Shaw Lefevre be elected our Speaker, and many who hear me will not have forgotten, that before he was chosen to that office in the last Parliament, he had devoted much attention to the private business of the House: one of the principal grounds on which his title rested was, that he was on this account especially fitted for the situation. In his capacity of Speaker, he subsequently justified all the anticipations that had been indulged regarding him; and he not only gave the utmost satisfaction in all matters relating to private business, but while he adequately maintained the dignity of the Chair, he was prepared at all times to give the fullest information to every individual Member. The kindness and courtesy of his deportment were admitted by all. Whenever the complication of any matter of private business rendered it necessary to resort to the Speaker for advice, it was given in a manner which secured respect for its soundness, while nothing could exceed the readiness with which it was communicated. That right hon. Gentleman is still among us; and under the conviction that all who hear me will concur in the opinions I have expressed, and in the proposal I shall make, I beg leave to move, that the right hon. Charles Shaw Lefevre do take the Chair of this House as Speaker.
Mr. E. Buller: When the request was made to me that I would second the proposal of the noble Lord, I at once assented

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to it, as a motion that met with my entire approbation. I could not refuse to lend my humble aid in inducing the House to adopt a course which was so obviously consistent with its own credit and advantage. I feel that I have no right to shrink from the task thus imposed upon me. In order to vindicate the claims of the right hon. Gentleman, I have only to refer to his conduct during the three years that he presided so ably over our deliberations, when he evinced a singular combination of all the qualifications necessary for the conduct of public and private business. I am called upon to vindicate his claims before those who (or, at least, a great majority of whom) are aware of the great attention he devoted to the progress of private business. However complicated were the difficulties, he ever showed a clear conception of the case, and gave the soundest judgment for the solution of the perplexity. He possessed the most intimate and accurate acquaintance with all the forms of the House, and he presided over our debates with the most strict impartiality, and with the most unquestionable integrity. He showed that he entertained just feelings of the importance of public interests, with a due respect for the rights of individuals. The consequence was, that as all relied upon his impartiality, all bowed with willing submission to his decisions. Most of us have witnessed the manner in which he conducted himself in the Chair with a combination of urbanity, temper, and firmness, and are fully aware that our choice could fall upon no individual better, or, perhaps, so well qualified for the duties we are about to impose upon him. We know that he sometimes was called upon to control the unruly passions of the House, and we know the manner in which he maintained the dignity of the Chair and supported the honour and character of the House. I am satisfied that he is so thoroughly acquainted with the principles of debate and with the privileges of the House, that our trust cannot be misplaced, and that in his hands all our ancient forms and venerable usages will be respected and preserved. If any difficulty should hereafter occur, we need not doubt that the right hon. Gentleman will meet it with conduct and decision, and that he will maintain the privileges of the House for the welfare of the people. I feel the greater satisfaction in urging the House to
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re-appoint the right hon. Gentleman, because I know that its choice will reflect honour and credit on all parties. Those by whom he was originally selected for a post of such rank and importance will have the pleasure of reflecting that their confidence was fully justified, and that his great claims have been supported by his undoubted merits. Those who opposed the election of the right hon. Gentleman will gladly acknowledge that he has accomplished more than they anticipated, and the numerous party I now see on the opposite benches will not be backward in admitting his excellencies. Depend upon it, whoever may be called upon to hold the reins of Government—whatever may be the issue of the present state of affairs —whether we shall witness a course of brilliant successes, in removing restrictions and prohibitions which at present hamper and cripple the industry of the country — or whether a different and an injurious system of policy shall be adopted, the situation of our Speaker will be arduous, and for this reason I rejoice that we are likely to elect an individual who has not only ability, but experience, and the choice of whom cannot but redound to the honour of the House. He is especially and peculiarly fitted for the duties he will be called upon to discharge, and it will be only an act of justice to afford him the unequivocal testimony of re-election. I believe I have rather deviated from the course I ought to have taken and meant to take, but I am not in the habit of addressing the House, and my error was not intentional. I will not detain hon. Members longer than to express my hope that on this occasion there will be no difference of opinion, and that, as we are unanimous in our estimate of the merits and qualifications of Mr. Shaw Lefevre, we shall be unanimous in our choice of him to fill the chair. Private business will thus be carried on to the satisfaction of the country, and the dignity and honour of the House will be safe in the individual to whom it is proposed by the noble Lord to entrust them. The duties of Speaker will thus be discharged with the utmost credit to the individual, and the highest honour to the House, and with the greatest advantage to the country.
Sir Robert Peel: It is my intention on this occasion to act upon the principle for which I contended in the year 1835—and upon which I acted in the year 1837, on

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the occasion of the re-election of Mr. Abercromby to fill the chair of this House. In conformity with that precedent, I shall give my vote in favour of the right hon. Gentleman whose re-appointment has been moved and seconded. I contended for that principle in the first place, because I thought it most in conformity with precedents in the best periods of the history of the country. In 1727, Mr. Speaker Onslow was elected, and he continued in possession of the Chair for thirty-three years. Such continued to be the course until Lord North objected to the re-election of Sir Fletcher Norton. In 1784, after the great struggle between Mr. Pitt and Mr. Fox, and when the former had a decided majority, Mr. Pitt acquiesced in the re-election of Mr. Speaker Cornwall. In 1806, when Lord Grey and Lord Grenville became Ministers of the country, and were supported by a large majority, they also acquiesced in the re-election of Mr. Abbott. In 1831, soon after the accession of Lord Grey to the Government, he acquiesced in the re-election of Mr. Manners Sutton, now Lord Canterbury; and again, in 1833. The Ministers supported his reelection. The only deviations from this course of precedents are to be found in 1780, when Lord North resisted the reelection of Sir Fletcher Norton, and in 1835, when the party opposed to the Government over which I then presided, objected to the re-appointment of Mr. Manners Sutton. I contended against the principle then advocated on the other side. I did not think it necessary that the person elected to the Chair, who had conscientiously and ably performed his duties, should be displaced because his political opinions were not consonant to those of the majority of the House. I will not farther refer to the differences of opinion which then prevailed, but merely remind the House that I argued for the same principle at that time, which I now propose to act upon. Of course I do not mean to say, that that principle ought to be held as an inflexible and invariable rule; it may be perfectly competent to any man to object to a re-election on the ground of neglect of duty, or conduct which may show an individual to be incompetent to the office. In a case of that kind I should concur with those who objected to the re-election. In the present case, I am bound to say, that I think the
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right hon. Gentleman has fulfilled the expectations of his most sanguine supporters; and has conducted himself in the chair with integrity and impartiality. The right hon. Gentleman has, moreover, given so much attention to, and manifested so intimate an acquaintance with that important branch of his duties connected with the conduct of private business, that he is entitled to the respectful acknowledgments of the House. The right hon. Gentleman by his ability, impartiality, and integrity, has secured the confidence of the House, and has established, I think, that moral influence which is essential to the due discharge of his functions, and as efficacious in maintaining his authority as any positive power which the situation confers upon him. On these grounds, without farther observations, I shall conclude by saying, that I have great satisfaction in giving my support to the motion for the re-election of the right hon. Gentleman who has been nominated to fill the Chair.
Whereupon Mr. Charles Lefevre being unanimously called to the Chair, submitted himself to the House.
Mr. Shaw Lefevre: I feel most grateful for the commendations passed upon me by hon. Members on both sides of the House. I am sure they are far beyond my merits, though not beyond my anxiety to deserve them. I am greatly indebted to the noble Lord and to my hon. Friend for the highly flattering manner in which they have proposed and seconded this motion, and alluded to my conduct in the Chair. I am most thankful for their approbation, and I regard it as an ample reward for all that toil and anxiety which are inseparable from an office of great labour and responsibility, though of high distinction. I regard it also as the best encouragement to future exertion, now I am again called upon to preside over the discussions of the House. Whatever opinion I may formerly have expressed as to the difficulties attending the situation of Speaker, they are frequently much aggravated by the sudden and unexpected manner in which he may be called upon to discharge them. I know, as regards the privileges of this House, to which my noble Friend has alluded, that the maintenance of the rules and orders of this House depends much upon the care and vigilance of the Speaker, and I feel bound to say, that the more I have become acquainted with those privileges, and with their nature and their

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object, the more I see the necessity of guarding them with with the greatest jealousy against the least violation. I look upon the rules and orders of this House as affording the best guarantee for the dignity of our proceedings, and for the safe and regular dispatch of the public business, which can alone secure the House in the confidence and respect of the public. With these views of the duties and responsibility of the office of Speaker, I should feel at this moment unwilling to undertake so important a trust, did I not entertain a most grateful recollection of that indulgence and support which in the last Parliament was universally extended to me by Members on both sides of the House. I now submit myself to the pleasure of the House, in the full confidence and reliance that, so long as I continue to conduct the duties with fairness and impartiality, a similar support will be given to me.
And he was again called to the Chair, where standing on the upper Step,
He said, As it has been the pleasure of his House to place me a second time in this chair, I beg to tender my humble and sincere acknowledgments to them for having conferred upon me the most distinguished honour that could be awarded to any Member, and I beg to assure them that no effort on my part shall be wanting to prove myself deserving of their confidence.
Lord J. Russell: Sir, it now becomes my grateful duty to congratulate you upon your re-election to the eminent station of Speaker of the House, but I think that I should rather congratulate this House in the first place, that our first act has been one on which the House could unanimously agree, and, in the next place, that we have a Speaker to preside over our debates, who, whether in maintaining authority in our public discussions, whether in assisting in the private business of the House, or whether regarding the preservation of our privileges, and the rules and orders by which our proceedings are conducted, is eminently fitted to fill this high situation. I know, Sir, that you feel, as all who have studied the subject do feel, that our privileges are valuable, not because they confer honour on this House, but because those privileges are valuable to the people at large, whom we are sent here to represent; and you, Sir, have shown by your conduct at all times, that
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while you are ready to maintain our privileges as important to Parliament, you are also ready to maintain and respect the other parts of our valuable constitution. Sir, it has been my happiness to agree with you in general political subjects, and I was on that ground ready to have given you my confidence, but I am rejoiced, that upon the present occasion you are not, as on a former occasion, when your conduct as a Speaker could not have been known by experience, proposed by one party, but that your election has been carried by both sides of the House acquiescing in the speech of the noble Lord, the Member for North Lancashire, that "if your election were carried by only one side of the House, your conduct in the chair has obtained the respect and esteem of both." Sir, I do not now wish at all to discuss the principles on which I acted in 1835, I only wish to mention, to prevent any misconception, that it was not alone because I thought upon that occasion that the Speaker ought to be the organ of a majority of this House, that I opposed the re-election of Mr. Manners Sutton, there were circumstances connected with the conduct of Mr. Manners Sutton which, in spite of his eminent qualifications for the chair, to which I bore my humble and willing testimony with many others, in spite of his experience in conducting the business of the House, and in spite of the favourable opinion which every one entertained of his personal demeanour, made it my duty, as I thought, to propose another person for the chair, Mr. Abercromby, now Lord Dunfermline. I do not wish to advert to the circumstances further than to say, that a difference of political feeling was not upon that occasion the only ground of opposition. The House will feel, that it would not be right for me to make any further statement. I do not wish to diminish my respect for the manner in which Lord Canterbury conducted the business of the House, but at the same time I wish to prevent any misunderstanding upon the subject. I trust, Sir, that in whatever discussion and debates that may arise, and that whatever may be the warmth of party feeling, your voice alone will prevent all irregularity, and that as we are assured of the impartiality with which you conduct yourself, we shall feel that our own self respect, and the dignity of the House, will be best shown by

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yielding a willing obedience to your decisions. I have, Sir, only left to move, that the House do now adjourn.
Adjourned.

MEETING OF PARLIAMENT.
On the House meeting this day, pursuant to the summons for calling a new Parliament,
The Lord Chancelloraddressed their Lordships:—My Lords,—Her Majesty not thinking fit to be present here this day in her Royal person, has been pleased to cause a commission to be issued under the great seal for the opening and holding this Parliament.
The Lords Commissioners (namely, the Lord Chancellor, the Marquess of Lansdowne, the Marquess of Normanby, the Earl of Clarendon, and Viscount Duncan-non) having taken their seats, and the Commons, headed by Mr. Ley, the chief clerk, having appeared at the bar, the commission in the usual form was read.
The Lord Chancellorsaid,—My Lords and Gentlemen,—We have it in command from Her Majesty to let you know that you shall hereafter be informed of the cause of calling this Parliament together; but it being necessary that a Speaker for
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the House of Commons should first be chosen, you will, for that purpose, return, to the place prepared for your meeting, and there be pleased to choose a Speaker, and present such person whom you shall so choose here to-morrow, at two o'clock, for Her Majesty's Royal approbation.
The Commons withdrew.
Prayers having been read by the Lord Bayning (no Bishop being present),
The Lord Chancellorsingly first took the oaths at the Table.
The certificate of the sixteen Peers for Scotland was read, a considerable number of Lords took the oaths, and several Roman Catholic Peers took the prescribed oath.
Henry Charles Howard, Esq. (Earl of Surrey) created Baron Maltravers, took the oath prescribed for Roman Catholic Peers. The right hon. Sir Richard Hussey Vivian, Bart., created Baron Vivian, and the right hon. George Hamilton Chichester (Earl of Belfast), created Baron Ennishowen, took the oaths.
His Royal Highness the Duke of Sussex singly took the oaths.
Adjourned.