The Sun.
London, England, 1802-11-17 00:00:00

ELECTION OF A SI'tAKER.

Sir WM. SCOTT then rose, and addressed the
House to the following effect :--" it is with the
um-lost deference to the House, and a modesty aris-
ing from the consciousness of not having any pre_
tensions of my own, that I seize this opportunity
of addressing you on the subjea recommended in
His Majesty's' Nl.)st Gracious Message. The Of-
fice of Sr EAK E R of the House of Commons; is a great
fu:n and of extreme importance, in respect to
the qualities of the person seleeted to execute it.—
To enforce the respeCtive and relative duties of all,
to guides die Representatives chosen by the People
of the Country, and fully to accomplish all the ob_
jeCts required in that station, call for qualifica !ions
not easily to be described, and scarcely, perhaps,
to be expeCied, if we had not before us the examples
of some eminent and meritorious Gentlemen, who
succeeded with so much honour in the discharge of
that sacred and dignified trust. The foundation of
all the requisite qualities are centred in old English
Loyalty, a firm attachment to the Constitution, and
a vigilant regard to the Rights and Privileges of this
Nouse. To these must be united a love of Liberty,
an enlargement of mind capable of embracing the most
extensive objects,, and descending occasionally to
the most minute ; habits of industry, and powers of
research ; an indefatigable .patience ; a jealous
watchfulness of the rights of the Commons ; suavity
of disposition ; a dignity of public demeanor cal.
itlated to ensure respeCi; urbanity of private man-
ners, to conciliate esteem and regard ; an inflexible
perseverance, and a rigid impartiality. In looking
round this now much increased Assembly, we have
the happiness to observe no deficiency of numbers of
Gentlemen possessing all these qualifications. What-
ever may be supposed to be my partiality for the pro-
fession, and the reasons vs hich may incline me to
look for such requisites in persons bred to the Law,
I find a National pride in asserting, that in this
great Country equal talents have been found, and
at least as conspicuously displayed by Gentlemen of
other habits of life, and in very different stations.
It was certainly a matter of some difficulty for the
House, on a precetmg occasion, to supply the loss of
talents inferior to none that went before them', and

1 pcissibly superior to any that might succeed ; hut at;
this particular crisis, we have the good fortune.to:
be enabled to proceed upon, experience. A large
proportion of us who sat in the • last ParliaMenr,e
had there the opportunity of Witnessing thibighly"
meritorious condua of the Right Hull. Gentleman,
who towards its conclusion, filled the Chair instich
a manner as cannot be described in terms of sufficient
praise. In that Gentleman we were consoled for
the loss of those eminent persons who before dis-
charged that office ; and I do not use my own lan-
guage, but the general sentiment of the House, in
claiming for him an unlimited confidence for indus-
try, in attending to all subjeas, whether serious and
comprehensive,' or inferior and minute, and the ca-
pacious knowledge with which these important duties
were performed. The talents and assiduity pre-
viously manife.sted by the Gentleman alluded to, had
pointed him out for the seleftion of the House, and
as these hopes, which then existed only as hopes,
were afterwards realized, and that in him we find
confirmed experience combined with the most emi-
nent abilities, I have no further hesitation in
proposing the Right Hon. CHARLES ABBOT to be
your Speaker."
Mr. L ASCELLES —" Although the necessary
qualifications for the office of Speaker have been
fully explained in the speech of the Right Hon.
Gentleman who preceded me, I am glad of the op-
portunity that is afforded me of supporting the Mo.
tion, not by a private vote, but a public declaration.
I am fully impressed with the importance of the
subjea, and that we should look for qualities such
as to ensure the dignity of our Proceedings, and
produce that general respett which I hope our con_
duet will always be entitled to. In the present
state of the United Kingdom, we require, in the
Speaker of this House, ability, atuivity, industry,
experience, and stria impartiality. Those, at all
times so necessary, are more than usually demanded
by the increased quantity of our Parliamentary
labours, and especially as the most essential in-
terests, not only of this Country, but of all Eu_
rope, may be involved in the Proceedings of the
present Parliament, perhaps even of the present
Session. The Right Honourable Gentleman now
proposed, was before singled out on account of the
prtiofs the House previously had of his industry and
knowledge ; he discharged the duties of the office
to which he was appointed with honour to himself
and advantage to the Country ; and however de-
sirous I may be of enlarging on the value of his
services, I feel myself restrained with the appre-
hension that any language- I could use would but
ill convey the public respeet, or my private friend-
ship towards him."
Mr. ABBOT —" Unquestionably, to be con-
sidered as qualified to perform adequately the duties
of the high station to which I have now the honour
of being proposed, is by me considered as the
greatest honour that the House can confer, or any
of its Members receive ; but however flattering
may be the partiality of my friends, I cannot bat
feel apprehensive of my own incompetency, and
these apprehensions have been rather confirmed by
the experience of the last Session of Parliament.
The duties of the office in question are nor, in my
conception, confined to the daily and ordinary
transaCtions of the House, hut require a deep know- .
ledge of all the Orders of Proceeding, of the Rights
and Privileges of the House, and a vigilance ever
prepared for any extraordinary occurrences. The
perusal of the Journals and Records of Pail iamentary
Transaelions will, no doubt, in this respea, furnish
much useful instruainn ; but it is a striking remark
throughout all the Annals, that unless the person
holding that important trust, possess the con._
fidence and friendly regard of the House in general,
it will be impossilde for him adequately to dis-
charge the duties of it. Without that confidence
no man ought to desire it; without it no man ought
to retain it for an hour; and all I have farther to
add iq, that whatever m.iy be my privax dive_
hensions, I will not shrink from exertion, but
submit myself entirely to the pleasure of the
House."

Mr. Au nor was then, with the unanimous
approbation of the House, conduded to the Chair
by Sir WILLIAM SCOTT and Mr LASC ELL ES, and
being seated there, he -said that impressed with
the deepest sense of gratitee- for the honour con-
ferred on him, by placing him in that dignified situa-
tion for the second time, he would leave them to
judge of the sincerity of that gratitude, by his fu-
ture endeavours to execute the duties of the Office.
Lord CASTLEREAGH. "It would be do-
ing great injustice, Sir, to my own personal feelings,
as well as those of every Member in this House,
if I did not offer you my sincere Congratulations
on this greatest mark of confidence which the
Representatives of the United Kingdom have in
their power to bestow, and the placing of which
so worthily, reflects no less honour on the House,
than it must afford satisfadion to yourself. it
would be unnecessary for me to enumerate those
qualities and features of charader which the unani.

may of the present EleCtion proves you eminently
to possess. When the House had to supply, the
loss it had sustained in your able predecessors, it
looked with confidence to similar qualificatiOns in
you ; and permit me now to add my own personal
conviaion, that. should His Majesty be pleased to
give his gracious approbation to our present choice,
it will ensure regularity and
:dignity to our
Proceedings, security to our Rights and Privileges,
and contribwe in a great degree to the satisfattion
and advantage of the People."
.On the Motion of Mr. ADDINGTGN, the House
then, at half past three o'clock, adjourned till to-
morrow.

From the LONDON GAZETTE, Nov. 16, 1802.

Commission in the NortiAk Mi3i la, signed by the Lord Lieutenant.
Eastern

Robert Wilson, Esq. to be Captain, vice Aufrere, resigned.
Dated OCtober 16, iSo2.
John Staniforth Patteson, ES4. to be Captain. Dated Oct.
19, 18oz.