The Sun.
London, England, 1844-12-30 00:00:00

CANADA.

HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY.—MONTREAL, Nov. 28.
DEBATE ON THE SPEAKERSHIP.

At one o'clock the members of the Lower House as-
sembled in their Chambers, where they were shortly
after summoned to meet his Excellency in the Chamber
of the Legislative Council, which was crowded with a
fashionable audience of ladies and gentlemen. After be-
ing absent for a few minutes the Assembly returned, and
as soon as they had resumed their seats the Attorney-
General East, and Colonel Prince rose together. For a
moment the latter refused to give way, but the cries for
the Attorney-General prevailing, he at last sat duwn,
when

Attorney General Smith rose to propose that Sir Al-
lan M'Nab do take the chair of Speaker of the House.
The motion was seconded by Mr. Scott.
Colonel Prince regretted that ho could not vote for
the resolution which had just been submited to the
House by the Hon. Attorney-General, and should take
upon himself, to propose another gentleman to fill the
office of Speaker—the Hon. Mr. Morin—and he trusted
that Honourable Gentlemen, especially from Lower
Canada, would see :the propriety of electing him as
Speaker.
Mr. Christie seconded the motion.
After a short debate, the clerk proceeded to take the
votes. The numbers were announced as follows :
For Sir Allan M'Nab 39
Against
Majority

Sir Allan M'lslab was accordingly declared duly
elected, and was led to the chair by the Attorney-Ge-
neral and Mr. Scott, the proposer and seconder.
Sir Allan 11P/sTab addressed the House. He felt it
difficult tc, express all he felt, selected, as he had just
been, by tine representatives of the people of his native
country, to fill the highest office in their gift. He could
not regard the selection as having been made upon any
merits of his own, but as an approval of his conduct on
various occasions during the fourteen years he had en-
joyed the honour of a seat in Parliament. As Speaker
of the House he should feel it his duty on all occasions
to protect its privileges—he should know no party—and
he trusted that in the discharge of his duty he would
meet with the support of all. He trusted that if any un-
friendly feelings were entertained against him, or had
been engendered during the debate, they would be for-
gotten, and that he should receive •that assistance and
support which would enable him, as Speaker, to dis-
charge his duty to the House. He again expressed him-
self grateful for the honour which had been conferred
upon him, and took his seat amid the cheers of the
House.

The House then adjourned until Friday at half-past
two o'clock.

SPEECH.

" Honourable Gentlemen of the Legislative Council,
and Gentlemen of the House of Assembly,

" I have assembled lOU at the earliest period that the
completion of the recent general election would allow, and
I have high satisfaction in meeting you, in order that we
may devote ourselves to the care of the great interests
committed to our charge.
" The season of the year being unfavourable for the
prosecution of those avocations in which many of you
are engaged, you will be enabled, I trust, with less in-
convenience, to attend to the discharge of the important
functions which you have to perform.
" I have the happiness to announce to you that the
birth of a Prince has gladdened the hearts of the subjects
of our gracious Queen throughout her vast dominions in
every quarter of the globe, and her Majesty's continued
safety and health demand our gratitude to the Almighty
Giver of all good.
" Many subjects in which the welfare of the province
is deeply involved will be entitled to your earnest
consideration. None can be more important than the
improvement of the education of the people, which is one
of the most urgent duties of the State ; and I anxiously
hope that in addition to such other amendments of exist-
ing laws on this momentous question as may be required
in either section of the province, your wisdom may be
able to devise some arrangement respecting the Uni-
versity of King's College that may receive sanction of
the Crown, and give general satisfaction in the colony.
" The municipal institutions of the province, the provi-
sions for which have, in Lower Canada, proved, to a
great extent, nugatory, will, no doubt, engage your at-
tention, as well as the state of the prisons and the want
of lunatic asylums. The amelioration of the means of
communication throughout the province, on which its
prosperity mainly depends—for production is unavailing,
if means do not exist of reaching a market—also deserves
consideration. The eastern townships of Lower Canada
are peculiarly destitute in this particular ; and the town
of Kingston in Upper Canada, which has unavoidably
suffered much by the removal of the seat of Government,
is devoid of a road through the inland territory towards
the Ottawa, which is essential for the prosperity of that
neighbourhood,
" The militia law of Lower Canada having expired,
the substitution of another seems to be requisite, arid it
may be desirable at the same time to revise the existing
militia law of Upper Canada, and to frame a general law
for both sections of the province.
" It affords me great pleasure to be able to inform you
that the flourishing state of the revenue forms a fit sub-
ject for congratulation. There is reason to believe that
it may be further improved by wise legislation and that
judicious economy may contribute to the same results.
" Her Majesty has most graciously received the address
from the Legislative Assembly of the last Parliament on
the subject of the Civil List.
" Although the only subjects sought by the Imperial
Legislature, in making provision for a Civil List, were
to give stability and security to the great civil institu-
tions of tne province, to provide for the adequate re-
muneration of able and efficient officers in the various
public departments, and to enable her Majesty
to make moderate provision for the declining years
of those whose best days have been devoted to a
faithful discharge of public duties, or who, by
eminent services, might have merited the favour of this
Crown, her Majesty is, nevertheless, fully persuaded of
the concurrence of her faithful subjects in Canada in
effecting these objects ; and would gladly owe the means
of obtaining them to the spontaneous liberality of her
Canadian people. Whenever, therefore, due and
adequate provision shall have been made for them by the
Legislature of Canada her Majesty will be prepared to
recommend to the Imperial Parliament the repeal of so
much of the Act of Union as relates to this subject.
Until the Imperial Parliament shall have assented to
such a recommendation, her Majesty, equally with all
her subjects, is bound by the provisions of an enactment
to which her sanction has been gives.
" Gentlemen of the House of Assembly—

" The financial accounts of the province for 1843 will
be immediately laid before you, and those for 1844 as soon
as they can be prepared after the completion of the year.
The estimates likewise will be submitted to you at au
early period.
" Notwithstanding the unavoidable expenses attendant
on the removal of the seat of Government from Kingston
to Montreal, and other claims to be submitted for your
consideration, a considerable surplus revenue will remain,
affording the mans of making some provision towards
the liquidating of the public debt.
" I entertain no doubt of your willingness to provide for
the exigencies of the public service, and you may rely on
my exertions to diminish expenditure by all practical
economy. I have availed myself of the several opportu-
nities for retrenchment that have presented themselves,
and shall continue to pursue the same course whenever
reduction may appear to be consistent with efficiency.
" Honourable Gentlemen, and Gentlemen of the House

of Assembly—
" You will, I am sure, concur with me in desiring that
the welfare of United Canada may be promoted by our
joint labours. To that great end I invite your earnest
efforts, and you may be assured of my hearty co-opera-
tion in every way that may be calculated to secure peace
and prosperity, justice and happiness, to this province.
"The charge entrusted to me by our Sovereign I shall
continue to administer, according to the acknowledged
principles of our provincial constitution, and with a view
to the wants and wishes of the community.
" On the occurrence of vacancies in several of the most
important offices of administration I immediately endea
voured to fill them by,the appointment of gentlemen sup-
posed to possess the confidence of the people. Extraor-
dinary obstacles produced a delay in the accomplish-
ment of that purpose, notwithstanding my incessant
exertions to effect it. _ _ .

"Confidently believing that the several branches of
the Legislature, in the full exercise of their constitu-
tional powers, will maintain the harmony essential to the
well-being of the people for whose benefit alone these
powers are conferred, I will not detain you from the im-
portant duties which await you further than to express
my humble hope that the Almighty may bless our en-
deavours, and render them efficacious for the public
good."

The memorials in favour of Mary Gallop, con-
demned to death at the late assizes at Chester, for the
deliberate murder of her father, have wholly failed in
moving the Home Secretary to recommend a commuta•
tion in her case. The execution of this unnatural crimi-
nal took place on sattuday. ,