The Sun.
London, England, 1810-02-03 00:00:00

IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT.

HOUSE OF COMMONS,

FRIDAY, FEB. 2.

General GASCoIGNE presented a petition from the
inhabitants of the city of Liverpool, praying for a
continuance of the A& prohibiting the distillation
from grain.—Ordered to lie oti the table.
Mr. P. MOoRE seeing an Hon. Gentleman in his
place, wished to. ask if it was the intention of Go=,
vtrowent to revive the Committee for inquiring
into the affairs of India?
Mr. WALLts answered ip the affirmative.
REVERSION BILL.
_

Mr. BANKES brought in a Bill for rendering the
A& passed in the 48th year of his present Majesty,
prohibiting grants of places in reversion, perpetual.
It was read a first time, and ordered to be read a
second time on Monday.
A Person from the African Company presented
certain accounts at the Bar of the House. Ordered
to lie on the table.
Sir JOHN SINCLAIR gave notice, that on Monday
he would move for leave to bring in a Bill to amend
an At for Repairing the Highways.
Lord COCHRANE gave notice, that he would, on
Monday, move for copies of the Oaths administered
to Courts Mart►al and Judge Advocates.
Returns of the Ships entering and clearing out of
the ports of Scotland for the last year were brought
up from the Commissioner of Customs in Scotland,
and ordered to lie on the table.

Mr. JAcNsori brought up the Report of the Com-
mittee on Scotch Tudicature ; which, after a few
words from Mr..l-loaNEa and Mr. RYDER, \vasor-
dered to be printed.

Mr. CALCRAFT moved for- returns of all the Fo-
reign Corps and Colonial Troops in his M.:je!lty's
service ; as also the numbers of the sianding Militia,
together with the lists of deserters, &e.—Granted.
Mr. WHARTON moved for the returns of the 5 per
cent. Annuities, and of the amount of Exchequer
Bills for 1.809, outstanding and unprovided for.—
Granted.
CHAIRMAN OF THE

COMMITTEE. OF WAYS

AND MEANS.

The Order of the Day being moved for the House
to resolve itself into a Committee of Ways and
Means,
Mr. W. SmITLI rose to objea to the manner in
which the new Chairman or the Committee bad
been appointed, and to propose another.
The SPEAKER observed, that to enable the House
to decide on thatquestion, it was necessary he should
resume the Chair.

Mr. W. S:strrn briefly replied, and the Speaker
again took th., Chair.

Mr. W. Smvirt then propcscd Mr. D. Giddy.
The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER observed,
that this question ought to have been decided on
going into a Committee of Supply. If such irre-
gular proceedings were to be admitted, on the next
Committee another new Chairman might be two-
posed. He thought ih Gc,iticuudn wh,, had been
called t.,1 the Chair on a former eVening ought to be
still continued in that situation.

Mr. W. SMITH, was aware that the Chancellor
,of the Exchequer was correa in what he- had
stated as to the usages of the House, but it had
ever been usual to have a soft of an understandiiig
Who was ,to be called upon; and it had never
befcire occurred, that after a long debate, a Gentle-
man .should be called to the chair.—(Ao, no, no !)
--[Here Mr. Smith was informed that the appoint-_
ment bad been made early in the evening.] He
was not sorry to be corrected in that particular; be
hoWecer bad other grounds for obj cling to the.ap-
pointment of I'lr. Lushington to the situation; as in
tliepresent stale 'of affiirs, he could hardly think

,ha !Gentleman qual:fied to fill it. He had been a
Alember 27 years, and remembered four if not five
Centlernen'who had seccessively held that office. He
remembered Mr. Gilbert, Mr. .1-lohhouse, Mr. Alex,
.ander, and the last Gentleman' who filled the Chair
with so much -6edit to himself. All of them Were
Gentlemen whb, having been in the House for. a
!lumber of years, had pc culiar claims on the at ten-
tion of the Membets : a man ottght not to be placed
in' that situation, who had got his lesson to learn,
but one who having already learnt it had only to
practise it. It was the strong conviCtion felt on that
Lead which placed the Speaker' in that situation be
so worthily filled. The Hun. Gent. Who had'presided
over the Committee on a former evening, though
be wished to speak ot him with the greatest respeCt,
having sat in that House but two or three years,
could hardly be thought- to possess the necessary
qualifications. The great increase of business in
that House rendered the duties of that situation more
arduous tlein ever, or why had the, sum usually
~rated for the services of the Gentleman-filling that
situation been increased, from soul, to 120 W. He
did not rittarrel with the Hon. Gent. (Mr. Lushing-
ton), he only quarrelled with his want 'of those qua-
lifications which it Was almost 'physically impossible
he could possess. He had bad some thoughts Of pro-
posing Mr. Hobhouse, but he knew that Gentleman
was particularly attached to one party in that House,
and be thought impartiality in a Chairman of the
Committee very desirable. That was the rea-
son he proposed. the Hun. Gent. lie had named, who
being so little con tithed with either party, bethought ,
most eligible to fill the situation.

Mr. D. GIDDY was greatly obliged to the Hon.
Gent. for his good opinion, and for the honour.he
had done him. He was not aware of the Hon.
,G,entiematt's intention. He had no thoUght of
offering himself on the occasion, though it their
choke had fallen pn him,, he should have been arm-
inus,to' dis Charge the duties of the situation in a sa-
tisfAOry wanner. ,

Air.-1105e.,, though tin felt the highest-sentiments
of reseed for the Hun. Gentleman who had been
last proposed, thought the Hon. Gentleman-called
to the -Chair on a tortner evening, ought not, to be
4 splated.
Mr. LONG contended. the House had not been
taken by surprise. It had been previously an•-
nounced, in fad, as a notice of• the Committee had
been given.' The- Hon. Gentleman callecF- to the
Chair was competent to the discharge of thb, duties
et the situation. • .

Mr. LVSHINGTON was aware that the Hon. Gen-
tleman • (Mr. Gi'ddy)' might be better qualified for
the situation than Ilimself. It was for the House to
decide which of them should preside in their Coin-

mittees. Whether their choke fell on 11;n1 or not,
he trusted his conduet would merit their approba-
tion.

After a conversation, "in which Mr. H. Montgo-
mery, Mr. Wharton, Mr. Ponsonby, Sit C. Adams,
and Mr. Fuller participated,
Mr. W. SislITH declared that a wish for impar-
tiality in ,the chair had influenced bis conduct. He
thought.tmliad brought the SubjeCt forward at the
proper .timer, It could not be said he wi3hed .to
take them by surprise, when he had brought the
case before so full a House. Since, however, the
Hon. Gentleman he had -proposed seemed to de,
cline, it certainly was not for him to press the sub-
jett farther.

The question was then put and carried, almost
unanimously, in favour of Mr. Lushington.
Mr. GASCOIGNE begged to ask an Honourable
Gentleman (Mr. Martin) there being witnesses in
waiting to_be examined, if he would not agree to
postpone his-Resolutions relative to the Third Re-
port of the Finance Committee ?
Mr. MhreriN said, from a mature consideration of
the Resolutions-proposed by the Rt. Hon. Gentle-
man (Mr. Perceval),!he found that he must object to
four of them ; and to do so with effea, be must
enter at considerable length into the question. lie
had, therefore; no desire to press them to night.
It would be recolleded, however, that these Reso-
lutions had been postponed during great part of the
last Session. He Itoped, therefore, that this day
week would not be considered as an inconvenient
day on which to bring them, on. One res Sen for
this was, that, whether the one or the other set of
Resolutions was adopted, it would be necessary to
give etied to them, that one or more Bills should
pass through both Houses during the present Ses-
sion.

Mr. PERCEVAL agreed in this, and hoped that,
unless something very particular ocetirred, the. Re-
solutions might be discussed this day se'nnight.
Mr. PONSONBY said, th4t fur one he would v.itla
reluaance introduce any measure of. importance
pending the Inquiry into the Expedition to the
Scheldt. He knew well the inconvenience thai
must result from any thing of the kind. The
House saw a gieat dtal of it last Se,,sion. Nothing
could be soincoilit'enient, and he-hoped his HonirUr-
ablo Friend (Mr. Martin) would not press his' Ile-
soltaiOus till after that Inquiry was disposed of. •