The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1841-08-24 00:00:00

HOUSE OF LORDS.-FRIDAY

At two o'clock the Lord Chancellor, the Marquis of Lans-
downe, the Marquis of Normanby, the Earl of Errol, and
Viscount Duncannon, as Lords Commissioners, took their
seats on the bench in front of the throne.

Prayers having been read,

The Lord Chancellor dfrected the Gentleman Usher of
the Black Rod (Sir Augustus Clifford) to summon the Com-
mons to attend at their lordships's bar.

Immediately afterwards Mr. Speaker Lefevre, accompanied
by a considerable number of members, appeared at the bar,
when the right hon. gentleman said—" I have to acquaint
your lordships that, in obedience to her Majesty's commands,
her Majesty's faithful Commons have, conformably with
their ancient rights and privileges, proceeded to the election
of a speaker. The choice, however unworthy, has fallen
upon me, and I now submit myself to her Majesty's royal
pleasure."

_
The LORD CHANCELLOR.—Mr. Speaker, we are com-
manded by 'her Majesty to assure you, that her Majesty is
sensible of your zeal for the public service, and your anxiety
for the efficient performance of those duties which her Ma-
jesty's faithful Commons have selected you to discharge ; and
that her Majesty most readily approves of and confirms their
choice.

Mr. Speaker LEFEVRE.—I submit myself, with profound
gratitude and humility, to her Majesty's royal will and plea-
sure. It now become; my duty, in the name and on behalf
of the Commons of the United Kingdom, to lay claim to
those undoubted rights and privileges to which they have
been heretofore entitled ; more especially, freedom from ar-
rest and molestation for themselves and their servants, free-
dom of speech in debate, and free access to her Majesty upon
all occasions that may require it ; and that her Majesty will
be most graciously pleased to put the most favourable con-
struction on all their proceedings. For myself, I have to
pray that, if any of her Majesty s faithful Commons should
fall into any error, it may be imputed to me, and not to her
Majesty's faithful Commons.
The Lord CHANCELLOR.-Mr. Speaker, we have it further
in command from her majesty to inform you, that her majesty
most readily confirms all the liberties, rights, and privileges
which have been granted to, or conferred upon, her majesty's
faithful commons by any of her majesy's royal predecessors.
With respect to yourself, sir, though you stand in no need
of such assurance, we are commanded by her majesty to
assure you that her majesty will put the most favourable con-
struction upon all your words and actions, as well as on
those of her majesty's faithful commons.

The commoni then withdrew.
Between three and four o'clock the Duke of Northumber-
land, Lord Lyndhurst, and the Marquis of Wellesley entered
the house and took the oaths. The noble marquis looked in
good health and spirits for one of his very advanced age.
At four o'clock the number of peers who were sworn was
exactly one hundred. _ _ _ _

Their lordships adjourned at four, to half-past two o'clock

HOUSE OF COMMONS.-FRIDAY

A few minutes after two o'clock the Speaker, in full dress,
entered the house, and took his seat by the table, at which
time there were about fifty members present. At a quarter
after two, Sir A. Clifford, the Usher of the Black Rod, ad-
vanced to the table, and spoke as follows :—" The lords
authorized by her majesty's commission desire the immediate
attendance of this house to the House of Peers."
The SPEAKER then left the house, followed by nearly all
the members who were present. n a few minutes, the
SPEAKER returned to the House of Commons, and took the
chair. At this period there were 150 members in the house.
Mr. S. LEFEVRE then spoke as follows :—" I have to inform
the house, that I have been to the House of Peers, where
the lords authorised by her Majesty's commission signified
the royal approval of the choice which the house has made
of a Speaker, whereupon I claimed at the bar for this hon.
house all its undoubted privileges, freedom from arrest, free
access to her Majesty, and freedom of debate. I trust," he
continued, " I may now be permitted again to offer to the
house a sincere expression of my gratitude for the honour it
has conferred upon me. I cannot pretend to discharge the
duties of the office in which I am placed with the ability it
may require, but I feel that I shall constantly need the in-
dulgence and assistance of the house; without that assist-
ance my best efforts will be unavailing, but with it I hope to
be able to conduct the business of the house in a manner
satisfactory to it, and beneficial to the country. (Hear,
hear.) I have now to remind the house, that our first duty
is to proceed to take the oaths prescribed by law, without
which members cannot be qualified to take their seats."
The Speaker was the first member of the house sworn.
The oaths were administered to him by Mr. Ley, the clerk
of the house.

The members for the different counties were then called,
according to alphabetical arrangement. They assembled
round the table, took the usual oaths, delivered in their
qualifications to the clerk, subscribed their names in a book,
and were introduced to, and shook hands with, the Speaker.
Nearly 200 members up to the period of adjournment had
taken the oaths and their seats.

The SPEAKER adjourned the house at 5 o'clock till 11
o'clock on Saturday.

SATURDAY.
The whole period of this day was occupied in both houses
in swearing the members.

Mr. O'Connell says the new corporation will be able to
make 700 liberal freemen in Dublin.

PERILOUS SITUATION.—As a party of about 12 young
people from South Pethcrton were last week on a tour of
pleasure to Clifton, on reaching the summit of the cliffs
where the Suspension Bridge is to be placed, two young men
of the number, Jacob Hodges and Benjamin Hebditch,
ventured in the suspended basket which swings beneath a bar
of iron about 700 feet in length, at the altitude of about 240
feet above the surface of the water. Our adventurers had
proceeded about two-thirds the distance across the river,
when the rope, the only means by which they regain the
starting point, snapped assunder, and caught in the rigging
of a steamer that was passing beneath. For some moments
the vessel drew the basket in its downward course, many feet
out of its vertical position, when it loosened its hold from
t h
produced ae ship and was hurled to
an fro over the centre of the river,
and
Panic not to be described in the feelings of
those who stood on the cliffs. A. kind Providence, however,
prevented their destruction by means of the opposite rope,
which by great dexterity, was caught before falling from the
cliff. Human strength was speedily called into full exercise,
an d they were eventually drawn back safe to land.— Gloucester
Chronicle.