the prefent precarious ftate of his health. Hence alone originated the idea which his lordship had conceived, of moving that Mr. Cornwall might be appointed to fill the chair. That gentleman, before he came into that houfe, had done his country effential service, and acquired great perfonal honour, by the very able and active fhare he had taken, in the adjustment of fome public accounts, which had been fubmitted to the investigation of certain perfons commiffioned for that purpofe. He had also been fome years a member of that houfe, was well acquainted with the law of the land, with the law of parliament, and with all the forms, orders, and rules of proceeding, peculiar to the houfe of commons. His lordship therefore moved," That Mr. Cornwall "be elected fpeaker."

This motion was feconded by Mr. Welbore Ellis, treasurer of the navy, who obferved, that Mr. Cornwall feemed to be poffeffed of all the qualifications which were requifite in a speaker of the houfe of commons. He acknowledged the great abilities and fervices of Sir Fletcher Norton; but remarked, that as the labours of the office, which he had fo honourably fuftained, had fo much impaired his health, he thought it neceffary, as an opportunity now offered, to afford him the relief which the house had in its power, by electing an other 1peaker. He confidered Mr. Cornwall as the fitteft fucceffor of Sir Fletcher Norton, whofe conduct ought to be the model of that gentleman's, if the houfe fhould honour him fo far as to feat him in the chair.

Mr. Dunning expreffed his furprize, that the minifter had not rifen, at the commencement of the

debate, to move that the office of fpeaker fhould be continued in the perfon of Sir Fletcher Norton; and that it fhould feem to be the general idea of the houfe, that Mr. Cornwall would be appointed his fucceffor. He admitted the abilities of that gentleman, and fhould not have objected to his nomination, if the chair had been really vacant: but he was of opinion that this was not now the cafe. Sir Fletcher Norton was then present in the houfe, and appeared fully equal to the duties of the office, which he had lately executed with fuch univerfal approbation. It was, therefore, extremely fingular, that the noble lord who made the mo tion, and the honourable gentleman who feconded it, fhould acknowledge, that the late fpeaker was the properest and most able of all perfons to fill the chair with dignity, and in the very fame inftant propofe another candidate... It might at least have been expected, when the bad health of Sir Flescher Norton was talked of, and urged as a ground for not continuing him in the chair, that either the noble lord, or the gentleman who seconded him, would have stated to the houfe, that Sir Fletcher Norton had formally applied to them, declaring his defire to refign the chair, and affigning as a reafon for his fo doing, that his health was in that impaired state in which it had been reprefented. But the fact was, that their late fpeaker appeared to be in full health, and equal to all the duties of the office: he, therefore, moved, "That Sir Fletcher Nor

had been a real vacancy; because that gentleman was a placeman at pleafure, a penfioner, and a reprefentative not of any independent place, but of one of the cinque ports, which were known not to be allowed a free and unbiaffed choice of their reprefentatives. He farther remarked, that it was the impartiality of the late speaker, though that was a vir

tue in the execution of that office which his opponents had affected to applaud, from which the defire of removing him from the chair had reall originated: for offence had been taken, that in a fpeech which muft perpetuate the remembrance of his attachment to his native land, he had expreffed his deep concern for the calamities which furrounded it, and his anxiety, that the liberal and unprecedented donations of the people might be applied with wifdom and frugality.

Sir Fletcher Norton then rofe, and exprefled his defire of faving the time of the houfe, by an immediate declaration, that he had refolved, in fpite of all confiderations whatever, to decline the chair. He obferved, that when he was first chosen speaker, his conftitution was in its full ftrength, nor were the humble taients, with which Providence had endowed him, at all weakened by their exertion through the former periods of his life. But the very great and increafed duties of the office had materially impaired his conftitution, and his fenfe of his growing infirmities had made him vefolve to give up all thoughts of Yeturning to his former ftation. With this temper of mind, he felt no anxiety for the fate of the motion that had been made by his honourable and learned friend, of whofe encomiums he poffeffed a grateful fenfe, and whofe favourable opinion he

was happy to enjoy. He alfo expreffed his acknowledgments to the noble lord who had made the motion for a new fpeaker, and to the gentleman who had feconded him, for the compliments that they had been pleafed to pay him. He muft, however, be an ideot indeed, if he could poffibly fuppofe, that his ftate of health, of which none of the king's

minifters had ever received the smalleft intimation from him, was the real caufe of their moving for a new fpeaker, when they had not previoufly faid a word to him upon the fubject. He was fatisfied, that every man, who had the leaft pretenfions to understanding, went before him in the fulleft conviction, that a confideration of the state of his health was not the true motive for the prefent measure. He had a just fenfe of the merit of the honourable gentleman who was propofed for his fucceffor, and thought him fully equal to the duties of the office: but, at the fame time, in justice to himself, he must call upon the noble lord, and the honourable gentleman by whom he was feconded, to affign the true reafon of their unmanly effort to drive him from the office with infult and difgrace. If they had any objections to his conduct in the chair, they ought openly and fairly to ftate thofe objections. He the rather called for this explanation, because he could affure the houfe, upon his honour, that though he had been in town three days, and acceffible to any member of adminiftration, he had never been asked whether his health would enable him to continue in the chair, fhould the house approve of his continuing there: nor had he been applied to, either directly or indirectly, on the fubject of choofing a new speaker.

Mr.

Mr. Fox arraigned the ministry, in very pointed language, for having made it a part of their fyftem, during their continuance in office, to difgrace every dignified character in the kingdom, and efpecially to infult and vilify thofe men whofe conduct the house of commons moft approved. Admiral Keppel had been an inftance of this, and a new inftance was afforded by the prefent treatment of the late fpeaker. It feemed as if the ignominious bufinefs of that day was to extinguifh thofe fparks of independence, which the virtuous rejoice to cherish, and to degrade that rectitude which had a juft claim to honours and rewards. Unfortunately for the nation, the prefent example, of difmiffing from employment a virtuous individual of high rank, merely because he had uttered his fentiments, and given his vote in obedience to the dictates of his confcience, was not a novelty. The marquis of Carmarthen, and the earl of Pembroke, had been divested of their offices for the fame reafon. The conduct of the ministry was equally abfurd and unjustifiable. The noble lord, who made the motion, had filled his fpeech with empty compliments of Sir Fletcher Norton; and after afferting, that he was the ableft man the house could chufe to fit in the chair, had concluded his addrefs with moving, that another gentleman might be elected to fill it. The honourable gentleman, who had feconded his lordship's motion, had recommended it to the gentleman moved for, as Sir Fletcher Norton's fucceffor, to copy his example; telling him, in the most plain, pofitive, and direct terms, that his chance of making a good fpeaker refted on his following the model of Sir Fletcher Norton. But would any men, except the prefent minis

ftry, refufe an excellent original, which it was in their power to poffefs, and fix their choice upon a copy, on a fuppofition that it might prove not much unequal to the finifhed workmanship of the mafter? The true reason which actuated adminiftration in the prefent measure was, however fufficiently apparent : the gentleman whom they propofed as a new fpeaker was one of those who had voted, in the last parliament, in oppofition to the fenfe of the majority of the houfe, that the influence of the crown had not increafed; that it was not increasing; and that it ought not to be diminifhed. This was his recommenda tion: whilst the miniftry were defirous of removing Sir Fletcher Norton, because he had executed the office of fpeaker with impartiality; had performed his duty to the house, and to the nation, in his address to his majesty, on the commons granting him a great augmentation of his revenue; and had voted, agreeably to truth, and to the dictates of his confcience, that," the influence of "the crown had increased, was in"creafing, and ought to be dimi"nifhed. Thefe were his crimes, and thefe were crimes not to be forgiven. But he hoped the house would not, in the choice of a speaker, implicitly obey the dictates of a fecretary of state. As to the health of Sir Fletcher Norton, it was ap parently very good; and when, unhappily for his family, and the public, he fhould feel a relapfe, it would then be fufficiently early to talk of a fucceffor.

Mr. Cornwall faid, that if the houfe thought proper to elect him to the chair, he fhould exert his endeavours to give them fatistiction; but at the fame time expreffed his confcioufnefs, that thofe friends, A 4

who