THE SPEAKER.

I was in hopes, that no more would be said about the appointment of the 1 Speaker, until the House should assemble, and make its free choice, unanticipated by anybody; but the Courier newspaper, of the 15. instant, will not have it thus: it will have the matter settled beforehand, as the reader will see from the extract which I make from the Courier of that date:

by, an extraordinary slip of discretion in one of his generation. And he was quite right; for would any assembly, actuated by a true economical spirit, award to the pos

sessor of those lord-of-the-bed-chamber qualities, which constitute the utmost amount of his merits, so exorbitant a recompence of 4,000l. a year for two lives? Assuredly the men who now hold the purse-strings of the nation, will form a very different estimuneration. Some advantage may be taken mate of public servants, and their proper reby surprise, upon the House of Commons commencing its functions; but Ministers would do well to pause, ere they commit 7 We understand that it is finally and conthemselves, by proposing to the acceptance of I clusively arranged that the Right Hon. Charles such an Assembly, such a President. It may Manners Sutton will be proposed and supported be that he will be indignantly rejected by the by the Ministry for the office of Speaker of the sober, practical, earnest-minded men, who Dew House of Commons. We imagine that will justly require in the individual to whom the communications made upon this subject they shall commit the guidance of their delito Mr. Manners Sutton will of course proceed berations, and control of their proceedings, from Lord Althorp, as the recognised minis-a love of country, a wisdom, a dignity, a libeterial leader in the House of Commons; and we believe that the motion for the appointment of Mr. Manners Sutton will, in like manner, in conformity to the established practice, be made by the Chancellor of the Exchequer. It is scarcely possible to anticipate that any opposition will be attempted to the re-election of Mr. Manners Sutton to this post, the duties of which he has proved himself by laborious experience pre-eminently qualified to discharge. Before I proceed further, let me insert what Dr. BLACK says upon this subject, in answer to the Courier:

rality and elevation of mind not to be found in a retainer of an old boroughmongering connexion. If it be that the injudicious praises lavished upon Mr. Sutton by Lord Althorp place the Government under any difficulty in resisting his pretensions, it would be our counsel that the matter should be left to the discretion of the House; nor do we think that so to act would be in any degree to cede the proper hend that in this, and in many other particufunctions of an administration, for we appreat an end. We expect to see it frequently lars, the old plan of managing the House is controlling the measures of Ministers, spurn Notwithstanding the authoritative state-ing altogether that species of dictation to ment of the Courier of last night, we cannot persuade ourselves that Ministers will be guilty of the lacheté of proposing an inveterate Tory, in the person of Mr. Sutton, for the chair of the first reformed House of Commons, nore especially after his having taken leave f the House in a formal speech recorded on he Journals, and secured his retired allowance pon the old extravagant scale from an unrermed Parliament. The transaction has ery much the air of an intrigue, displaying, its success, no little cunning on the part of e Tories; and casting upon the Whigs the putation of great gullibility and imbecility they sacrificing two old and faithful assoates, Mr. Abercromby and Mr. Littleton, to hom they were bound by every tie of party mour, and the elevation of either of whom ust have been agreeable to a majority of Me new House. Mr. Manners Sutton bimself bours under no such misapprehension of the obable dispositions towards a person like m of a body of representatives, chosen, as Lâcheté means base cowardice; and e members of the new Parliament have that is not the name for it. The right len, by the free suffrages of the people; for name is insolent impudence, in prowe are not much misinformed, he has not claiming beforehand what the House of sitated to assign his mistrust of a reformed Commons shall do. It is a second> arliament, as the reason why he sought to Ave the matter of his pension arranged by chapter of STANLEY AND CO.

which it has been hitherto subjected, and assuming a great visitatorial jurisdiction over all the operations of the executive. It has been one of the great misfortunes of our past frame. of Government, that the House of Commons was obliged to take measures and Ministers in the lump; implicitly acquiescing in every act of the men in office for the time being, or discarding them altogether, and taking to its confidence a set of people diametrically opposite. This is now over. We shall have no more threats of resignation on the least check or resistance on the part of the House; and that false party pride which prompted the resignation of a Minister under such circum stauces, will no longer deprive the country of the services of men in the main useful and well meaning, although standing in need, as all buman agents must, of occasional control and correction.

It is a

a unreformed one; the avowal being, by-the-newspaper-editor saying that the King's

servants will have a certain man to be has been said in newspapers; or by me, Speaker of the House of Commons. This who am the legitimate monarch of the is the only thing that I find fault with press, notwithstanding the rebellious in this case; and a great deal it is to disposition of my subjects. The House find fault with and if it were proved has no right at all to consult the prithat the servants of the King had caused vate feelings of any of its members this publication in the Courier, I have upon the subject. It will disgrace itno scruple to say, that the House ought self, and it will be detested by the to address the King to banish them people, instead of being respected and from his councils and his presence. beloved by them, if it begin its operaWith regard to my opinion relative to tions by showing anything like a spirit the fitness of Mr. MANNERS SUTTON to of party. It must get rid of the disbe Speaker of the House, no one will tinctions of Whig and of Tory, or it expect me to give it here; but, as to strangles itself in its birth. The ques his Toryism, and other circumstances tion will be simply a question of the trumped up here, I trust that the House fitness or the unfitness of the man for will have too much sense to be influ- the post; and, if Mr. MANNERS SUTTON enced by any considerations of that be, upon discussion, found to be the sort; and really, the Doctor's lamenta- most proper man for the post of any tions at the sacrificing of two old and that shall be offered, base is that mem'faithful associates, Mr. ABERCROMBY ber of the House who objects to the "and Mr. LITTLETON, to whom the appointment of Mr. MANNERS SUTTON. "Ministers are bound by every tie of "party honour, and the elevation of "whom must have been agreeable to a 66 majority of the House;" the Doctor's lamentations proceed, one would think, from an acuteness of sorrow that has bereft him of his senses! For, in the first place, would the Doctor have a brace of Speakers? and if every tie of "OLDHAM PETTY SESSIONS. 66 party honour" binds the Ministers to "ARREARS OF CHURCH-RATES.-One both, both they must have, or break the "hundred and thirty-five poor persons, tie with regard to one, which would to " principally working men out of ema certainty break their hearts, so tender" ployment, were summoned by the are those hearts as to all points of honour." collectors of the church-rates for old Well, Doctor! but if it will be " agree- "arrears of this tax. Most of the indiable to a majority of the House" to have "viduals expressed their willingness one of these gentlemen, why the deuce" to pay if they had the power. Many are you in such a sweat? For, the Devil" of them were old and infirm, and yet take the " new House," I say, if it do" the magistrate had no authority to not have what is agreeable to a majority exempt them from the rate." of it! It will be a pretty House, indeed, if the minority is to beat the majority!

Poh! this is all nonsense and, this eaves-dropping, about what Mr. MANNERS SUTTON has said about "his mistrust of a reformed Parliament to give him his pension;" I don't like this eaves-dropping. The House will do well to treat all such stories with disregard; and to come to the question of who shall be Speaker, with minds perfectly unbiassed by anything that

CHURCH-RATES.

I TAKE the following paragraph from the Manchester and Salford Advertiser of the 12. of January.

66

It is my constituents who are suffering thus. I have the happiness to be the representative of sensible, as well as virtuous, people; and, therefore, they have not applied to me, in this case; for they know that of myself, I can do nothing; and they know that nothing can be done for them, except through the means of the House of Commons. I know of no burden so oppressive as this. It is a new burden, too; and the Parliament appears never to have known anything at all about it.

That poor thing, JOHN WOOD, member dering about amongst uucertainties. for PRESTON, once brought it before NAMES, DATES, SUMS TO A FRACTION: the House. The poor fellow did it in these are the things to deal in: these are as good a way as he could, I suppose; not to be answered by quibbles and but, it was a parcel of matter in which quirks, and by what bawling fellows religion, sectarianism, and conscience and call "eloquence." This is a crying optax-paying and toleration, and church- pression; and it is not to be dealt with warden's bills, were all so muddled by mere loose phrases of complaint. up together, that no one could make top or tail of what he was saying; and, after a suitable stare from the country squires, and a not less suitable yawn from the young lords, the story ended with a helter-skelter up to BEL

LAMY'S.

This is not the way to go to work to get this monstrous evil redressed. About the middle of February, let Mr. FITTON bring his clear head up to my house in London, and bring in his pocket all the accounts of this! church-rate affair from the beginning to the end, not minding how numerous they are, or how voluminous. He and I will put the mass into form; we will describe the extent of the wrong; we will point out the remedy; and I shall suggest to the town of OLDHAM, to invite the other great towns, which are oppressed, in a similar manner, to join them in a regular, constitutional, and powerful application for redress, to be obtained in a lawful and peaceable

manner.

This is the way to go to work; and not to waste oneself in loose outcry and exertion by piecemeal, which is always feeble. Perhaps Mr. FITTON, or some of the committee at OLDHAM, Will write to me on the subject beforehand. I know how scrupulous they all will be about " trespassing upon my time," as they will call it. I beg them to be assured, that I seriously consider my best hours to belong to them, during the session of Parliament. These hours belong to my country in general, and to them in a particular manner. plary in everything else, I trust that we shall show ourselves, they, my honourable colleague, and myself, diligent in the discharge of our duty, above all things. And judiciously diligent also proceeding always on sure ground, and not wasting our precious time in blun

CITY MEETING.

I BEG my readers, all over the country, to attend to the following, and to take a few words from me, when they have read it through.

MEETING OF THE NEW CONSTITUENCY OF THE CITY OF LONDON. Yesterday Mr. Williams, of Watling-street, Mr. Nicholson, Mr. Newell, Mr. Saul, and Lord Mayor, and presented to his Lordship other gentlemen of the city, waited upon the the following requisition.

"To the Right Hon. the Lord Mayor of the city of London.

"We, the undersigned electors of the city of London, request that your Lordship will be pleased to call a meeting of the whole constituency of the city of London, at the Guildhall, for the purpose of their deliberating upon the propriety of petitioning the House of Cominons on the three following important subjects. у

"1. The repeal of the Septennial Act. "2. The voting at elections by ballot. "3. The repeal of assessed taxes. "And also that your Lordship will have the goodness to make the appointment at the earliest possible period.”

The requisition was signed by nearly 1,000 citizens of London, and amongst them many of the most respectable men in the metropolis.

The LORD MAYOR stated, that without a moment's hesitation he should comply with the requisition. The Reform Bill had caused such an alteration in the constituency of London, that the meetings of the electors no longer could be designated as meetings of the Livery, and he should preside without observing any of the forms which were formerly inExem-dispensable when the electors assembled toto consult the City Solicitor upon the subject, gether. He should consider it to be his duty but he did not mean to cause the slightest delay, and should most positively take the chair on Monday next at twelve for one o'clock. He, of course, was to be considered as merely a chairman appointed to preside, with impartiality over the new constituency of his fellow-citizens, without any reference

to the questions which they might think proper to discuss.

Every town in the kingdom, and, if The deputation expressed the highest grati- possible, every village, ought to look at fication at the very candid and honourable what the city of London will do in this manner in which the Chief Magistrate had expressed himself, and stated that no doubt case; and ought to imitate that city, the deliberations of the new constituency each county, city, town, and village, would be conducted with the strictest pro-sending a petition to be presented to the priety upon subjects of such deep interest as

those which were to be discussed. It was the House of Commons by its representamost anxious wish of the gentlemen who signed the requisition that a most full discus- tive, or representatives. In addition to sion should take place upon the merits of the the things to be prayed for by the city respective questions. There never yet had been seen a requisition so numerously and of London, are a total abolition of all respectably signed. An additional import- the taxes on malt, hops, and soap. ance was attached to the requisition, that

it was the first call the new constituency made

upon Parliament.

I do

most strongly recommend this to the attention of every part of the kingdom; The deputation then retired. An immense for, without such abolition, the Corn meeting of the citizens is expected, and the requisitionists calculate that the metropolitan Bill never can be touched. districts will meet immediately afterwards for DEN and I, though chosen by people the purpose of discussing the same questions.

Mr. FIEL

We understand that it is the intention of exclusively manufacturing, told our another party in the city to wait upon the constituents, over and over again, beLord Mayer with a requisition of another

description immediately. His Lordship, in fore the election, that, until these burthe course of the conversation which he had dens from the land were removed, we with the deputation, repeated his long-since

expressed determination to grant meetings would never vote for a repeal of the upon every application from his fellow-citi- Corn Bill, nor for any alteration in it; zens, without the remotest idea of mingling in the politics of any individuals or bodies of

men.

To the Editor of the Morning Chronicle. SIR, The above requisition, the most nu merously signed that was ever presented at the Mansion-house for a public meeting in the city of London, was tendered to the Lord Mayor yesterday, by a deputation of the metropolitan electors. It is signed by men of all parties, who have thus shown the deep in. terest they take on these three important questions,

because, as Mr. FIELDEN has so ably shown, besides monstrous injustice to the land, to leave it thus burdened and leave it to carry on a ruinous competition with foreigners at the same time; besides this monstrous injustice to so large a part of our fellow-subjects, it would be to inflict ruin and beggary on the best customers of the manufacturers. Our sensible constituents saw the justice and the reasonableness of this,and the manufacturers all over the kingdom see the matter in the same light; and, for this the whole nation owes a great debt

The Ministers will no doubt feel as they ought to do, in being promptly supported to carry into complete effect the great measures contemplated by the Reform Bill. The Borough, the Tower Hamlets, and all the other of gratitude to Mr. FIELDEN. It is districts, are already preparing to follow the true, that the assessed taxes are a good examples set them. Many of the prin- grievous burden; and ought to be abocipal boroughs in different parts of the king-lished, and must be abolished; but the dom are also on the alert in the same good other is a burden as grievous, affecting

cause.

The Lord Mayor, in his cordial reception millions, and oppressing every working of the deputatio, immediately acceded to the man in the kingdom, though the citiwishes of the requisitionists, by appointing zens of London do not, and cannot, the meeting to take place on Monday next, at twelve o'olock, at the Guildhall. His Lord-perceive the full magnitude of the evil. ship further consented to preside on this the I recommend, therefore, most strongly first meeting of the "New Constituency." to every body of electors in the kingYour obedient servant, dom, not to fail to pray, in their petiJ. NICHOLSON. tions, for the total repeal of all the taxes on malt, hops and soap.

Fenchurch-street, Jan. 16, 1833.

ANSWER

ΤΟ

STANLEY'S MANIFESTO.

I PRINTED three or four thousand of this answer separately; but, it has made such " a noise in the world," and I am so worried, for it, that I am compelled to insert it in the Register again. I shall also print another edition of it, PRICE THREEPENCE; which I shall sell at twelve and sixpence a hundred, seven shillings for fifty, and three and ninepence for twenty-five. By the time that this edition is sold, privy-councillor STANLEY will have become pretty famous.

usurpation, ought to be instantly repealed; and the opinion is not less general amongst the same description of persons, that, in order to secure the peace and freedom of elections, the ballot mode of voting ought to be adopted. Mr. STANLEY'S declaration is an open declaration of war against all this part of the community. I shall give his words as I find them reported in the Manchester Advertiser of the 22. December; and when I have so done, I shall make such remarks as appear to me to be called for by the occasion.

66

66

"Gentlemen, when I stated to you "that the elective franchise had been greatly extended, I stated to you no well aware. When I stated to you more than that of which you were that, the elective franchise having "been so extended, the weight of property-not of large masses undoubtedly, but of that diffused and general wealth which forms the blessings of this country (hear), has been to talk until domesday, he could at last find augmented, I also stated to you that "out no other reason, than that it would pre-" which every day's experience con"vent bribing, corruption, lying, perjury, firms and strengthens. But having enmity between man and mau, drunken-so extended the franchise, I should "ness, rioting, and everything disgraceful to "the human character and to the country." —Register, 30. October, 1830.

"An honest and thoughtless man might," "at first, object to other parts of my plan; "but the man who objects to the BALLOT must "be, in very essence, a rogue; for if he were

London, 26. Dec., 1832.

66

"be contradicting all the principles and "all the professions with which we came forward, if I were to say that we shall not, at a future period, "strenuously and decidedly resist every THE declaration, which was made" attempt to carry that extension furat Lancaster, on the 17. instant, at the "ther. (Slight applause.) We came nomination of candidates for North" forward with a great and compreLancashire, of whom Mr. STANLEY" hensive measure of reform; we came (Secretary for poor Ireland!) was one," forward with a bill which was devoted has excited great attention and not little to the nation at large as a new charter indignation amongst all those who are "of our liberties; we came forward anxious to see the prosperity of the "with one in whose favour those who country restored, and its peace pre- were anxious to have gone further served. There were many passages in "waived their opinions, and assented to his speech upon this occasion, which" it as a new national compact. The might merit remark; but one passage measure which we brought forward in it in particular is of great importance," was extensive enough, undoubtedly, as appearing to contain the determina-" to alarm some, who yet consented to tion of the servants of the King upon go along with it, upon the distincthe two subjects of SEPTENNIAL" pledge that it should be a final meat PARLIAMENTS and the BALLOT.“ sure. If, therefore, gentlemen, it With very few exceptions, the friends" should be attempted in another Parof peace, order, and good government, liament, to bring forward any of those are decidedly of opinion that the Septen-" sweeping motions for shortening the nial Bill, which was a direct act of" duration of Parliaments, and extend

66