Ipswich

Haverfordwest

Newport

Cornwall

Northumberland

A JOURNAL of the PROCEEDINGS of the FIRST SESSION of the FIFTEENTH PARLIAMENT of GEORGE III.

The Lord Chancellor, having received directions, faid,

My Lords and Gentlemen,

His Majefty has been pleased to command me to acquaint you, that he will defer declaring the caules of calling this Parliament till there fhall be a Speaker of the House of Commons. And therefore it is his Majefty's plea fure that you, Gentlemen of the Houfe of Commons, do immediately repair to the place where the Commons ufually fit, and there chufe a fit perfon to be your Speaker; and that you prefent fuch a perfon, who fhall be fo chofen, to his Majelty here, for his royal approbation, to-morrow at two o'clock.

Then his Majefty was pleafed to retire, and the Commons withdrew.

WEDNESDAY, MAY 19.

This day his Majefty went in ftate to the Houfe of Peers, attended in the State coach by the Duke of Montague, Maller of the Horfe, and the Earl of Effex, Lord in Waiting; and being feated on the Throne, Sir Francis Molyneux went to the Houfe of Commons, and returned with the reelected Speaker and a number of Members, who being come to the Bar, the hon. Charles Wolfran Cornwall addreffed the Throne to the following purpose:

cannot refrain from expreffing my apprehenfions, that my abilities are by no means adequate to the difcharge of that weighty and important truft which they have repofed in me. Under thefe circumftances, I muft entreat his Majefty, that he would give his command to his Commons to proceed to another election."

In confequence of a command from his Majefty, which the Commons have received, to elect a Speaker, I am to inform his Majefty, that they have proceeded to the exercise of that ancient and undoubted right. I have the honour to be the object of their choice. On this occafion, however, I ́

The Lord Chancellor then addressed the Speaker as follows:

"I have received the commands of his Majefty, to express the confidence which he has in your experience, abilities, and integrity, and to notify his Majefty's approbation and command, that you should take upon you the high and important truft which his faithful Commons have placed in you." The Speaker then replied,

"The best way I can take to return his Majefty my acknowledgements for the high honour he has done me, by his approbation and confidence, is by the most ferious and ftrenuous exertions of fuch abilities as I poffefs, and the trueft integrity of heart, in the difcharge of the high employment with which I am invefted. I must entreat for myself every indulgence for my failings, and that the most favourable conftruction may be put on all my proceedings. I must likewife claim for the House of Commons, over which I am to prefide, the affurance of the continuance of an exemption from arrest of its Members, of a free access to his Majefty's perion, and of all other their ancient and undoubted rights."

The Lord Chancellor then faid, "However fmall the need may be of his Majefty's favourable indulgence on account of your abilities, I am ordered to give you his Majefty's affurance of every favourable interpretation of your conduct. I am alfo authorized to affure you of his Majefty's refolution to preferve all the ancient rights of the Houfe of Commons inviolate, and, among others, thofe of freedom from arreft, of free access to his perfon, and of a favourable conftruction on the proceedings of the House.”

This ceremony being over, his Majefty was pleased to make the following gracious Speech from the Throne:

My

My Lords and Gentlemen,

I have the greateft fatisfaction in meeting you in Parliament at this time, after recurring, in fo important a moment, to the fenfe of my people. I have a juft and confident reliance, that you are actuated with the fame fentiments of loyalty, and the fame attachment to our excellent conftitution, which I have had the happiness to fee fo fully manifested in every part of the kingdom. The happy effects of fuch a difpofition will, I doubt not, appear in the temper and wifdom of your deliberations, and in the dispatch of the important objects of public bufinefs which demand your attention. It will afford me a peculiar pleasure to find that the exercife of the power entrusted to me by the conftitution has been productive of confequences fo beneficial to my fubjects, whofe interefts and welfare are always nearest my heart..

Gentlemen of the House of Commons,

I have ordered the estimates for the current year to be laid before you; and I trust to your zeal and affection to make fuch provifions for their far-ther fupply, and for the application of the fums granted in the laft Parliament, as may appear to be neceffary.

I fincerely lament every addition to the barthens of my people; but they will, I am perfuaded, feel the neceffity, after a long and expenfive war, of effectually providing for the maintenance of the national faith and our public credit, fo effential to the power and profperity of the State.

My Lords and Gentlemen, The alarming progrefs of frauds in the revenue, accompanied in fo many instances with violence, will not fail on every account to excite your attention. I must, at the fame time, recommend to your most ferious confideration to frame fuch commercial regulations as may appear immediately neceffary in the prefent moment. The affairs of the Eaft India Company form an object of deliberation deeply connected with the general interests of the country. Whilft you feel a juft anxiety to provide for the good government of our poffeffions in that part of the world, you will, I truft, never lofe fight of the effect which any measure to be adopted for that purpofe may have on our own Conftitution, and our dear interefts at home. You will find me always de

firous to concur with you in fuch meafures as may be of lafting benefit to my people. I have no with but to confult their profperity, by a conftant attention to every object of national concern, by an uniform adherence to the true principles of our free Conftitution, and by fupporting and maintaining, in their juit balance, the rights and privileges of every branch of the legislature.

His Majefty having withdrawn, feveral new Peers were introduced, and took their feats and the oaths.

The Lord Chancellor then read his Majefty's Speech, as did also one of the Clerks; on which

The Earl of Macclesfield rofe to move, that an humble Addrefs be prefented to his Majefty, to thank him for his moft gracious Speech from the Throne. In fupport of his motion, he expatiated on the different topics contained in the Speech. He congratulated the House on its meeting under the prefent aufpicious circumstances. He adverted to thofe events which had preffed themfelves on the mind of his Majefty, and had called on him to diffolve the late Parliament. He dwelt on the difference of fentiment that had existed between the late Houfe of Commons and the conftituent body of the kingdom. He expatiated on the popularity of the prefent Miniftry, and the public fentiment of approbation with which they had every where been honoured. He adverted to the frauds in the revenue, and pointed out their magnitude as deferving the attention of the legislative body of the kingdom. He called the notice of their Lordships to the ftate of affairs in India, as connected with this country, and concluded with obferving, that as his Majefty had been graciously pleased to direct their attention to objects of fo much consequence, and fo intimately connected with the happiness of the kingdom, he would therefore move an humble Addrefs to his Majefty, for his moft gracious condefcention on theie momentous points. The Addrefs reechoed the Speech.

Lord Falmouth was happy to fecond the motion of an Addrefs. It correfponded, he said, with every fentiment of his heart, and breathed a language of loyalty and attention to the great principles of the conftitution, which did honour to their Lordships. He could not help repeating with the moft

heart