cellor, when the Queen is not present, and near him is placed the great seal and a mace: this position he enjoys only in his capacity of Speaker ; for when the house is in committee, or when the Chancellor is desirous of making a speech, he steps aside and takes his place as a member, and not as the moderator of the assembly. The Judges, Queen's Counsel, and Masters in Chancery, sit on the other woolsacks, and hold their seats here, not as peers, but for the purpose of giving their advice when the house desires the benefit of their assistance.

The house of Commons no longer sits in St. Stephen's chapel, but in what was formerly the place of assemblage for the Upper house; which, in consequence of the calamitous fire that occurred in the month of October, 1834, has been converted into a temporary place of meeting for the house of Commons. That which is called the strangers' gallery is placed at the lower end, opposite the chair, and commands a full view of the house. Behind the chair is a small gallery appropriated to the reporters, while the side galleries are exclusively for members. Persons obtain access to the "strangers' gallery" through the order of a member, given in writing or vivá voce. According to ancient practice, the house always adjourns to ten o'clock in the morning; and should the Speaker take the chair (forty members being present *) at any time between that hour and

Whenever the Commons are summoned by the Sovereign, or the royal commissioners, to attend at the bar of the Lords, that per se constitutes a house, whether forty members be present or not.

four in the afternoon, the appointed proceedings may immediately commence; otherwise no business can on that day be transacted, and the house will stand adjourned to the following day.

With reference to the position occupied by members of either house of Parliament during debates, it may be observed that the front bench on the right hand of the Speaker, is always occupied by the ministers of the day, while the leading members of "Her Majesty's Opposition," as they have been facetiously termed, sit on the front left bench; behind each rise the tiers of supporters which they respectively muster; and in furtherance of this arrangement many members of the House of Commons who aim at pursuing a medium policy independent of either party, often contrive to seat themselves in a position indicative of their neutral sentiments.

SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF COMMONS.

"There when dark arts obscured each fierce debate,
When mutual frauds perplex'd the maze of state,
The moderator firmly mild appear'd—
Beheld with love, with veneration heard.
Resistless merit fix'd the senate's choice,
Who hail'd him Speaker with united voice."

JOHNSON, Epitaph on Sir Thomas Hanmer.

THIS great officer must have been anciently as at present the organ or mouthpiece of the Commons, although in modern times he is more occupied in

presiding over the deliberations of the house, than in delivering speeches on their behalf.

Amongst the duties of the Speaker are the following to read to the Sovereign petitions or addresses from the Commons, and to deliver, in the royal presence, whether at the palace, or in the house of Lords, such speeches as are usually made on behalf of the Commons; to manage in the name of the house, when counsel, witnesses, or prisoners, are at the bar; to reprimand persons who have incurred the displeasure of the house; to issue warrants of committal, or release, for breaches of privilege; to communicate in writing with any parties, when so instructed by the house; to exercise vigilance in reference to private bills, especially with a view to protect property in general, or the rights of individuals, from undue encroachment or injury; to express the thanks or approbation of the Commons to distinguished personages; to control and regulate the subordinate officers of the house; to entertain the members at dinner, in due succession, and at stated periods; to adjourn the house at four o'clock, if forty members be not present; to appoint tellers on divisions.

The Speaker must abstain from debating, unless in committees of the whole house. As chairman of the house, his duties are the same as those of any other president of a deliberative assembly. When Parliament is about to be prorogued, it is customary for the Speaker to address to the Sovereign, in the house of Lords, a speech, recapitulating the proceedings of the session.

He is chosen by the house of Commons from

amongst its own members, subject to the approval of the Crown, and holds his office till the dissolution of the parliament in which he was elected. His salary is £6000 a year, exclusive of a furnished residence. At the end of his official labours he is generally rewarded by a peerage, and a pension of £4000 for two lives.

He is always a member of the privy council, and entitled to rank immediately after barons, and before the commissioners of the great seal (vide No. LXXIX. in the article on PRECEDENCE). Generally speaking, business cannot be transacted in his absence, though to this rule there was an exception in the year 1606, a prisoner being released by order of the house during the illness of a Speaker. Should a member persevere in breaches of order, the Speaker may “name” him, as it is called; a course uniformly followed by the censure of the house. In extreme cases the Speaker may order members or others into custody until the pleasure of the house be signified. He has a casting vote on divisions.

In the house of Lords the Keeper of the Great Seal is ex-officio Speaker, and whether a peer of parliament or not, he becomes speaker of the Upper house by the mere delivery of the great seal into his possession.

There has always been a deputy speaker, and sometimes two. The chairman of committees, who is elected every session, generally fills the latter office. The Speaker is the organ or mouthpiece of the house, and it therefore is his duty to represent their lordships in their collective capacity when holding intercourse with other public bodies or with individuals.

S

He has not a casting vote upon divisions, for should the numbers prove equal, the not contents prevail. The deputy Speakers of the Lords are appointed by the Crown.

LORD HIGH TREASURER.

. . This is he

Who rides on the court gale; controls its tides;
Knows all their secret shoals and fatal eddies;
Whose frown abases, and whose smile exalts.
He shines like any rainbow-and perchance,
His colours are as transient."

SCOTT.

For nearly two centuries this office has been executed by five persons styled Lords Commissioners for executing the office of Lord High Treasurer. One of these is called the First Lord of the Treasury, and in common parlance is described as the Premier, or prime minister; or rather more correctly, “the head of her Majesty's government;" another of the Lords Commissioners is the Chancellor and Under-treasurer of the Exchequer; and the remaining three are simply described as Lords of the Treasury.

The office of Lord High Treasurer was held, as every person is aware, during the pleasure of the Crown, and was conferred by letters patent; its duties consisted in the government of the court of Exchequer, the custody of the king's treasure, the appointment of all employed in collecting the revenues of the Crown, and the regulation of public revenues. All these powers are now delegated under letters patent to the commissioners, and the first lord is for all practical