BISTORY OF EUROPE. 
place, he had been given to under- 
ftand, that the fpeaker’s fees, com- 
munibus annis, might be computed, 
on an average of ten years, at the 
fum of 1,232/. and on anaverage of 
twelve years, at the fum of 1,266/. 
and that the allowance to the {peak- 
er from the exchequer was about 
1,680/., fo that putting the two fums 
together, the emoluments of the 
Ba er did not amount to 3000/.*, 
a fum by no means adequate to the 
dignity of the office, which he and 
very member of that houfe muft 
to fee properly fuftained, It 
Was on this account that the prede- 
ceffors of the prefent {peaker had 
generally holden places under the 
crown. Sir Spencer Compton had 
filled the office of pay-mafter of the 
army; and Mr. Onflow, a name 
mever to be mentioned in that houfe 
but with reverence, had been trea- 
furer of the navy. He did not like 
that the fpeaker of that houfe thould 
be under the neceffity of looking for 
the favours of the crown, and, there- 
fore, he wifhed the houfe itfelf to 
make an adequate provifion for him. 
% related the following anecdote 
4n confirmation of his argument. 
nen Mr. Onflow was fpeaker, and 
held the office of treafurer of the 
Mavy, upon a warm difcuffion of a 
Gertain political point, the queftion 
came to be decided by the calting 
ote of the {peaker, which Mr. On- 
flow gave in oppofition to the court. 
for conduét was refented by the 
Ourt party, and the place which he 
eld was thrown in his teeth. - Mr. 
nflow, being a high-fpirited man, 
le very next day refigned his 
[83 
place; and though he held the 
office of {peaker for eighteen years 
afterwards, to the difgrace of the 
houfe, he received no more than the 
afual income, of the amountof which - 
the houfe was now apprized, ‘The 
confequence was, that when he re- 
figned, Mr, Onflow muft have re- 
tired in a very uncomfortable ftate, 
indeed, had not the houfe, aware of 
the circumftance, and feeling its 
own credit or difgrace involved in 
its conduct on the occafion, voted 
Mr. Onflow a penfion of 3000/. a 
year. 
With regard to fees arifing out of 
the bufinefs of the houfe, he thought 
they fhould be left exaétly as. they 
were, asa check upon frivolous appli- 
cations. Ifthe fees were abolifhed, 
the houfe would be overwhelmed with 
fuch a deluge of private bufinefs, 
that it would be impoffible to get 
through the whole of it. With re- 
{pect to the other part of the fpeak- 
er’s emoluments, he fhould propofe 
that fo much might be added out 
of the finking fundyas to make up 
the whole 5,coo/. a year at leaft. 
Such an addition might be confider- 
ed as the price paid for the purchafe 
of the fpeaker’s independence ; and. 
the public (he conceived) would 
chearfully pay for a purchafe, in 
which they had fo great an intereft. 
Having explained what he meant. ~ 
to fuggeft, when the houfe fhould 
be in a committee, Mr. Montagu 
begged leave to addrefs himfelf per- 
fonally to the chair, and to affure the 
fpeaker, that he had heard-his manly 
addrefs at the commencement of the 
feflion with great pleafure, and that 
__* Mr. Montagu afterwards ftated to the committee, that, befides thefe emolu- 
ments, the {peaker was prefented at the commencement of a new parliament with 
900 /, for equipment money, 2000 ounces of plate, 100/. for ftationary, and two 
ogtheads of claret annually. 
[F 2) he 
* 
