In lieu of Fees. Salaries of Election Committee Clerk. Out-door Clerks. These salaries are to be in lieu of all feest, except those payable on the examination of sureties of election recognizances; and the taxation of costs of election petitions, which are established by act of Parliament (28th Geo. III. ch. 52.). For these fees, see ante pp. 109, 119. These commissioners have also the payment of all the Under Clerks, according to the rules regulating the same. And if, after the disbursement of the above salaries, there remains any surplus unexpended, it is to be paid into the Consolidated Fund of Great Britain. There is a special Clerk appointed to attend the Committee of Privileges, who now attends the Select Committees on Elections; and when two or more of these Select Committees are sitting at the same time, the Chief Clerk appoints others to attend the same as deputies. There are also four Principal Clerks without doors, * By a recent Statute (4 & 5 Wm. IV. ch. 70), these Salaries are reduced to the following amounts, viz:-The Clerk of the House, £2000 per annum; the First Clerk Assistant, £1,500; and the Second Clerk Assistant, £1,000;—without any increase being provided for a long period of service. This arrangement, howis not to come into operation until the demise of the present occupants. The fees that have always been due to the above Officers, are still to be paid them, but, on receipt thereof, they must pay them over to the Commissioners of the Fee Fund. ever, The fees to which they are entitled upon all Private Bills, have been already shown (see ante, p. 256, &c.); the following table therefore will contain the Fees to which they are entitled for other duties. appointed to attend Committees, who take their attendance by rotation; each having a deputy. There is also one Clerk who has the direction of the Ingrossing Office, and has copying Clerks under him; and another who has charge of the Private Bill Office, with Clerks under him. Besides these, there is a Clerk appointed expressly to collect the fees on Private Bills, &c.; and another who has the custody of the Journals and papers, and who has several writing Clerks under him. There is another Officer of this class, viz: the Speaker's Speaker's SecreSecretary, whose salary is not provided by the 52d Geo.III.; but by the 4th & 5th Wm. IV. ch. 70, it is placed at £500. tary. Crown. 2. The Clerk of the Crown* is an Officer of the House Clerk of the of Commons, at which place he must attend, by himself or deputy, to amend returns (n) in the House, whenever he is so ordered. It is his duty to deliver in to the Deputy Clerk of the House, at the commencement of Parliament, a book containing a list of all the members returned. When in the House, his place is upon the steps at the foot of the Speaker's chair. 3. The Serjeant-at Arms is also an important Officer of Serjeant-atthe House. The duty of Serjeants-at-Arms is to attend the Arms. person of the King, to arrest persons of condition offending, &c. Two of them, by the special permission of the King, and not by any authority properly belonging to either House, attend on the two Houses of Parliament, or rather upon the Speakers of the respective Houses. In token of which, the Mace is surrendered by the Speaker, at the close of every session, to be deposited in the Royal Treasury, now called the Jewel House, at the Tower.t (2) C. J. v. 63, pp. 118, 305. * See ante the note in page 319. Upon this, Sir Francis Palgrave truly observes, "It might be as well if our "Commons would sometimes bear such historical facts in mind, in order that they "might recollect that it is as the King's High Court of Parliament they assemble; "and that if they are the representatives of the community, they are also the "Council of the Crown."-(Palgrave's Merchant and the Friar, p. 264.) The Mace. Its place symbolical. Other duties of Arms. The office of him in the House of Commons is, the keeping of the doors; and the execution of such commands, touching the apprehension, and taking into custody of offenders, as the House may enjoin upon him. Although the Speaker is properly said (0) to have the keeping of the Mace, and is never to appear in public without it, yet it is placed in charge of the Serjeant-atArms, to manage according to the rules of the House. At the election of a Speaker, after he is chosen, and has taken his seat, the Mace is laid upon the table by the Serjeant-before the election it should be under the table; and the House cannot proceed to the election of a Speaker without the Mace (p). When the Speaker is in the chair, the Mace lies upon the table, during a Committee of the Whole, it is under. When the Mace is out of the House, no business can be done. When from the table, and upon the Serjeant's shoulder at the bar, the Speaker only manages, and no motion can be made. But if a witness be under examination at the bar, and the Mace upon the table, then any member may propose questions to the Speaker to ask the witness (q). Whenever the Serjeant-at-Arms makes his appearance the Serjeant-at- in any Committee, bearing the Mace upon his shoulder, it must instantly adjourn (r), and its members proceed to the House. It is also a common plan to send the Serjeant, with the Mace, to the buildings and places adjacent, for the purpose of collecting the members, and it must always be done before any election petition is taken into consideration. (See ante p. 111.) Prison-rooms of the House. Whenever the Serjeant-at-Arms takes persons into custody by order of the House, he lodges them in prison rooms connected with the building; where they are com fortably provided for in all respects, except in the articles of food and raiment, which they must obtain at their own cost. The salary of the Serjeant-at-arms, as regulated by the His Salary. 4 & 5 William IV. ch. 70—is £1,500 per annum. This includes the allowance to which he is entitled as Housekeeper to the House of Commons (which office was united to that of Serjeant, by the 52 Geo. III. ch. 11, sec. 5) and is in lieu of all fees* payable to him under the Standing Orders; and which, on receipt thereof, he must pay over to the Commissioners of the Fee-fund. (See ante p. 323.) There is a Deputy Serjeant-at-arms, who has a salary Deputy Serjeant, of £800 by the above statute. Besides which there are Doorkeepers,&c. Doorkeeperst, and Messengers to the House, who are under the control and authority of the Serjeant-at-arms. 4. The Chaplain-Whose duty it is to read Prayers The Chaplain. every morning before the commencement of business. This solemn rite commences a few minutes before the Prayers. appointed time of meeting, the Speaker taking his place * For the amount of Fees payable to the Serjeant-at-Arms (and Housekeeper) on Private Bills, see ante, p. 256. The following are those which he is authorized to demand by the Standing Orders of 1700, and of the 19th June, 1746, for other Besides the Fees payable to the Doorkeepers upon every Private Bill (sce ante, p. 250), they are authorized, by the Table of Fees of 1700, to demand the following: To the Two Doorkeepers. Upon the discharge of every prisoner, to each...................... 026 Besides the Fees payable to the Messengers upon every Private Bill (see ante, p. 256), they are authorized, by the Table of Fees of 1700, to demand the following: To the Four Messengers. For attending a prisoner, per day 026 Serjeant-at- Chaplain. Crier and Doorkeepers. Of the House of 5. There is also a Serjeant-at-Arms in attendance on the Lord Chancellor, whose duties are similar to those of the like officer in the House of Commons, (see post p. 325). By the entries on the Journals of the House of Lords, it appears that there was anciently a Chaplain, whose duty it was to read prayers each day, before the commencement of business; but there is no such officer at present, this solemn rite being performed by the junior Bishop. There is a Crier and several Door-keepers in attendance without; and it is provided by a standing order (e) that the Door-keepers be not allowed to enter within the doors, except upon business. OFFICERS, &c. OF THE HOUSE OF COMMONS.* 1. The Clerk.-The office of Clerk of the House of Commons, (or, as he is more properly called, Under Clerk of the Parliamentst,) is granted by the King (d), by letters patent, for life, to be exercised by himself or deputy; with an ancient salary of £10, payable half yearly at the Exchequer. 2.66 3 By virtue of his office, the Clerk has not only the right of appointing a deputy to officiate in his stead, but has the nomination of Clerks assistant, and all other Clerks without doors. His duties are comprised in the words of his oath, to make true entries, remembrances and journals, of the things done and past in the House of Commons ;" but he must confine himself to taking notes of the orders and proceedings in the House. These he and his Clerks do in their minute books at the table, and from these (d) See 6 Grey, 106. (c) S. O. H. of L. 14 Feb. 1703. *For the amount of compensation paid to certain inferior Officers and Servants of the House of Commons, see Appendix XXV. †The reason given for this is, that when the Two Houses of Parliament first separated, and held their meetings apart,-which is said to have been on the 12th March, 1332,-the Under Clerk of the Parliaments went with the Commons; and he has been accordingly, from that time, styled in his letters-patent, and several public documents, "Under Clerk of the Parliaments, attending upon the Commons." |