Mr. Gully made a brief and impressive statement concern- ing
his resignation of the Spea.kership in the House of Commons on Tuesday. His reasons for retiring were simply that at his time of life and in his present state of health he no longer felt confident of being able to perform his duties in the continuous and satisfactory manner in which they ought to be performed. Mr. Balfour in giving notice of the Resolutions he proposed to move on the following day confined himself to a brief expression of the sincere regret with which the House had heard Mr. Gully's statement ; and Sir H. Campbell. Bannerman, who followed, spoke in the same terms. The formal Resolutions conveying the thanks of the House, and praying the. King to confer "some signal mark of his favour" on the retiring Speaker, were proposed by Mr. Balfour on Wednesday. On Thursday Mr. Lowther was moved to the Chair MB the new Speaker. It will prove no easy task to live up to the standard set by Mr. Gully, but Mr. Lowther has great experience of the House, and we shall not be surprised if he becomes almost at once a very popular Speaker.
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