Star. — London, England, 1805-04-11 00:00:00

• -, : . . , --. _ 71 , t1 ,.. ,,,5 . ' ....: (r - ---),..,,c5,._ f _ . . _v a_..,. _ r i , ...,,,,..... _ ':---1.-*--"%-%l ' - - .______________„z:__________ * • Nt.s. 't t • It IMBIR sos /1 GRAND SPRING LOTTERY. SCHEME. Valise of cads. total Value. of 4 30.000 Is 4 60.010 20,000 .- 4 0 % 000 zogoo 30,000 3.000 . . 15,000 .. %Poo . toooo_ two —. 8.000 .5 00 ••••• 7,000 ..., 100 .1.- 3. 0 00 50 ,3•000 20 -120.0 L-0 Na of PritcL Tkkets. Z 300,C00 Capitals deternalnabie : I .11...".rawu, VI Gay 4 lo.coo Firft-drawn, 6th DayC 20,00 C Ii ItO id Day 1000 Ditto th Pay aoco Dnto 3d Day 1000bin,' BthDay 30,0c0 Intro 4th Day sOOO Ditto so Day zmo D-to ith Day Two Ditt o lot h D I 2. 000 Tickets and Shares are felling at every Ofike• PRESENT PRICE : - • £tB 13 o £9 14 o' l Eighth - 4s 9 6 • 4 IS 0 I Sixteenth 1 5 o BEG:NS DRAWING 13th MAY, dog. Ticket Half cliarter ch 4. CORNHILL, and 9, CHARING•CROSS,I ONDON, T BISH, Contralto, for the prefent Lottery, -I. • affures his Friends that the Sale of Tickets and Shares far es+erds his mot'. fanguine expedations. _ In the late Lottrri, Tickets rote from the prefent Thiel to ap %vv.& of stkper Ticket before the Drawing began, and every TiAct wa, fold before the Lottay was hair 'Milked. The .S%:bcnse of the prefent Lottery Rands univerfally allowed fu?..rier to any firmer in Capital Prises; he therefore &della hh Fticrds (who Wean to tdventute) to lofe no time in purehafing, as Tickets and Shates,from the extraordinary demand, will be fare to rift confide:ably. •.• Perron, in the Country may be (applied, by fending (Po ft Paid) Bank Notes, Caih, or Poft 01Ice Orders, to either 4, Corn bill, or 9, C.baring-Crofs, London. Drawing begins 13th of MAY. PARLMMENTARr PROCEEDINGS. LOUSE OF COMMONS, WEDNESDAY, APLIL to. LORD MELTILLI. The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER in. reined the Houfe of the refignktion of the office of Tql Lord of the Admiralty by Lord Melville, and of his Ma jelly's acceptance of the fame. Mr. WHITBREAD moved, that the lad Refold ti-,n of the Houle palled on Monday, refpeßing the ecnchal of Lord Melville, be read, which being read accordingly, he addreffed the Houfe to the follow ing effeil :—" The notice of the Refignation of Lord Melville cannot be unexpeaed ; but thts tingle aCt an, by no means, anfwer the great ends of public jollice, or the defigns of this Houlk, after having paired the Refolution which has now been read.— If the iffue of the Debate of the night before laft were merely to be the triumph of a party, thai party might be fatisfied, beeaufe its triumph wat ,corliplete, and the Noble Lord had thought it prudent to retire. But neither I, northofe who voted with me ott the recent mutton, have condefcended td party motives. I undertook the caufe of the pub lie, and in this moment of urgent necefGty, the eaufe of the public I will not abandon. If I know any thing cif my own heart, any thing of the immediate feelings by which I am atluated, theft is no portion of the vindiffive principle in my conduit, and hay. ing obtained the ?erdil of the Houfe, I thould here flap. But, Sir, lam not permitted to gratify my wflEes, the fi tnation of the country requires that I ihnold fill perfevere. My Lord Melville has not yet been difruited from the pretence and Councils of his Sovereign , trite it is, he has tendered the tefig odor. of one of the numerous offi:es he held, and in this he has done what every difereet man in his fana non would have performed; but if the Houfe prc ceed no Parther, he may be refiored to-morrow, and the nation may again feel the confequences of his rral-adminiftratlon. Is it fit, is it decent, after the refolution you have paired, that this fhould be poflible? Ought he not to be banithed for ever from the confi dence of the Monarch, and from the Councils of the State? On refleOing on the late determination of the Houfe, I am perfuaded there is no man in the mon o,' who will not review it with confeious pride and fervent gratitude,with emotionsofjoy and of triumph. There is, Sir, no page in the hitlory of Parliament, which will be perufed with more fatisfaltion. There was a numerous convention of the Members, the event was doubtful, the fcales were equally paired, and it remained for you to decide between two contending parties--for you, who belong to no party, to whom no party motives can be attributed—of whom none can be furmifed. Such, Sir. was the important !Ito ation in which you were placed, and your decifion did honour to your heart and to your underftanding —and you will be rewarded by the love and applaufe of your country. Popularity which fucceeds to filch altion.s, is the higheft gratification the mind of man can enjoy, next to the ferene confolation it receives from the confcioufnefs of a faithful difcharge of its duties. No man can frequent the places of refort tlis capital, without witneffing the fentiments of . t , )ngratulation by which the public is animated, Rit?t , sut hearing the language of approbation dired •J t. , he Commons of England. But we !hall not " )n.; .•:e the work which is fo well begun; we fhall abfwer the escalations we have fo honourably excited, if we Rop here, if we admit Lord Melville gzain to appear in the Councils of the Empire.— i:te I exprefs there opinions, I fubmit them with Pe,:ul:ar dererente and refpea to the eonfideration of the Hoare, becanfe I know I am addrefling thofe alio have concluded themfelres in a way mob repu •.thle to themfelves, and moll beneficial to their •)untry. I Shonld reit/Rawly urge any fentiments which would not be congenial with your feelings; ,nt from all I have collated from perfons uncon ialed with any party, from all I have undertlood 'Jai the party to which I belong (and I confider it +l. honour to belong to that party), from all I have card from every defcription of men, the uniform ..qtaation is, that more mull be done; ulterior pro molt be had, and we mull acquaint his Ma. . according to the moll folemn forms in which • +,e coavcriant, that Lord Melville ought to be 6 .703 THURSDAY, APRIL ti, 18os. removed from every public fituation he holds, and for ever be excluded from the Councils, and be ba nned from the prefence of his Sovereign. Yet not only the head of this combination, but the inferiors in office require tome attention. Has Mr. Trotter been difmiffed ? (Mr. Canning aiTwered its the affir mative.) Has Mr. Wilfon been difcarded ?—(The reply was in the negative). If either of there public officers have been retained, the Right Honourable Gentleman (Mr. Canning) has not done what he ought, from deference and refped to this Houfe, to have inftantly performed. If Mr. Wilton be not di ,etted to retire already, is it the intention to difmifs him ? It mull evidently appear upon the Tenth Re port, he ought no longer to be retained. If both were driven from their fitnations, more is yet to be done ; and I take this opportunity Of giting notice, that it is my defign to move , that th e Attorney Ge neral be dire&ed to proceed againft Lord Melville and Mr. Trotter, in order that the public may re ceive the profits derived from their illegal penalt'as, which ought to be refunded to the nation. The Learned Gentleman will, no doubt, proceed in the way be Scold deem molt effectual for the rellitution of the property of the (late. There are other pro ceedings neceffarily refulting from the Tenth Report. If the queftion thould be carried, we are far from having finifhed the duties of the day. We are yet only at the dawn, but it is an aufpicious dawn ; and when the fun fets, I hop e i t w ill fet in glory. With regard to that part of the fubjea on which the Houfe has before decided, nothing could be more obvious than the line of conduit it ought to have taken, and nothing more correit than that which it has adopted ; bilt there are other parts in which fome prepara tion is neceffary. It At firft occurred to me to be right, to make a motion exprefsly on the fubjed of the transfer of the public money, in the cuftody of the Treafurer of the Navy, to other officers; yet, as I found it to be the opinion of fome Gentlemen, that fuel) a transfer might admit of apology, if not of vindication, I have nct perfe7ered in this defign ; it will, however, be propofed, that a Seled Commit- tee be appointed to enquire into the tranfaftion, not withftanding the explanation given by the Right Hon. Gentleman (Mr. Pitt) as to the portion of the amount fo transferred. No fubjet of greater mo ment can be fubmitted to the Houfe. Such conduit, may, in fome infiances, be excufable, in others me ritorious ;—but if it fhould pals unnoticed, what an example, what a precedent would appear to fine don the mdconduit of future Officers of the Crown? It is extremely remarkable, that this appropriation of the funds devoted to the Navy, to other fer vicet, was never pradifed before, and never after, the Treafurerfhip of Lord Melville. It was ins puede, tinder fuch cireumftances, not to enter tain s : fa llacious. But how mach was fufpicio n incr . when we were told that all the records of the tranfations were defiroyed ? Is not this fufficient even to convert doubt into certainty, and will not this jufiify the moil unfavourable eon ftrudion 1 If thefe records were of a fecret nature, they ought at leaft to be depofited in a place of fe curity, to be produced and infpeOed at a future period, when concealment was no longer neceffary ; the defiration of ruch materials of inforrhation mull be underftood as an ad of Pelf condemnation. In the prefent peculiar circumftances, not only the particulars of the Report, but matters unconnected with that Report, ought to be referred to the Com mittee. When I laft hadthe honour of addreffing you, Sir, it was my intention to have Paid a few words on the conduit of the Bank, but it then efeaped my re colledion. It appeared the vouchers of the Bank it felf were deficient. Subfequently an explanation was attempted, and the aegled was imputed to the per fon who produced a counter fiatement. Wherever the culpability lies, let it be underftood to whom the imputation fhould be direded ; it does fecm that the Right Honourable Gentleman (Mr. Pitt) is not without fault and if fufpicion fall upon him, l et hi m he heard in his own vindication. I did explicitly charge him with being informed of the irregular mode in which the banking account of the Tree furer of the Navy was concluded, and he has never yet explained why he tacitly fuffered this violation of the Mt of Parliament. The confideration of this part of the cafe malt alto be referred to a Commit. tee. The circumfiance refpeding Mr. Jellicoe, will alto devolve under the fame elafs of enquiry. It is calculated to make a deep impreffion upon the mind. It is not only Lord Melville who is implicated, but the Commiflioners of the Treafury appear to be par takers of this crime. They granted, as a quietus to the Treafurer of the Navy, 24,0001. to fupply the de falcation which the Right Hon Gentleman in the laft debate miftook between an item of 134 millions, and another of tB6 millions. Such was the Oka of of ficial prodigality, that fifty-two millions were of little account. Here the fum in queftion is merely 24,0301. but if it is only 24,000 pence, the grounds of inveftigation are the fame, and the Lords of I the Treafury have abandoned, in this tranfadion, the ptintiples to which they ought to have rigidly adhered. The molt important and ferious enqui ry, molt important and ferious, both as it refpeds Lord Melville and the public, is into the connec tion and intereft that Nobleman may or may not have had, with the peculation of Mr. Trotter. If, under the difficulties attending filch a fubjea, it be poffible to afcertain the truth, the Committee of the Houfe will not be deficient, either in vigilante or difeernment, CO enable themfelves to expofe the faits of the cafe. The long aiminiftration of my Lord Melville would, at haft, afford abendant materials, and (erne of the molt curious fyftems of arithmetical eomputatipn would be ditclofed. I think Swift has fothewhete laid, that in the ealcula lation of the Cuftoms, a and a do not Make 4 ; it will be difeorered that my Lord Melville, adopting the fame dothine of quantity, difallowed that 4 and 4 were coincident, as I (hall prefently explain.— Lord Melville uttered continual complaints that he was oppreffed with the weight of his official duties, yet it liasucceffary, for thee rraogemeut of Adroi• niftratian, that he %hould remain Prefident of the Board of Controul, Secretary of State, and that he fhould have the principal condo& of the war. But was it equally fo, that he thould occupy the fituation ofTreafurer of the Navy ? At the firft view we fhould anfwer in the negative, and an abundant fuppl}o of candidates may be found for an office where all the emolument is to be received, and no functions arc to be dikharged. But reafons may be affigried why fuch candidates fhould be ditappointed ; and here I will hint at a fatisfaftory (Motion of the arithmetical 1 paradot to which I have adverted, Lord Melville reflges a Itipend of aoool. as Secretary. of State, and commutes for it an equal income as Treafurer of the Navy. A plain man would fuppofe be would be neither richer nor poorer by this change—but he would be, I fear, molt egregioufly miftaken. Four and four, with Statefmen, are not equal ; nor is the received axiom with Mathematicians corral, that 1 things equal to the fame thing are equal to one ano-' ther. Thus in this cafe, the aoool. as Treafurer of the Navy, was fomewhat fatter ; it was of the femi nine gender, it was productive; and by the taws of na ture, as ?oliticians underhand them, capable of bear ing a golden progeny. I confefs I cannot fupprefs my funoictons when thefe truths, which have been rang nixed for centuries, are thus controverted. This, however; remains to be enquired—but we are no lon ger to be taught on the fait of his criminality ; out of his own mouth, tinder his own hand he has acknow ledged hinsfelf guilty of the offence with which he is charged, and the Houfe of Commons has voted in confequence of that confeffion. It is then expedient for the fafety of the kingdom, that fuch pitons as Lord Melville fhould not intermeddle with matters of State—it is no lets neeetrary, as an example to fu ture generations ; and I truft this Houfe will juftify its former refolution, and vindicate its own honour by addreffing his Majefty to remove this Nobleman from all offices whatever. It will be recollated the office of Fir!' Lord of the Admiralty is not the only Ration he holds in the empire ; the refignation, there fore, thus far, does not rid the King's Councils of the , man who is undeferving the confidence of his Sove reign; this infulated aft has not fatislied the plaice of the country, it is only one link of the chain which mutt be broken to pieces, or it will be employed to mana cle the Elate. If the punifhment of Lord Melville had no concern with the interefts and with the feturity of 1 the public, I fhould exclaim, g l Let him go free." By reflation on his paft conduct, by the view of 1 his prefent difgrace, by the profpelt of his future fortunes, and, above all, by the painful confciouf nets that he has deferved the Coffering' he endures, he has undergone, and has yet to bear more thanwe can Mire any man to Main. But the aim of all puniffiment is not the mifchief accruing to the in dividual, but the benefit of fociety—and to promote this great end, it was a great duty to the country not to admit this diftinguiffied criminal to efcape without the penalties the law, and the authority of Parliament, have attached to his crimes. Lord Melville has engaged the confidence of the crown, 1 and has been the tervant of the people. The King has multipled favours on his head, and within a year of the time in which I am now fpeaking, isool. per annum has been granted to him, in addition to his poll of Firft Lord of the Admiralty. This was not matter of mere conjecture, the account was upon the table, and the tranfation was public before the world. It was, indeed, ffippoted, that no new honours and emoluments awaited the ambition of Lord Melville ; it was imagined he had retired for the remainder of his days, into his native country. It was, perhaps, owing to the peculiar difficulties and neceffities of the Right Hon. Gentleman (Mr. Pitt) that he was again, untortucattly, invited to tread the public ftage ; he was called to fill the fecond official dignity in the nate, and the compliment of I poi. per annum Was granted, in addition to the emoluments of that emi nent nation. A queftion may wife, if this be a grant for life, if this patent gift, fo long as he (hall hold the Privy Seal of Scotland, be indeed that fort of perpetuity ? Should it be revocable, it ought to be cancelled ; if irrevocable, the more is it to be lament ed that the property of the nation fhould devolve into unworthy hands. Who were the advifers of this grant, and alfo of others, to different branches of his family, will be another proper funjat of future invef- Ligation. I here more immediately allude to the gift to Lady Melville, which, if I am not mifinformed, was conceded in a clandeltine manner. It teems to me highly probable, that the perfons who figned their names to that grant were not duly apprized of the contents of the inftrument they then paffively fanetioned with their authority. Sir, I have already. expreffeJ my wilt), to conduit myfelf with particular refpelt to the Houfe, under the encouragement I have Co recently obtained during my exertions in the public cattle, and in the confidence I feel that it will perfevere in the difplay of the fame fpirit by which it has been fo honourably dillinguiffied ; I (ball not, therefore, prefs the fubjeft farther than the Houle will approve, but (hall now, after this general expla nation, content mylilf with moving, ' that an Ad dicts be prefented to his Majelly, to remove Lord Vifcount Melville from all the offices he holds in the State, and from the Royal councils and pretence, for ever." Mr. CANNING.—" I have no objeCtion, Sir, to the Hon. Gentleman and the Honk purfuing the ob jells of our refolutions to the great ends of puniihment and example, in all cafes where, in doing fo, we ad vance the great ends of juflice ; bot in the inflance of the cafe before us, I am very far, indeed, from thinking that we Ihould be promoting the ends of jullice, by agreeing to the motion with which the Hon. Gentleman has concluded his fpeech. The Hon. Gentleman difclaims all other intention but that of punilhment and example, and in a way con tillent with decorum, jullice, and impartiality; but the Houfe will agree with me, that from the mixture and topics introduced into his fpeech, from the manner and tone with which that fpeech was deli. vered, there was not only fomething extremely bit ter is it, but alio foundling both ' , joint and *tad [ PRICE SIX-PENCE. dielive. Gond GOD Sir, what meafure of jultice is that, when the firß thing the Houfe is told in the pt . fecution of there pretended ends ofjullice, that the re. fignation of office is no atonement to Parliament, when the firft thing we hear isan accufietion brought forward againfl Lord Melville,for having re/igned Ac if it were laid that refignation was mere fobterfoi• , an evafion and Million to deceive the Houle and e country, and to mitigate the popular feeling with re. gard to Lord Melville. What would the Hon. Ger . tleman have laid, it Lord Melville had not refigned ? Would not the Hon. Gentleman, who now reprefents the refignation of the Noble Lord as an Million, have called on the Houle to denounce the hardy refiflance of his Lordfhip, and have triumphantly told us, that there was Lord Melville unmoved, laughing to fcorn the votes and refolutions of the Commons of the Britilh empire ? The Hon. Gentleman not only cenfures the refignation of the Noble Lord, but even treats it as an aggravation of the offence he imputes to him. Inftead of this, if his Lordfhip had indeed difre garded the vote of this Houfe, if he had not anticipat ed public opinion, the Hon. Member would have ex claimed to-night, that weought to feel ourfelvesinfult ed, ought to feel indignation, infult, and aggravation. I mean to fay. Sir, that whatever count: we may think fit to take, Lord Melville has not. by refign , ing, met the vote of this Houfe with either aggrava tion of his cafe, or Murton as to the mode of his re fignation. A more relpedful procedure it was not ' poffible for Lord Melville to have followed towards this Houfe and the country, than that which he adopted ; for if he were even in the lalt degree Rug ry, loch a Rep as he took is the utmoft we could have erpeeted him to take, in all the circumflances. And with the very diminihted guilt of the Noble Lord, I mutt think he has made a fignal facrifice. The Ho.' nourable Gentleman has appealed perfonally to me, if I have difmiffed certain individuals in my depart ment, who are mentioned in the Report, and whom he hit pointedly alluded to in his fpeech. He quef tions me if I have done my duty ? It is a hard quaf. tion. Many obßacles prefent themfelves to the per. formance of our duties—the world will not always fuffer us to do our duty. But, Sir, I have told the Honourable Gentleman, that with refped to one of the perfons, Mr. Trotter, I have removed him from his inflation ; although, as to Mr. Wilfon, I have thought it right to continue him. As to Mr. Trot -ter, I Rated the other night the grounds on which I did not remove him from his fituation ; and the more I confider my opinion which I delivered - then, the more I am fatisfied that I did only jultke in not dif. miffing Mr. Trotter : for what an effetL would it not have had, If he who, belt acquainted with the tranfadions and the fituation of the office, and what had been done in deviation from the Aft of the Le. giflature, had tun before this Houfe in judgment ? If I had found him guilty, while the publiq opinion ran fo high, and whild this Houfe was undecided, I fhould have thought myfelf wanting in that due re gard to juflice which it is incumbent on every man to feel and to cheritu. Certainly, Sir, I should not have done right in deciding fo rafhly ; but I do flat ter myfelf that I have done right in not fa deciding. With refpeet to Mr. Wilton, I than notice his cafe prefently. But, Sir, I was, in a molt peculiar manner, attacked the other evening, on the fubjed of Mr. Trotter. An Hon. Gentleman, who ought to have known better, accufed me of mifconduet in not dif miffing Mr. Trotter the inflant the Tenth Report was publifhed to the world. The language of that Hon. Gentleman, on the occafion, was, indeed, remarka ble ; I might add, that it was unwarrantable. In truth, it was at once arbitrary doctrine, and defpoti cal and tyrannical, as to the judgment with which it was wilhed to follow up that doctrine. If the Hon. Gentleman had been an Englifh Lawyer (tbe Mem ber alluded to was Mr. George Ponfonby), he would not have made ale of fuch a doctrine, nor defiled an Englifh Houle of Commons to approve fuch defpoti• cal notions.—(A cry of Heart Hear I)—As to Mr. Wilfon, I have, it is true, continued him in office, but I have done it from a fenfe of duty. I have never under flood that the Commiflioners reported any thing criminal againft Mr. Wilfon ; he never has been men tioned with difapprobation by them. And, Sir, I am , perfedly confident, and confeientiontly convinced, that the public has not an honeßer fervant than Mr. Wilfon. On the other hand, if this Houle, or any other competent tribunal, fay otherwife, I, Sir, (hall bow to the decifion ; but as I do not think him un worthy, I certainly fhall not difmifs him from his office till I find it proved, and completely and une quivocally proved, that he is otherwile. The Houfe is probably not aware of the adual Rate of the cafe with regard to Mr. Wilfon. Mr. Wilfon flood in the fituation of sating occafionally in the abfence of the Paymalter, in whole office he held the fecund fitua. Lion. During the abfence of the Paymaller, which might be for two or three days at a time, Mr.Wilfon, by his orders, flgned drafts in the name of the Pay. matter, for money drawn from the Bank of England. When he learned that there was a violation of the Ad of Parliament imputed to Mr. Trotter, and that a legal crime was coupled with imputation—coupled in the form of charge, Mr. Wilfon thought, if fuch a crime involved pains and penalties, that it would involve him, who had only ailed by deputation. in pains and penalties afterward ; and he accordingly availed Ilimfelf of the Ad under which the Commit: tioners were conflituted. Mr. Wilfon was folely the deputy of the PaymaAer ; for as to any advantage, ' profit, or benefit from the public money, it is evident he derived none. There is no moral guilt imputed; and as to legal guilt, it is fuch as I have not felt myfelf bound to carry into effe't any other decilion than I have. Not thinking Mr. Wilfon guilty, I have not removed him from his flotation. " Having laid thus much on the topics of a digref. five nature, which the Hon. Gentleman thought fit to introduce into his fpeech, I (hall now, Sir, return to the quedion [nought by the Honourable Gentle. man before the Houle this night ; and which he founds on our vote patted two nights ago. I do not mean to qucltion the fairnefs, validity, or juftiee of