The National Register. — London, England, 1809-06-25 00:00:00

. 406 HOUSE OF COAINIONS. Monday, June 19. The Speaker acquainted the House that the Royal Assent had bees r iven to the Scotch Judicature, the Insolvent Debtors, the irislinrand Juries Regulation, and several prixate Rills. A Message from the Lords acquainted the Honse: that their LordOtipi had agreed to the Consolidated Fund, and Ihe Judges Salaries alga to the Bankrupt Laws A memlnieat hill with amen:lments, to which they desired the concurrence of the Com- NOW. Sir Samuel Romilly regretted that the T,ords should have thought it expedient to introduce anv alterations into his bill, but as he conceived it was stilt capable of prodncing natch bent-- St to an unfortunate class of men, he hoped the Honse would concur in the amendments suggested by the Lords.—The araeutt weals were t !inn agreed to. Sir Thomas Torino presented a Petition from Mrs. Mary Anne Clarke, praying that the Papers belonging to her, which came into the pies-ession of the House by Mr. Nichols, of Hampstead, should be returned to her, or some person whom she should ap point to receive the same. After a few words from the Chan cellor of the Exchequer the papers were ordered to be returned to Mrs. Clarke. A disrussion arose on the Lords amendments to the Manchester Water-Works Bill. Colonel Stanley moved that they be taken into consideration this day three months. The House divided — For the motion, 36—Against it,l3—Majority in favour of the bill 37. THE NATIONAL REGISTER, ABUSES IN INDIA PATRONAGE. Air T, TURTON, after dwelling at congiderable length on the hardships to ilhich those persons would be exposed who had purchased situations in the service of the East lridia Climpany, should they he deprived of them in consequence of the late reso lutions of the Court of Directors, declaring yid those appoint ments which had been procured through corrupt means, moved ai a resolution of the House, that the House_does not concur with Its Committee appointed to inquire into the disposal of India Patronage in that part of its report which recommends the rescinding of appointments obtained through purchase': because it would be incompatible witb English justice to deprive per inns of their silualions, who, for any thing that appeared to the contrary, were ignorant of thps means by which they were pro cured. _ _ _ The CuvrcEr.toß of the Ex CHEQUER. contended Oat the 'motion of the lion. Haronet was indirectly an infringement Upon the privileges of the East India Court of Directory, whose-proceedings ought to be regulated . by their own bye-laws, M not swayed by the censure or approbatiod of the floute of Commons. Viton this ground he could not support the motion. *Sir S. Rapti, LI , thought that the egintorenary pertinacity for severe justice, which seemed to pervade the sentiinents of Gentlemen opposite, came with a very ill grace from such a quarter, koowiog, as the House must, - that within a few short weeks they had been so extremtly'indulgent to a Nohle Lord, who had hetn proved, io fact, to ise• guilty .of a high crime againit the laws of Parliatnept.' From t his 'he thought it would seem that *f Offence's gilded hand Might shove by Justice," wihilst the unfortunate, obscure, and innocent perso must fall a Victim to the austerity of 14istakett jUSliee.. 1,1 every paint of view, humanity out of the question, he could not but support the Motion. Tbe House divided on the previous question, when there lippeared—For it 35.—Against it, ?T.—Majority 42. SAVING Ili THE renLic EXPENDITURE. Tir. WAftDLE began by saying that he had declared else where, upon a late occasion, that in the event of a Reform in parliament, he was of opinion that the amount . of the Income Pr Ls might be done away. If that assertion, as to Parliatnen dory Reform, hr..:l been entirely new, he would not have been astonished at what had been said as to the langt:hge he then used; but whin he knew that language much stronger-had been used by Mr. Pitt, he certainly could ttot be but surptised at such allusions. In the year 1782, that statesman said, that if there had been always a House of Common=, consisting gent and Constitutional advisers of Government, and time studious nod onqintilfied friends of the people, inaav of the hardens whir h they had to endure, would not be *fitted. `ln tltesan* manner he argue 4 that, with an inilepipkeot sod 40i:tined House of COlllniallf, a great initok s eigilidies et effected. It bas been more trots once i t . .15 . 4curdle, i that he attacked public men w , 1 .1 % :x 1 , , 4 ZiCit ,%`,vrinneit that be could 4tol brinpto •••/4 I :.• 07 • co la which be bad • •t Xe 4 t5....-/Ar • . . • JUNE 25. indulged in doings° ; for if he had done it, he must have been tiding contrary to those principles which' had guided hint throughout I if.. As to attacking the system upon which Govern ment at present acted. he must say, that he would attack it upcse all occasions when he had nit opportunity, as he felt it a public out and he thought hiisself pretty well borne out by that il lustrious indiYilual whom he had mentioned. Mr. Pitt said, that the defect in the representation was a national disease, al;c1 if 7 . 0 u neglect it, you must lay your account s.‘ iih enduring the consequences which may follow, and. with which it is pregnant; without Parliamentary Reform the nation is plunged into new wars—you cannot get quit of bad Ministers, nor can gopd Mi nisters be of use to the country.- The great clamour that has been raised induced him now to state his reasous for the opinion that he had formed. A day or two prior to gi‘ing that opinion, he hecame acquaint's(' with this fact, that the public e x penditure in 1808 'was 71,800,000 i. and that in 18051, it ngluut,ted to 79,09",0001. and this great increase induced him to woke the assertion he then made. lie then proceeded to state the points in which this vast expenditure might be greatly decreased, and the,lst one to which !lc should call the nitration of the !louse, ie in regard to the household troops, the regiment of horse guards, called the Blues, consisting of 6.711 men, tied the other two regiments of horse guards, consisting of 331 men. Properly speaking, the Blues are perfectly sufficient for parade; and in deed it might be said that $OO horses are much more than ran ev.pr he brought into any kind of use for that purposi , . The, number 06ov:dry kept's!) for' home service exceeds w hat can he pos,11)1y wanted. Thedragoon gear& atatiunt to 23,499 men, and yet he had heard it stated by iitilitary men, that 15.,000 (Ira: goons were equal for any liiing that could be wanted in this country, in addition to our force stationed in the East Indies. lfe theught that there might be a reduction of that force to that number, and in consequence effect a great redaction of the ex lieOre, which at present amounts ta 1;i77,610./. besides the ex.; pence of their horse appointments, and other contingencies. The next point to which he should dray the attention of the House, was that of foreign 'corps, which cousist of, 22,9;8 men, and with the artillery, horse and foot, they amount to 24,570 men. The expense at tending' these men is 1,00,000/. a,:yeur, 3,490 of I hem being cavalry. In 'such** Howe of,Commens as that, he should Wish to see, be would maintain. that that 16 a species of force that should. neteer be suffered to etas' 10 this country. That illustrious character, Ciwithara,lbetightit necessary, even in. the war of 1757. to send all the foreign Itneps out of the country, and that, too, at a moment when the bugbear of in vasion was on foot, is he believed it s a most unconstitutional force. He was one of those that.dobelieveit'to be te; and that a free and independent House of CotutnOns would not vote a single guinea towards it. He did not ak all to throw any reflection on any part of 4hat force in particular;, but if. Gen. tlemen will recollect some Circumstances of the ezkaitions to Quiheron, to Malta, and to Other places, they would not be very partial to that species offOrce. In the eepeditimoo listoo ver, it will be recollected, that' our tronps had much to do to prevent desertion amongst those coreign mereetmries, o,ar gaols have supplied many of th•on, 'and Charts:illy' trio employed amongst them. The same system was pt i krsued in Spain, and the enemy's' army had received treat addition Ruin sitailar deser. Lions. He could refer to the opinion of one officer, high in his' Majesty's . service, • he meant Sirsßoliert Wilson; who found him self in a perilous situation in cnnserkueuce of their'conduct. An other matter to be toniplained of, wail the having the officers of those foreign troops put over the 'head of officer& of the British troops, which. in his opinion, furnishes' a very weighty reason why these foreign troops ought not lobe employed. .The Royal Staff Corps, is another 'establishment, 'of late years, which is a very expensive one, for. as it appears from' the accounts laid upon the table, it cost formerly 20,0001. a year, but when the paperihe Should move for are produced, it will appear' to he a very expensi've establishment indeed. They form a Part of the Eniineer Corps„ — which, witlfthe addition of horses. created an additional expenr e: ' The Next'circumithnce to which he meant to draw the attention of 'the public.' war the ratlik' of Great Britain and Ireiand ji whith - rosts us an eepenat. nearly three millions of money. Were only tole bldrof•the militia allowed, to be out at a time, for three months togethi4, 'there would be a saving of 300,0001. a year. There are 15 very small Welsh corps of militia, which, if so dismissed, woul t d pratit‘pa a saving of 20,0001!. The total militia is another .verylteavy reliance. , They at present amount to 450,538 men, and with a staff of, ouch time as they shall be embodied % cost, 306,9604; for cloth. ing. 418,891/. ; for contingencies and allowances. nearly 8,0001. The total expence amounts to abount 1,218 Wilt. ass expellee