The National Register. — London, England, 1808-04-11 00:00:00

APRIL 11. when and how they were disposed of; but having been made acquainted uith the implication that would have attended a clau-e of that description, he yielded to the reasoning which he heard on the su b ject, and had given up the intention of submit ting that amentbnent. It appeared to him then, that the first amendment proposed by his lion. Friend, combined with the secoml, hich declared the Bill to have merely a suspending operation, would present it to the Lords in a form and sub stance dilkrent front what it possessed before. Ile was free to code's that the proposed amendments rendered the Bill more acceptable to him, than if it had peen enacted in the shape that tir-t proposed. But still he must say, that he had not in at degree changed the opinion which he had all along ex pre—ed n it h regard to the supposed intrinsic utility - of the mea sure. lle doubted, hots ever. its tendency to produce economy in the public expenditure, for to hint it appeared that the ex roation o hick He's ersions might excite m ould be found rather a cheap mode of rewarding public services—( a laugh. )—Upon tier o hole, it certainly was his wish that the Bill should re eels e the sanction of the Legislature in its amended shape, since a large portion of the Public, and many (tithe Members of that House, attached so much consequence to the measure ; and he sn.sst st agreed to withdraw t hose suventiments of which he had gi‘en notioe, and acceded to those proposed by Isis llou. Friend. Stn./. porn' contended, that of all other things Reversion I stood most in the way of economical reform. Ile enumerated a , variety of those reversions in Ireland, which bad been pointed out by the Fthance Committee of that country. Ile instanced, , in particular, that of Surveyor of the Port of Dublin, the emoluments of n hich were above 2000!. per annum, -and w hich had been granted for three lives. lie said it would be endless to go through all the variety of offices connected w ith the re venue in Ireland, which had been reversion sinecures, and be sides stood in the way of the public benefit. Of these there were the Comptroller of Duties in the Port of Cork, where the principal had 1000!. and the deputy, who alone did the ditty, had 300'. per annum.—There was also the office of Taster of Wines .-4 a laugh )—not king ago re-established, in which there was nut even the semblance of duty to discharge, which brought in IWO/. annually, and this he would not scruple to say, had been given to the lion. J. Beresford, and in reversion to two of his sons. The Right Hon. Member enumerated other local offices of a intilttr description, and added, that it would be enough to Say to tin. other House, Non have had all these abuses presented to no in the Report of a Committee, to show the expediency of preventing the Grant of Reversions. But if the Law Depart ment of Ireland were looked into, the grants would be found still more enormous ; and instead of one or tvv o thousand, some wound he found to rise to eight or nine thousand pounds a year. There had also been various compensations of the most shameful kind granted for the loss of offices by the Cnion ; and it was well known that the Board of Compensation had sat three weeks consideriog- Iv hat compensation should be given to the King's Rat-catcher. (J laugh. ) The Hon. Gentleman then Winded to tho-c weans of influence and corruption by which he said the I 1 01 1 was brought about, and related an anecdote of a certain Noble Lord, whom he w as sorry not to see in his place, having urged a friend to accept an office only for a year, in order that he might be entitled to some compensation on the loss of it. The If iglu lion. Member pledged himself that he was prepared to firing all these things to and establish theta in the Committee, if the House should think fit. A conversation then ensued, between Mr. A. timit h, Mr. Bankes, Mr. Martin, and Mr. Dundas, on several clauses of the Bill, w !itch amendments were introduced. The Bill went through the Committee, and the Report war ordered to be :cceived to-morrow. Mr. 11 hitbread, after a few observations on the limited time of the Bill, gave notice, that he should move an A mmulment to, In" W that the BILL should be suspended during Ninety-nine I ears. Mr. W. Smith brought up the Lunatics Bill, which was read tm ice, committed, the Report receiveil, and the Bill ordered to be taken into farther consideration on the 10th of May, and rioted.- Ndjoucued. FRIDAY, APRIL S. •• • Mr. Speaker acquainted the House tJtat. he ,had received a letter from Admiral Stirling. acknoWledging the receipt of the Speaker's letter, with the Thanks of the House for the capture of Monte V ideo. _ Ibe Mow was informed hy n Meicsage from the Lords, that their Lordships had agreodito the Bari: I;xport Prohibition Bill. THE NATIONAL REENSTER. 2../1 On the motion of Mr. Modals Saunders, a new Writ was or dered for Ike Election of a Commissioner for the county of Su therland, in room of the Hight lion. W. Dundas, now Steward of the Chiltern I I undreds. Mr. Vansittart gave notice for Tuesday of a motion for the production of curtain public accounts relative to the Tr-de of England. A Petition was presented against the late Return of Mr. B. Cooke, for New Mahon, which was ordered to he taken it to further consideration on the Sd of May. lu a Committee of Supply, sums were voted for the pay and cloathing of the Militia, and for allowances to certain Offi cers of the Militia disembodied ; 38,000/. for employing convict: at home ; `4500!. for the Stationary Office ; 51,500 t. for slatioaary to both Houses of Parliament; 4151 P. fur the far ther preservation of the Public Records, and 5000 t. on necount, for completing the buildings for the Royal Naval Asylum, until the estimate for that edifice should be presented. Report order ed to be received on Monday. An account Istv presented from the Exchequer, of the surplus of the Consolidated Valid. and Mr. II uski-son gave notice, dint on Monday, in the Committee of Supply, he should more for its appropriation. RI'SiIAN TAPERS. .Mn, WIIIT/lar to rose in consequence of n notice he had given, respectiog the speech of a Noble Lord ( Lord G. 1.. (lower) on the 29th of March last. In the course of the Session there had been much disens,ion on the propriety of quoting from official documents. lle did not mean to go over all the arguments for and against that practice, he only thought such a practice was unfair towards the Houk!, and that it ought to be prohibited. The power to make such emonitorications ought certainly to be confined to Mk istcrs, as no other individuals had a right to snake such communications. The Noble Lord to w hom he alluded ( Lord L. (lower) had lately been Ambassador to Russia, and he had made certain communications to the Foreign Secretary of State, which that Secretary had refused to lay before Parlia ment. After the demise of Air. Pitt, lard Maier:Rl , had given to both Houses a great mass of information, disclosing things very improper to be communicated, as no ni itions hail been made for their disclosure. These related to the utter defeat of the Continental Confederacy of Austria and Russialigainst France, which was entirely ruined by the battle of Austerlitz. The lion. Gentleman NV Cut Olt to con plain that I old Gower had mis l-il Sir A. Paget in regard to the co-operation o f Ru,sia with Au stria at that period, mid that fact had produced the catastrophe of that campaign. He also complained of Lord Gower, presum ing he was acquainted with the secret Articles of the Treaty , of Tilsit; and that the field had been taken against France with an iuferior force, namely, by 400,000 men, instead of 500,000. Ile next adverted to the conversations held by the Emperor of Russia, in regard to limiting the maritime jurisdiction of Great Britain, and said, lie should be glad of ample explana tion upon that noun. lie maintained, that Russia had a latent cause for hostility to this conntry, independent of the Expedi tion to Copenhagen, which certainly had etiereased, and this position he had elucidated by several arguments. He next alluded to a private letter, written by Lord Gower- to Mr. Can ning, and commented forcibly upon what were understood to he its contents. He next denied that Lord Hutchinson had had any conversations yy jilt the Emperor of Russia, but those he had been instigated to by lair I ( loss et - :awl that the Emperor had, as it were, bamboozled Loud 11, and had pr. a' need a tirade against this country. The lion. Gentleman, after d w di- . iag on these points, concluded by moving, .!- Ad tress to his Ma jesty, for Copies of the Correspondence of Lorl 4 ; L. Gower, of the 11th of April 1805, Iv ilk the Se, rotary Lf State, on the ;object of a Declaration delivered to his Loidship by the Mi nister of Russia, Loaf) G. L. Gowen was happy to find this business at. length brought forward, as lie was convinced lie could justify his con duct to the House and the country . ; tied that he could also make nut, that he had been no party towards bartering away the maritime rights of the country.' For this opportunity he was obliged to the Hon. Gentleman, and be would, in justice to the memory of Mr. Pitt, exculpate hint from any blame for the failure of the Confederacy, He wrothd therefore request his Right Hon. Frieud, Mr. Canning, to grant the mo.;on of the Hon. Gentleman to the full extent, excepting' w itli regard to the private letter. On that subject, diritthr i pputtr..shink he matWA r had beer' deficient in Isis duty, it was an ttaij.. to . ii . irpers its dis.ipprobation, by a vete of remits' s . wpon tt - . .. net for havio!: written it.--That however, • he • hu11 ,:.. . ''t,O:hilf ut of the question. The. intelligence i colaisuntaiit` tit: tbut . . . . . . • . • . . • • ~, 1 , .±i' F