The National Register. — London, England, 1809-04-30 00:00:00

APR/IL 30. THE NATIONAL REGISTER. Integrity and intelligence, they seldom are so much known to the world as many who are inferior to them. If all elections wete purely popular, such men would be altogether excluded from the 1 louse of Commons, although they are indeed its or naments." The Noble Lord then proceeded to defend what he had done in this transaction, but did not justify it ; for, al though he did it from perfect purity of motive, yet, in point of precedent in a Pa-ha:ln:Mary proceeding, it was dangerous, and others might follow it Upon nu worthy principles. lie left the whole transaction to the House, and whatever should he the re sult of this discussion, he should most humbly submit to the de cision of the llouse. lliv Lordship theu bowed and retired. Lord Archibald Hamilton then real his Resolutions, which purported, that as it appeared, that Lord Clistlereagh's attempt to o4tain a seat in the House of Commons for a certain person, by giving a writersiiip as an equivalent, had been frustrated by tile disagreement of parties, and not ay any opposition from his Lordship ; he had been gull iy of a gross violation of his duty as a Miaisse of State, an aimse of the influence which he dei iced from his situation, and had materially injured the purity both of tile House and the Constitution. Lord Binning wished to call the attention of the House to the pangs which Lord Castlereagh, a man who for so many years tad served the public with so much zeal and activity, must experience at the charges made against him, and embodied in Resolutions—charges, which i was necessary only to mention to wound the acute feelings of a man of honour. 11 is defence had been fair and manly. He had not thrown any disguise over his actions, he had merely explained the purity of his inten tions. Was the guilt of Lord Castlereagh as great as it had been represensed ? lie had not aimed at the attainment of any peconiary advantage. His only wish had been, not even to pr :cure, but to facilitate the 6eutleman to a seat in this Mouse. :''lpptViitiolls were to be banished from :he minds of the 111 ) 3. Members assembled to decide on this important question.— The evidence which had been produced before the East India Cononitiee was atone to form the ground of every opinion, and to forbid or justify the condemnation of this tinexecuted inten tion. Puilishinent ought to he equal to the offence. lie hoped Elea wisdom and impartiality would direct the judgment of tae lIOLV.C s anti that in its discharge of the justice due to tin: pami c , it would not forget that to which all indivadnnl W:;3 His Lordship concluded by moving, that the Order of the Daj be read. Mr. C. W. Wynne had seldom been more disappointed than at the close of the Noble Lord's . speech. From w hat had fallen from hint he had concluded that he would follow a middle' path ; t t, finding the original resolution: too severe, he would iia%e proposed an amendment; and in this he was almost disposed to Fecund him, as he certaioly thought that a ditferetice in the pu nishment should he made accordia; to the degrees-of cut ir ility. 'But, after the heavy charges wh'ch had been, I.:id before 6o I ouse, after the confession or the accused, vere the Comoons to reject the consideration of such weighty In tilers, as too tri fing to deserve their af.teution ? if Lord Ctvtlereaglfs negoe Lion had not been carried to a successful tissue, it was not his fault, but tile result of opposing circumstatices. His intention 'was too decided to be mistakon. Were it lightly prise ••i over, a wide door, would be opened to a thousand abuses and dan gerous offences. Should ever such a . case occur again, and after such an instance of impunity, it might be expected it would ; a disgraceful precedent would,'be found in (he annals of our time. 1 t would be said, that the Parliament of 1809 had undoubted proofs of the corruption,of one of the Ministers of the Crown ; hi own confession was adduced, by .chick he ow ned no intention and an attempt to exchange the' iolluenceof his patronage for the acquisition of a vote in the 11,,Ouse of Commons, an vet he tart with no punishment. Mr. William Smith was of opinion, thatthe culpability of the accused merited that severe reiwehensims which the resolo fiats expressed. Mr. Manners Sutton was of opinion, that no proof existed in the care of corruption, or official intertiience on the part of tin.. Noble Viscount, for personal aggrandizement. The primary olject of their resolutions he conceived to he, was the main tenance of the dignity of the House, wit- to assert its own in. dependence, and to entitle it to the coafidence of the country. ( ! /scar !) Those objects, he apprehended, were full) gained by the notice which hind been taken of the subject, with out coming to any of the specific tzsolotions proposed by the Noble Lord. lie concluded by supporting the propositiou of Lord 13inaing. Mr. Grattan said, he agreed eirirely with the Honourable ° 7 l r Gentleman who sat down, that upon this occasion the douse ought to take care that the punishment should not exceed the crime; and, therefore, if a Minister of State should be found guilty of an act, not only in that capacity, but as President of a Hoard of Coutroul, against the constitution, the natural conse quence of such conviction should be, the deprivation of that power, by which the crime nas commi:led. Disposed as he was to consider the Noble Lord's conduct in the most lenient point of view, yet the act of itself was a pa!plible viola tion of the law. It appeared to him that the purchase of a scat in Parliament for a pecuniary consideration, however uncon stitutional it might be, vet the purchasing of a scat in the same assembly by the barter of a civil emrloyment, was a crime of a blacker dic, because it hits selling that which, by law, was not to be sold, in order to buy what was not to be bought. He would suppose, for the sake of argument, that it was not unusual for Miristers to purchase seats in' Parliament, but did it, therefore, follow, hr asked, that the Ministers had a right to employ public property for such pur poses? ()Paces of this tilt lire were public property. The con sequences would be productive or the mot mischievow effects upon the vitals of the Constitu;inn. Althongh he could not say that the conduct of the Noble Lord affected his moral character, yet he thought there was sufficient evidence before the 'louse to indu.e it to agree to the resolution proposed by his Noble Friend ; and uo.cr this persuasion he should conclude by giving his support to the original motion. Mr. canning, ire a v ery :Ode speech, defended his Noble Col leorate, and concloded it Ii ,;n amembnent, " that it is the duty of t:;c !loose to maintain a jealous guard over the purit • of election, ;Lad consi.ieriti?; th t t the iti:eotiou to inter ia the election of a Nlemher of Parliament had not been • ..arried into any criminal erect, the 11 , suse does not conceke it necessary to enter into aay further consideration of the case." Lord Archibald Hamilton ha% ing frptied, the House divided, For the original motion—Ayes, lhi I Noes, '2l6—Majority 49. The lioui;e again divided on the amendment proposed by Mr. Cann ;).--A res . , '44 I Noes, I G I Majority, 47. • Adjourned. Trednrsrlay, Apr 4 26. CO'IMITT Et; OF SUPPLY. •on the motion of \I r. Foster, the House resolved into a Com m it!re Of Supply, v. lien tile following grants Were voted fur Ire- 1 .~ ~ l l•tl Tl)Tvarris defraying the expellees of improving, the ha riiirir iioutil X15,000 For the support of the I)i..titing i! , .isters in the pro lure of Ukfcr, for one oar, Croin t !le `45111 M3reh, IST), to the corre-p.m.liti;;; period in Treasury ii.citients for ooe y..ar For making some allowance to the Cainini: , sioners appointed to inquire into gratuities, perqnit , ites,.&c. -in rortnin oßiees, for two years !•.itel;lieu Moore. for lii. extraordinary ser vices as Accomi . ot:lnt-Gr,:eval, &c. 1. :4500 340 The House to •r! resumed, and the report wwittrought up, and order to be recei ve,l to-morrow. The other orders of the day %Tee . then 4 41405 ed of.—Ad jourued at Half past Seven. r• e ; Thrirsday, April 27. Sir T. Turton gave notice of his int, , nt ion to propose a Bill for the Relief of Insolvent Debtors, in that part of the. :United Kingdom called England. . • WAR OPF ter. Mr. Wardle gave notice, that, on ;to elrly day, be proposed calling the attention of the (loupe ti) that part the fith Report of the Committee of Military Enquire, which relates to the Accountant's department in the War Office, anti that to-morrow he should move for certain papers on the subject. BP.iISII PA PER 3. Mr. Eden said, that it appeared from the letter of Sir John Moore to Mr. Frere, of the sth of December, thnt he had that flav received a letter froin the ol!ta at Madrid, through Frenchman of the telowcf Ch-trinilly, who left tiro eapital et the 2d. it appear ,, that this letter ILA a co!)-i , le,alale intlueace in indtteing the gallant General to ailvaece Sa!la.:.no, in,tewl ti f retreating to Portugal. It Was titetefore of im!)ortanee , !'. t at it khould ite regularly before the llouie. Thy Iton. 41i:tuber Aid ~~'-~ I 111 M