The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser. — London, England, 1822-03-30 00:00:00

MI F!' .44 11 •„ • , • melasisit an alningement should be • catapel Shet.lif of Lanark to be pellallis neatly resident within hitt jurisdiction or set. NS wee net disposed to re commend a deviation hew de genial practice se applied to the other counties' igiffiesdand, but he thosAbt there were sufficient steisnds in the case of Innerkshire to justify the' inteepiies. With respect to the duties of the /*Miff, it was sonecessery to eater into details?, otierhod been most concisely stated by one of the Jobbat writers that ever wrote on the laws of Seat. Aired—he meat Si, Gene Mookeneie. He NM • .mist the Sheriff was 4 411te chief and resat imps*. est officer of the Coen—his duty was le terry she inn into executes, sod to -preserve is pence of his testy." At this moment Glasgow sea the second city in the empire; it contained we less Ans 140,000 inhabitants, and within the last . • r there had been three times more criminal, bi Glasgow than in soy other Sheriffdom • lit Seethed. The question then for the House Sie yeander was, whether so *Seer having ouch Is. Often sad semerees duties to perform, shield or should et be resident. If he required Eby. oeher iadsceesents than the facts he had stated foe , airkieg him support the proposed alteration, bar shield And it in tba Report of the Camiudeo name% for they positively declared the ; for the fotsre the Sheriff should be perms: y resident. It was admitted on all hands that anengessiest should be made. Some =oddities, Sheriffs' Substitute, with incranird ...#• • ; but if soy incense of salary were made. 31 weld best be bestowed on the principal officer, .eaneke it worth his while to reside within hi. puns. Action. Besides, they had the representation of the load Magistrates, who strongly recommended that Lanark should be excepted from the general vole. Look to the condition of the inhabitants in that great anoufteturing town. In 1820, at one Special Commission, there were no les. than fifty jells for treasonable ad seditious practices. Under three circumstances. could any man doubt the tie veil of the proposed alteration ? With respect to • Ille.erode in which it should be introduced, it would . 1011111,11111 tent with t below of Scotland and the digui iy character. But Government was de 11.111ilded I. make an alteration, in order to render the Sheriff of Lanarkshire permanent. Mr. ABBILCRONIT mid. that however proper it atiebt be that the Sheriff of Glasgow should be per. liraserst, it did sot oppose necessary that the ahem _ ars.elleildidelltend faiths,. However, it was clear petitions hod an idea dist some more eaten. .este.elionge was contemplated ; bet that, speaking the Sheriffs should be resident within jecuens while the Courts Edinburgh • i t • • ,ssiere sitting, we a circuastaace not to be expected. • ••411t. Ptah said that it was within the 'oiliest* Crows_ to hereon the salary. He had Alias the *abject under his coosidenition, and he • stullid sae care that any oddities of salary which • .4610111 , 10, - ftede should be suitable to the duties -Assl theipmetal nature of the case. • • n4,oad ist. Hamilton, the Lord Advocate, Mr. "'Seel, Mr. Kennedy, sail Mr. Drummond, said • . feir words esah. The Petition was ordered to be printed. A Message tram the Lords announced their Lordship.' assist to several Bill., and requested she sweat of dm Rouse to the Admiralty Quorum Bill. lOWAN CATHOLIC PEERk Aire Casino rose to give notice of a motion on o subject of considerable importance to which he ~reposed to call the attention of the House. The Noose would -recollect the steps which had been taken in . lost Session. by his Right Hon. and Leveed Friend in regard to 'the 'theist' Roman Catholic disabilities. He would now merely state the historical grounds of his intention as to the cnes• ✓ eore which he was to propose. Those who had at. tended to the debates of last Session on the motion of his. Right Hon. sad learned Friend, would not fail to •recollect the discussion in that particular 'ironical Of the subject which regarded the Padua. ?notary clauses, sod the state of the existing law 1; to the privileges of Parliamentary Peers.— Upon this brand' of the subject it was hie inten. ties to move 'fns leave to bring in a Bill. If leave should be granted, tie would then bring that portion of the laws affecting Roman Catholics more particularly before the House. He declined Bay. lag any thing upon the larger measure at this time; ehuuld it be brought forward, he would be found in his place ready to use his best exertions fur the removal of the disabilities. He had risen at this *nee, because he felt that any postponement of the notice until after the holidays would endanger the evportunity foe discussion during the remainder of the Sessioo. He would therefore jive notice of i motile for the 30th April (that being the first open day after the holidays), for the repeal of the Act of Charles 11. so far as would relieve Ro man Catholic Peers fuom the penalties to which iney were now subjected. for sitting and vot ing in the Haase of Lords. He was not aware whether the question of Emulations& would come on or not. He had given this early notice or .bis intention as to one particular branch of the sob.- lee, that he might not inconvenience the profiteer, 'of that measure, if there were any intentions eater. !shied of again bringing it forward. He thought it right also to declare, that though he did not feel bound to explain all the motives which influenced his conduct in the discussion of a great coostito. trerisl question. affecting the liberties of one consi. derable portion of the subjects of the realm, yet, upon his honour, he was influenced iu this case by uo personal representations or intimacy with any of the noble persons ioterested, and that he had nut had any communication with them direct or indirect upon the subject of his motion. sir. PLUNKITT (after being generally called upon by the Home) rose, and begged leave to take that early opportunity of expressing the extreme gratification he felt that the Right Honourable Gentleman should have considered any portion of the subject which he had brought forward 16.1 Ses sion as deserving of his attention. That particular branch of the subject was indeed a very principal iirarlion of the general measure; whatever portion of it should be taken up by the Right Honourable Gentleman would, without doubt, become of in d importance. As to his intentions in regard to the general measure, he would be happy to give she House exact information, if he had the power to do so; but he slid final considerable dif ficulty in determining if it were best to bring it for. ward is the present Session or early iu the next. He would Dot hide his intention to bring forward that enamor, again; he was only unsettled in his opinion es to the most peeper period. It was the intention of the Roman Catholics to have intrusted No with the Petition which they were anxious this roe to have preientrd to the Honor; they had up. prised him of their purpose. lie answer to them he had acknowledged the high sense he tell of the honour done to him; he promised them to lay their Petition before the House, and to endeavour to befallen the attention of the House to the jeeps*. mice of it by each reamns as he might be able to urge. He need not make any declaration, to the House to shew how deeply he felt fur the macaw of the question, and how anxious he must be to bring it forward. He could not speak with certainty as to the wishes of the partite or their friends, either within or without the House. He confessed that he had no grounds for forming an opinion as to the period which they would consider most preferable for the purpose. The Catholics of Irelaod, he knew, would be governed by the opi. oioos of those whom they considered as their most sincere and zealous friends. In whatever period the question might be brought forwerd, into whatever bands it should fell, it would have his zealous, warm, and cordial support. He wee happy that his Right Hon. Friend had made this allusion to it, ow ac. caret of the course which he had taken in doing so. He was glad that his Right Hon. Friend bad dose . it without any consultation with the noble persons who were to be benefited by the measure. They had a right to priority of redress. They were the .last persons who were deprived of their liberties end dignities by what was then deemed the policy of the times, and they ought to be the first restored. Mr. TigiNET said, that there was only one opioioo ou the importance of the subject of eman cipation. If the Right Hon. Gentleman hod made up his own mind. he need scarcely be at a lon for the opinion of the friends of the measure without the House or within it, on whatever side they might be. All were agreed that there could be no time fitter for proceeding then the present. Bet time went so fast, that unless the notices were given before Easter, from the absence of Irish Members afterwards, there would remain little hope of bringing it forward till it would be too late hi the Session to do it with any probability of success. He hoped that the Right Honourable Gentleman would have his mind settled speedily as to the propriety or impropriety of bringiug the question forward this Session. He could mot coo. ceive from whence the objections were to arise. The progress of the Bill last Semion—the success of it io passiog that House—and the minority in the Lords, were circumstances calculated to excite rea sonable hopes of success. To be sure, the Right Honourable Gentleman had opportunities of know. log things which passed elsewhere, from which the House were excluded; but he could not help thinking the season very importune and inviting, especially when he reflected on the very great ins• portence of the question in regard to the present state of Ireland. Mr. Bright and Mt. Plunkett rose together. The House called for Mr. Plunkett. Mr. Bright was about to persist in addressing them, but was induced to give way. Mr. PLuscart was sorry to obstruct the address of the Hon. Gentleman. His immediate reason foe doing so was the general call which had been made on hi= to proceed. It would have afforded him the hi/best satisfaction if he could have been more ex plicit in declining his opinion on the choice of the proper period for moving the question, but he really felt that he had not enjoyed sufficient oppur. !unity for making op his mind. He was anxious to accommodate the views of the Irish Roman Ca tholics. He believed that they were not directly anxious for the bringing to of the measure voider all the existing_ circumstances. For his own part he had some doubt about the propriety of agitating ell the topics belonging to the subject at present. 11 He was determined to exercise his own discretion with a view to success, without suffering personal considerations to weigh with him. He would seek discussion when he thought it likely to become useful ; but he could not consider the subject in the light of an annual measure, which was to be debated Session after Session. He owned that he could not arrive at the conclusions come to by the Right Honourable Gentleman on the result of the proceedings of last year. The more favour able the position in which the question thou stood, the greater the advances then made, in the same degree did his apprehension of diffi culty increase—he approached it with more tee. mulous emotion than when he felt that helves fur ther from the point of success—not knowing front what particular point obstacles of insuperable dif ficulty might be thrown up. It was some guide to him to know that the present state of Ireland was not such as to lead the friends of the measure to be very anxious for speedy discussion. He could not think it right to bring it forward without a moral certainty of success. The consequences of din. cession might be very considerable either way. If the measure were successful, the effect would be most conciliatory—if otherwise, the existing causes of irritation would be increased. He did not think this a favourable season for it. The call of the House moved for by Isis Right Honourable Friend, the Member for Cork, oould give an oppor tunity of going into many of the particulars inci dentally, and information would most likely be ren dered 'of which the House stood in much need. As to and access to particular information, as it had best surmised by the Right Honourable Gentle men. he had on information to act on except that which was equally available to every Member of the House. Mr. BRIGHT made a few remarks, the import of which was not heard in the gallery with sufficient clearness to state it with certainty. He was under. stood generally to object to the measure pro mised in the notice, as oue tending to increase the prevailing discontents. Mr. CANNING understood it to be most irregu lar to discuss the merits of a subject on a notice. The House would not fail to observe that his mea sure, if successful, would hive one desirable effect that of adding a most valuable acquisition to the Legislature. Sir J. NIWPOIT said, that in relation to the state of Ireland, the measure must be considered in a point of view quite opposed to that of the Hon. Member for Bristol. One great reason in favour T ilffL- -- ` A' ~F I of the measure was. that it would give tranquillity , to Ireland. He differed in some particulars from his Right Hon. and Learned Friend. He had been chosen by the Rosso Catholics as the person to whom they preferred trusting their interests, and no other person would be warranted in taking the subject up unless he relinquished it. The measure ought to be brought forward immediately, and could only buffer by delay. ADMIRALTY QUORUM BILL. Mr. Canaan wished the Holm to allow the Hill sent down from the Lords to papa through alt the sages iu one eight. The object of the Bill was to triable two Lords to form a Quorum, and the pre sent state of the business of the oaee made it abso lately necessary. The Bill was afterwards reed a first, second, and third time, and passed. Lord J. ROssaLL moved for returns of news paper stamps issued in the years 1801 and 1841. distinguishing the town from the country.... Ordered. CIVIL LIST. Mr. Home moved fur enlarged details in the third clam of expenses of the Civil List for the Years 1792 and lett. to include all pemsible charges of embassies and foreign mission'.. ordi nary and extraordinary, sod of pensions grv.nted for diplomatic services; also accounts of the! nuptial'. if any, saved out of this , class and mired to the credit of the coosolpdated fad. The Marquis of Lox DON DIMLY was glad of the motion, and of the opportunity which would be given or explaining the whole of Nine charges to the House. Possibly he might have to move for other papers besides those asked by the Hun. Gen tleman, his object being to have the whole subject probed to the bottom, and examined is all its bear ings. The papers were ordered. Mr. H. G. Bet mare moral for accounts of the gross and net revenue erring from the 41 per tent. Leeward Island and Berbodues duties, and the ex penses chargeable upon them, in the year Intl. --Ordered. The Report of the Irish 5 per Cents. Bill was brought op. Mr. Rica moo asked a question to ascertain if the Right Honourable Gentlemen meant to put the newly-crested 4 per cents. ou the same footing as the former ones? The CIIANCIILLOI of the EXCHSOVER was understood to say that he intended to make the English and Irish 4 per cents, which were payable oo the same day, reciprocally transferable. Mr. RICARDO thought, that, es one stock of four per cents. was redeemable at the pleasure of Go. Imminent. end soother wee not. it would be unfair to put them on the same footing. The Ball was afterwards grad a third time and passed. Mr. TINNY*OII postponed the recommitment of thelissmutary Proceedings Bill till Tuesday next. Order of the Day for the House goiug into a ittee of Supply being read— ily AIIDUTIINOT moved. that the ordnance mis. cellsneous estimates be referred to the Committee. ...Ordered. Time House then resolved itself into a COMMITTEE OF SUPPLY. Mr. ARBUTHNOT had a few remarks to make on submitting the estimate. The first item of bread, meat. and forage, was 101.700/. which cost last year 159,0001.; the bread and meat being generally below 6d., this year the public were charged no. thing for the advance. The prices were on as average equal to did., by which the soldier had the advantage of three-halfpence a day. The next item was for coals. candles, and furniture for barracks, 35,0001. which was last year 41,0001. The charge for great coats, 17,0001. was 20,000/. last year. The stores would be the same this year as last. The charge for the Commissariat was last year 52,000/4 this year. though all the stations would be kept up, the charge would be only 49,0001. and odd. The half.pay account had a little increase, from 434281. last year, to 45.2241. which ass caused by a reduction of the Edinburgh establishment. Another small addition had beers made by the promotion of an of f icer at the Corona tion. No promotion had taken place in the de partment since 1816. The offices of Great Bro. tain, which last year cost 16,283/. aould be this year 15,2801. which saving had been effected by promoting some from the half-pay list to the offices. The expense of labourers was reduced, the bom bers being brought down from 129 to 59, though at times they were not equal to the service, and others were hired for the occasion. Last year the expense was 8,0001. this year it would be 4,5001. less. Contingencies last year 8,0001., the same this. From those expenses, making a total of 357,7581., they would have to deduct 15,0001. saved by using stores on hand produce of old stores 2,000/. and expenses saved to the country in the department of the Mediterranean by being paid /tom the colonial revenues, 6,0001. The total was reduced to 334,6401. A promise had been made last year to reduce the storekeeper's depart. went under the ordnance. The arrangement was nearly completed, and next year the expenses of that establishment might perhaps be saved. Mr. HUME expressed himself highly gratified with the statement of the Hon. Gentleman. Con siderable reductions had been effected : the total ordnance of last year was 400,0001. for this year 334,0001. Nut only in the House but out of it had the Hon. Gentleman 'hewn his anxiety to reduce; ■od if any servant of the Government was anxious to economise, undoubtedly the Hon. Gentleman wits that person. He would not be nice in object ing, but 35,0001. for coals, candles, end furniture, seemed to be a very large sum. The House could scarcely judge of the item. Perhaps the desire manifested for ecomonny iu the other items ought to be taken to justify this. He thought that they ought to have details for the 17,0001. Another year he did not think he could answer fur al lowing it to pass without having the papers. He thought the charges for building and repairs of barracks ought all to go under one head. The charges for the colony of New South Wales ought to comprise every expense under one head. He made the same remark with respect to charges for provisions to foreign garri►ons—souse of which were in these, others its the naval estimates. There was a general disposition to lessen the estimates. He objected to the number of Commissariat Officers - - kept in NO Ira Scotia and the Oanadas-71 in the latter sod, og in the former, at f •speo.e. of 4,000!. and 14,000/. annually. He tht aught Mr. Herries much or repaid, and that Mr. trotter woo not en. titled to his pension from any p eblic service which he had . performed. Mr. ARIBUTemoT justified die employment of so large Na number of the Commissariat in the Canada. and Nova Scotia, by the gn !at extent of the des trice's. Mr. Berries was frilly entitled to all the mosey he received by the set, vice which he rendered, not only in ibis department, but as Auditor of the Civil List, and es a Condoissioner engaged in the inquiry into Irish revenue. Mr. G. Bimini thriught that the poblie were entitled to all that Mr. Herries could do between dawn end sunset for a %Mary so large as he received. The Cll6llcELLoit of the EXCHEillgt spoke to the great sod useful services of Mr. Herrin. He had for many years been at the head of a most extensive department, one to which arduous dutin and great responsibility attached, and having the charge of the managensesit and expenditure of large sums of money, for which he had aecarately ac counted, and be had refined any compensation. retiring only on the half-pay of hi. office. He was afterwards appointed Auditor of the Civil List, in which office he had rendered amt important ser vicer, by agonising and regulating the emotion, and bringing them into such a aisle ma to reader them perfectly easy and intelligible• to .whoevcr might succeed hies. and entirely to remove all fear of the recurrence of that inconvenience and disgrace which formerly arose out of the state in which the accounts of the Civil List were 'Mowed to remain. With respect to Mr. Trotter, the late Storekeepe►- General, when the number of years daring which he had served in that office, and the nature of the duties which he had had to perform. and the man ner in which he had performed them. were taken into oecouot, he did not think the Committee could consider that the half-pay was too great as allow mice for the retirement from such an office. Mr. H. G. flmixrrT said be bed never for one •oment intended to deny that Mr. Herries had dis. charged the duties of his office in an able and satis. factory manner ; and when he spoke of him as a clerk, he had not forgotten that he had filled a high situation, sud that he had proved himself a very meritorious officer ; and it was not fair of the Right Hon. Gentleman to give such a nun to his (Mr. H. G. Bennett's) observations. as to make it appear that he had commented upon the character of the individual, when the whole of his comments had been directed to the, as he conceived it, un necnsary and chsproportioned allowance of 4,7001., for the half-pay of one office, and the discharge of the dunes of another of less importance. . The CHANCELLOR of the Eice Waft said. that since the Hoe. Member admitted that Mr. Herries was a meritorious officer he (the Chancellor of the Exchequer) was willing to take upon himself the responsibility of having recommended the allowance. Mr. H. G. Brim is err said, he was quite aware of the Right Hon. Gentleman's readiness to under. take the respoosibility, he only wished he could find that there was in reality some meaning attached to the term. He had heard it much made use of for many years. but had never yet kronen an in. stance in which it had been proved really to exist. Mr. Hoist said, he was quite ready to admit the merits of Mr. Herries; but. still he must contend that the scale of the Comosissariat establishment was highly extravagant. Look at the Mediterra peso establishment; there were in that station no leas than WI Commissariat officers and clerks em ployed, at • charge of 0,1181. The greater part of these were wholly unnecessary. and the whole being employed in the lonian Islands and Malts. he objected to such a charge being made upon the people of England, while in those places there were ample revenues that were entirely squandered away. The whole scale of the Commissariat in the present state of our military establishments was quite extravagant, and lie hoped the Right Hon. Gentleman woulal reduce the amount of the charge. Mr. Astaurntsor said that was not • proper moment fur entering into the general question of the revenues of Malta and the lonian Islands. He could not undertake to say to what ■mount it might be possible to carry the reductions under the new arrangement ; but he could assure the Hon. Member that all the reductions that it was possible to make should be made. The vote was then agreed to. Mr. ARBUTHNOT then moved the grant of 121,6001. for the service of the Barrack Deport ment in Great Britain, for the year IfRC Dr. LUSHINGTON wished to know what had been done with a surplus sum under this head, which misstated to be unappropriated last sear ? Mr. ARBUTIINOT said, the sum had been ap plied to the expense of buildings for this depart ment, which were nearly completed, and that the House would not be called upon fur any further sum to defray the charge. Mr. Hume said he was glad to heir the snuffer of the Right Hon. Gentleman. In considering the grant now proposed, they ought to remember that in 1791 there was no such thing as a Barrack Board, tile whole business of the department being traiisacted by the Ordnance. He could not help thinking the whole of the charges in this depart ment were much too large. The salaries and al lowances to barrack-masters and then deputies, storekeepers, and barruck•atrjeants, were much too great. This charge had been, it was true, reduced 2.0001. in the last year. but the Committee would be surprised to find on looking back to the esti mates for the year 1817, that in this year of eco nomy we had not gut down to the scale of that year. The amount or the whole charge for this department was then 99,1001. and in 1819 it was 101,0001. He could see no good reason why in the present year the charge should exceed that of 1819 by 2,0001. Persons were appointed as barrack roasters at salaries of 55.. 7... 10s.. and in some in stances 151. a day, who had no connexion at all with dummy. He contended that it would be much better to give those appointments to half-pay offi cers. of whom ninny, to his kuowledge, would be glad to accept of them ; and the amount of their half-pay would thereby be saved to the county. He thought the Government was bound, in justice to the officers of the a►my, to give every employment of this kind to them when an opportunity offered, in stead of using them for purposes of political influeuce, as he was inclined to think was too often the case. If the salaries of the barrack-masters were reduced R. ~~ r to got. a year, which was allowed by military sutlsoritiess to be • sufficient remuneration, a , em of 10,0001. a year might be saved to the count r y Fie thought there was j u st came to complain tits:. when there were more barracks than one in a place, there was a separate-barrack master, and one or i g :en la t t i e os a ie t d is t a he ue e r 7 l o e f i the e bi had'c bar ra ck-roamer n a a or t n a li s i 11 ;1 two barrack-serjeants to each. He had lest year imprint), who was • linen-draper in that town; ow l mong er'w n ' lo • h • f d i ito ss hflie l n a rco ; ;6:lD's' reside n' ni " r t r ih e ne o w n ts n ihat o lenis i e eb ai r r r tnegn milit a ry thane P e e e issued once a week on his way to Edinburgh. The sating in the charge of these salaries by the lop. pointinent of half-pay officers, would amount to 14.000/.: he should propose therefore to reduce this charge 10,0001., which he conceived to be moderate and proper reduction. If the Barrack. Ace was to be done away with, why should so large a sum as 17,0001. be voted for the salaries of the Board I He hoped at least one-half of that sum would be saved. The charge of 6 0,000 L for repairs was certainly a most extravagaat item. He had great reason to complain that II cetera which he had moved for, of the nuns. her of barracks of different kinds, the place* where they were situated, the number of mess they were calculated to receive, and the ember of sea that had actually beets placed in each during the lest year, had nit been amide; for, if his hafnium- fi e , were correct, he should then have been able to prove what, if he now stated, might be looked on as s mistake. lie was also informed that many of these barracks were rotting and going to rule, sad the grate actually growing in half the room.. He thought, therefore, that the expense of keeping them had better be saved; for they would always be able to build new barracks when they were • wanted. If a Committee were appointed, and the returns he asked for were referred to it, he wood pledge himself to prove that a saving might be .• made of at least half the sum charged for the re. pairs of barracks. He concluded by moving sass • • intendment that the sum granted be 111,6001. Mr. A 111111111110 T said it was true that m Int the business of the barrack department was doss by the Ordnance, but the war had rendered it necesenv to erect it into a separate department; it less Dew , round that it might be advantageously restored tu the Ordnance, and that arrangement was deter- mined upon, by which no doubt a considerable say. 'rig would be made. With respect to the barrack- •. masters. he did not know what the practice might • have been formerly ; but for the ten years that he had filled his present situation, none had bans ap- pointed who had not belonged to the army. In- '. deed lie believed there was not a single person holding such au appointment. who was not either • half-pry officer, or one who had retired from the service of the army. The allowances of the bar- rack-masters were in addition to the holimsy, so ,_ that it was a mistake to suppose that the balf-psy could be saved. The appointments were always made with reference to the merit, of the partia, told in no case from any political considerations.— There were two cases of barrack-masters which had brew psrtichlarly touched upon by the Ho- sourable Member in the lest Session. The int was that of Haddington, which he had dated to be filled by a linen-draper. He (Mr. Arbuthnot) had inquired into the fact, and was uttered that the person in question was not only 30t • linen-draper, hut that he resided in the bar. acks and performed the duty. The other ease was that of the barrack-master at Berwick-upon-Tweed. whom he stated not to be doing the duty, but to be keeping a farm at twelve miles distorter. The same information was given to the Treasury in a let- ter signed " John Thompson"—(he did not know whether that was the name of the Hon. Member's informant). He (Mr. A.) wrote to the Board on that subject, and would read to the Committee the answer which lie had received. [The Right Ho- nourahle Gentleman then read a letter. dated Barrack Office. June 43, 1841, which stated, that the person monied Thompson was one who had been discharged by order of the Lords of the Treasury for improper conduct; that he was well known at the Board. and of so infamous a thanicter. that any information coming from such quarter was wholly unworthy of notice. With 'espeet to the barrack-master at Berwick, it stated tins to be en old retired officer, who some years ego took a farm to enable him to bring up a large mad ncrearing family, which farm was managed by hie tidest son under the father's direction, arid that he doer had • residence close to the barracks, irpi was in constant attendance upon Ilia duty. With respect to the sum charged for repairs, he Peally bad no wish to remove from himself any responsibility, but the Committee must be aware • :hat lie estimate liecould n u t t expl a insu ta nd i e w r s ta w k w e n to department. keen able to acquire more information on the sib ject if he could have seen the Comptroller, het i • the severe indisposition of that officer rendered dietta tad his duty to move this sum, and lie might hare ( - of ils it impossible. In his absence, the present esti- mate had been made out by the nest officer in the department. as well as lie was able to do it, from ihe estimate of the last year, which had amounted to 63,0001.; end that officer had not thought it student in the absence of. the Comptroller to take it at lower the; 60,0001. Colonel %%Toon ,aid, with respect to the house', it Brecon. so far from the Master being uppoiiiii•ii hronigh political influence, he could assure the Hon. Member that lie (Col. Wood) did not know rho held the •ppointment, nor whether there was wrack-master, or only • barrack-serjeant. The -\,- )arracks there were only a private house that had seen taken for the purpose of lodging troops oti heir passage through that part of the country, tie .t, . p own bring smell, the public. houses few, and greet !omplaints having been made of the inconvenience he people sustained from being obliged to find porter, for the troops. The Committee should se cautious of too hastily parting with buildings phial it had cast the country so much to rear. lo he early port of the war there was a great want of iover for the troops, and great inconvenience ova, ustained in consequence; a regiment of mhos which he commanded was on that account kept !limped till the month of December. Barracks Wert ordered to be built, snd great exertions snadi. sy the employment of a vast number of tom worked day and night at double wages, its order IJ