The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser. — London, England, 1806-06-24 00:00:00

IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT. HOUSE OF' LORDS...M , Sums 23. . I ........ The Bills upon the Table were forwarded its their respeetiee I see; amens the.., the West llllia Audios's` Hill was read third time, and pa mil ; arid the Trish Mines Gibraltar Posts .je, and Grafton Agreement tillis, were read a second time, sod casumated foe In-morrow. SIMPSON'S DIVORCE. On the question for the second reading of the ISM to dissolve the marriage of William Simpson, Esq. with Sarah Barbara Torriano. his now wife, I. *rid to enable him to marry again, &c. Counsel 1 (Mr. Gazelee) aml evidence were called in, and loard, respelling the same. The following is an 'out.ir ne oldie case : The Petitioner, William Simpson, Esq. late a re- +Went at Bombay, marries!, on the 22d of Decem . biers 1194 at that place, Miss Torriano. Early in March, 1804, Mrs. Simpson quitted Bom bay, for the purpose of proceeding to Europe, and saticerards embarked at Madras on board the Ea- Orates East Indiamau, then bound for England. 1 The Petitioner was prevented from accompanying his wife on her voyage, being engaged in a situa tion of importance under the East [mita Company. In the coarse of the voyage, it appeared that the lady entered into an adulterous inter course with Itobert Rickards, Esq. who bad been in the civil service of the Company, and was a passsenger on board the Et/Ara/es, and which has been since car ri,d on between the parties ; and early in Septem ber last, the lady was delivered of a female child, at the house of Robert Rickards, Esq. at Hampstead. Th a t soon after the return of the Peti tioner to L England, he brought his idiots ill tip Court of 11 Ring's Bench (in Michaelmas Term, 1805), against Mr. Rickards, tor the said adulterous intercour-e. and obtained jiidgment for $OOOl. damages, and that he after wat ds ,Jhra;ned a deEnitive sentence.from Weand board, in the Consistory Court of London. a:smeary fads at the marriage, adultery, itligments, Ike. being preyed to the saeisiadion of • 1;110r Lordships, the Bill was read a second time, WI committed far to-morrow. ',Die further hearing of the important Scats Ap peal, Graham v. the Couotsse a Gleocaien, was aci .ortted till to-morrow ; till which Jay the House also adjourned, when their Lordships t.:snd sum ; :10Poned for the consideratiots et the i(...e 4..isaunimi ented ht the Commas, repelling the ibeibian of 'elle Slave Trade. -.—...-- MIME OF COMMONS. The Dualist Harbour Sall was read a thUd time, and Pascal The second reading of the Globe Insurance Company% Id was postponed till to morrow. % ' t Mr. ).unseen, frog the Office of the Chief Rereeratry of r Ireamd,, poisoned at She Bet an account of Vie number of verseis and the amount of their tonnage and value, cleared rain of the Northern ports of Ireland, fi.r to. last three rears; a'so au account of the quantity of wool, imported in the same Pettl ., 4 j 1111 U. an account est the appropriation of biIn,CQUI. by the T. ustetts of the Inland blartgetion in Ingsnlei—liedered 50 Ise on the teak. Sir J. Newport brought up the Irish Militia Services Bill, which Was tea 1 a first, and uttered to be read a snood time on ~... ' ffrefay, tied to be printed. ih' The Irish School RIR went through a Conimires and the Sloan was nidered to be nicstred tosinorrow it . bar .1. It carport Iwouglir up cie the lesh Spirits Revenue 1 Cor action AK, which Wes ...ad a first, and ordered is be read a aeclri.d time on Wednesday. I Mr. VANSITIART rn.iveil, ... That the House will to- V ." ann T. 5011111 Resit MVO a Curiosities of tee whore Hiiuss, to consider of die arreiai acts relating total! Scotch Hisullery." Ur t e r.etand Ti: Conuoissienew' Names Bill was postponed to Frict” Tie Committees of Sup;:ly and Ways and Means were de ferred t: sT,lne.dey _The t).in.nitt , e .n the Scotch Dittillery But, which stood far to-thy, wa. r• - -.0i.0.ed to Tour.e.ey ' Mr rtnein ..t lerweght up the He 'oft of the Committee rig+ Ii • e to th, Army Cost ptruller and Army Cloatlttswgi whren was ordered to t.c on the Table. [ IRISH LLECTION RILL Sir JOHN NEwPORT said, that from what had passed relative to the lush Eleaion Bill, he pro }wed to &let pressing it forward at present, only to have the blanks filled up, and to have it printed. He was certain, that the more it was read and an- derstodd by the people of Ireland, the more they would approve it It was, therefoie, his intention to have it circulated in Ireland, dot log the recess of Parliament, and very early in the neat session he would bring in another hill, etaaly to the same ef- Wt. He therefore moved. " thatthe House would resolve itself into a Committee on the sail Bill." Oa the question, that the Speaker do leave the chair. Cannel V Eli F.K ER said, he did not rise to op pose it, as the Bight H in. baronet had agreel to withdraw this Bill for the present session; but to iy, that he objelled a:together to the principle of the Bill, that it was a harsh and violent attack upon, il o and a disfranchisement of, a great bo d y of the Elec tors of Ireland, of their corporate r i ghts. which had been hinded down to them from their a ncestors, for ogee past, ar.sl which it was his duty to protea and defend. And he then gave not i c e to the Right ' Hon. Rennie', that he would oppose the ISili when ever he brought it forward ; and that he wou ld . s, during the recess of Parliament, visit every corps)- i la - 110 in Ireland, of winch he was a member , which were fie . r or aie, and would point out to the people the injuries they would sustain by the Bill. and he had riti doubt but there would be numerous peti tions aiming it. The bill then went through a Committee, was eidered to be printed. as amended, and the report W he taken into coniiieration this day two months. ' Mr. ALEXANDER said, that as the Right ~. Hon. Baronet had deferred the bill to the next Session, Is: would, with the leave of the Hat:se, withdraw the motion of which he had given notice, • and by which he only intended to draw the attention of English Members to this Bill, and to obtain leave to being in a Rill to regulate the Elation Laws of I England; which was accordingly withdrawn. 1 The House resolved itself into a Committee of 1 the whole House on the Report of the Committee i to whom the Fetinons on the Newfoundland Trade had ben refereed ; in which several bounties were agreed to, on the importation of salt fist teem N ew f o undland; the House was resumed, and the Report ordered to be received tea-morrow. The lSiil for regulating the office or Receiver General of Excise, and the Custom-House Fees Bill. were severally read a third time and passed. Tbe Irish Spirit Licence Bill weht through a ~ e ottitnitteth *ha t h e rev's; wa ordered to lit re ceived to-entire Sir JOHN N * v ll. 1 ; 14416 that there we at k os present several j strudiemirto the commercial in tercottrae between Great nritain and Ireland, owing' to various regulations which had been made ante cedent to the' Union- etif Ireland with this country. and which there hael hitherto been no opportunity of doing away. 11e the'refore gave notice, that he would, early in the cbmmencement of the next Ses. sion of Parliament, move for leave to bring in a 1311 l to remove all such obstrudions, so far its the same was found to be predicable. The Report of the West India Trade Bill was brought up an i read, and ordered to be further considered on Wednesday. The Committee on the Post-Office Regulat:on Bill, which stood for to-day, was postponed to IVednesslay- Mr:PAUL moved for Copies of several India papers, which were ordered accordingly. He then 1 ostponed his motion for printing the first charge against Marquis ‘Vellesley, which mood for to-morrow. till Wednesday. MESSAGE FROM HIS NIAJFIsTY. Lord H. PETTY announced, from the Bar, a Message from His Majesty, which was read }rum the Chair, and the purport of which was—" That His Majesty, being desirous to make a turther pro vision ter aged, disabled, and woanded Seamen, requested the assistance of his faithfid•Commons, to citable him so to do ; and for that benevolent purpose, he had resolved to apply such parts of the prizes as should be oondernned for the use of the Crown, towards the euppol t, and in aid of, the Royal Hospital and the Chest at Greenwich." The Message was ordered to be taken into con sideration in a Committee of the whole blouse to morrow. The second reading of the Irish Rerenue Regula tion Bill WAS postponed to Wednesday. AUDITOSS' itILL Lord H. PEI - 1 Y said, he rote in pursuance of the notice he had given, si.rne days ago, to move for leave to bring in a 13.11 for consolidating the . iwo Boards of Commissioners for auditing the ,Public accounts, and to make a more effectual roviston for Luditing the Public Accounts. He no doubt the House would believe his assay. Attlee,: that His Itil iii.sty's Mini:tees had used no de lay that could psiseibiy be avoided ; hut had, with every possible degree of iadu.try and attentien, which the vast magnitude and importance of tiie teeibitd required, proceeded to bring the matter to maturity, and not a moment had, on their pits, been lost. It was with great satisfaction, therefore, that he was now able to stand tot ward, in order to stew to the House, the outline or sketch of the ilisiCasure he had then to introduce. He believed it would lies! be necessary for him to tread over again the whole ground which he had so fully explemed on his first opening of this subjed ; but it wou:d be 41karficient to give, as briefly as possible, such a state slimiest as would give the 1-louse a tolerably cotred idea of the nature and objeds of the bill, for bring ! ing in •if which he *as about to move ; in order to do which, he would just mention the amount of the several sums which remained unaudited. There were, he said, fifty-two millions delivered over to the Auditors—there were then under examination 169 millions—three millions not delivered over to the Auditcrs-21 years of the Army Accounts not delivered over, which amounted to 209 millions.— Of the Navy Accounts, for the same period, 1,820,0001. forming altogether a total of about 534 millions—a vast mass, and which it would cer tainly be of peat advantage to the pnblic to get reduced as speedily as possible. To do this, with as much speed and effect as possible, it was pro posed, in the Gist place, to consolidate the two Boards, and to add four Commissioners to the now existing Boards, which would make the whole number to consist of ten. One of those so added, to be the Chairman. with an additional salary.— The nomieation of those Commissioners, it was proposed, should be in the Lords of the Treasury, and the following was the mode in which they were us be divided, for the purpose of carrying on the plan which bad been devised, to surmount, if pos. sable, this complicated mass of unsettled and un aueited accounts : First, it was intended to separate the two Comptrolic sof army accounts ; and as to the ten Commissioners, they were to be employed as follows : four of those Commissioners were to superintend the current business; three were to be employed in prosecuting all these account+, which are already in a state of investigation ; and the other three for bringing up the arrears. But as this increase of establishment would be very consider able, in order to prevent it from becoming a lasting burden on the public, it was proposed that the Lords of the Treasury should not have the power of filling up any vacancy that may happen by the death of any of the parties, sill the number comes to five, and then they shall not do it of their own* will 1 and option, but Parliament shall be applied to for the purpose, and shall have the diredion of fill ing up the Same. in such manner as they may think proper. The great and effectual provision in the Bill with regard to the current accounts, will be a compulsion on all public accountants to send in their accounts within three months after the 31st of December, in every year ; and all his accounts of receipts and expenditure of the preceding year ;and an examination and comparison of those to take place, in order to see how far they agree with the vouchers. And in those offices where the period of making up the annual accounts is different from the olst December, then all such public accountants shall send Su their accounts within three months of that period, be it what it may. Another part of the plan, though a subor dinate one, would be to have all public accounts at tested before Commissioners of the Exchequer, re siding in the country, which would give a facility to :he public accountants, and at tau same time op , rate as a salutary check on those who might be tempted to mak.: out their accounts in a slovenly Or Ileglrit•Rt manner. Another pat iOf the plan, he said, was that the Commissioners of -Audit should have the power of charging all public officers, who shall autherise any expenditure of the public mo ney of their own accord, with the full amount of such expet.ditute so ordered by them. The parti erriar mason for this, his L •rdship sated to be, [bat a General Officer, during the last war, in the Walt Indic., had ir..urred ae. :rpenditure of the public Money to the amount of no less a sum than 200,000 1 . tutiiel& by. his own order, and without any Other authotity. If he hadhad atCommissaryGet.eral with ,tim, which, by aOcident ouly, he had not,_ hat Comfrissdry would have 'been liable to that ituns, and the public would in all likelihood have lost I'; but, luckily, there being no Commissary, the General Officer was made answerable for the money. There would also be a clause in the Bill, giving power to theCommissoners to call before them persons having the use and charge of the public stores; and, in addition to the powers of the Comp. trollers of Army Accounts, of calling on all persons concerned in the army expenditute. With regard to the einisexaling of stores, the Accountants shall be enabled to ascertain the value, and then to charge the persons with the value so fixed. With re gard to the importance of gettiug rid ofthis enormous mass of public accounts, he was sure it must so ike the House as a desirable objea. As to the pa tronage that would be consequent on it, he could . only say, that the Noble Personage, who was at the head of His Majesty's Treasury, had, as well as himself, endeavoured to avoid it asmuch as possible, and the utmost Wintry and care had been taken by both of them to restrain and I it as far as in them lay. The Inspeftors were to he taken Irons the Comptrollers on half-pay, and every principle of oconamy that could be employed,had been attended I ro with the utmost care. With regard to the na ture of this vast mass of accounts, he had been told, that many of them were not suisjeft to any risk a all : many of them, it was true, might be su ; but unquestionably there were others that were attended with very great risk. In adverting to the case of the Bank Accounts, he had mentioned the sum of 700,0091. having been issued to one individual in the West Incites; and he was told by a Right lion. Gentleman opposite (Mr. Rase), that he was igno rant on the subjea, and that Mr. Valentine Jones's account had as much to do with the Bank Ac counts, as with the Hackney Coach Office. lie had invired into that affair, and he found that I ,090.0001. had been discharged by the Bask, which they &dueled out of the Loan for the next year ; but when they sent in their account, the Au ditors refused to audit it : but in the year 1798, an ex pest faßo i clause was inserted in the Loan Aft, au thorizing the Bank to retain that sum ; and in the same year an order went from the Treasury to make Mr. Valentine Jones luspeOor of the Bank, which was done accordingly : and sheaved, clearly, that hi; account had something more to do with the Bank, than it had, as the Right Hon. Gentle man alleged, with the Hackney Coach Office.— With respca to the Paymaster, be was sorry to say, he was not at present ready. From such a mass of public accounts remaining unsettled, much may. be recovered ; and Ire thought it was a subjea, the due investigation of which could not fail to be high! s 4 1 1 beneficial to the public. With respea to the Ili , Hon. Gentleman's suggestions as to the War 64 fine, nobody could he more desirous than he was to! bring those accounts under investigation; hut he was afraid it would not be possible during the pre sent session. In the course of the text session, however, it would certainly be proceeded on. The Noble Lord said, this plan would be a saving to the public of 10001. a year ; the old establishment being 28,0001. and the present only 27,0001.; he cna eluded by moving for leave to bring in a Bill for consolidating the two Boards of Commissioners for auditing the public accounts, and for the better and more effeaually auditing the public accounts in future. Mr. ROSE said, he did not rise for the purpose I of opposing the bringing in of the Bill; but to ob serve upon what he considered to be the state of the outstanding accounts. Oa of the whole sum of 220,000,0001. placed to the account of the Pay master General, there were no monies of which any thing was ever likely to accrue to the public, a. the °Seers stood in the situation of bankers to the pub lic, and issued the money to their deputies, who paid the money into the bank. He then went into a long detail of official documents and calculations of the sums charged to the Ordnance, the Bank, the Navy, and the Exchequer, and observed, that the concerns of the Bank in these affairs were merely matter of form, and that it could not now be made accountable for any of the money Out of the 220 millions placed to the first account, and 29 millions to the second, there were no more than '23 millions now under examination ; and of the whole 364 millions, the amount of the joint ac counts, there were only 8,000,0001. to be accounted for by the Auditor of the public accounts ; for all the sums placed to the Bank, the Ordnance, the Ree ceiver-Genaal, and the Exchequer, may be pat completely out of the question. He had some doubt, he said, as to the expediency of appointing an addition of font new Con:missionerr, as he believed the business would be better done by additional In vetoes, for the Commissioners heretofore only sat three, or at most, four days in the week, and oave as a reason for it, that the time They took was amply sufficient to audit the accounts of the Inspeftnrs. alany of the regulations from which the Nettle Lord promised to gain su much, were by no means new, as they subsisted in the former Bill, which provided that the sub-accountants should always give in their accounts, if possible, within three months after the last day of December, in the same manner As was now proposed. Of all the breaches alluded to by the Noble Lord, he considered the War-Office to he by miteh the most important ; for unless that Odice should be obliged to pass their a-- counts at the Exchequer, no good could come of any new law upon the subject- In that depart ment, there was no less a sum than twelve millions of money, which were itudi:ed only by the Secretary at War ; and without meetiii.g to convey an in• sinuation against any individual, he may be allowed to oi t iefl to the principle of the same Officer issuing the money, and afterwards auditing the accounts that were given in of it, which, In his opinion, ought always to be examined by the auditors. The Noote Lord said. that he was riot prepared with re gulations for that Office, ten it was certainly an objea well worthy of atteation. After following the Noble Chancellor of the Exchequer through the several items be referred to, hr said he must implore the patient attenti,,n of the House, while he took this opportuuity or tem:irking upon what, Jell on a termer debate, in consents...oe of some observa tions from Itim on the num+, iety of creating new tiaecuie places, when u.Not4e Lure (Howicii ex- ~.._ pressed an expeaatiort, that from the aversion with which he spoke of such appointments, he would the next day. give in his resignation of the sinecure he held When any remarks or insineratioes of that kind were made out of doors, his di-position always led him to disregard them; hut he could not be indifferent to them when uttered from persons of anthority in that House,— He then explained, that when he was first solicited to accept the office of Secretary to the Treasury, he did it with much reluctance ; but, haviag done so, he thought proper to resign a more secure and permanent situation he before held in the Tait Office. On his first introdeetion to the Treasury, the emoluments of his office were 3,05)01. a-year ; but after the e-ommencement, they increased to 5.4001. Upcn that occasion it would appear, from the minutes of the Treasury made at the time, that in November, 1793, it was, on his own proposal, eesleced to the original sum of 3,0001. annually, At that period he had the sinecure Office he now held (Clerk of the House of Lords) in reversion ter two lives," one of which was as good as, his own, loin that of a person of equal Age with himself. Whets he retired from Office, and returned to it again, after a Certain interval, he found the reit-e. raised to 40061. per annum, which could teo. esti thought too much, as it was in, pos: ible for any mate kJ di cli.oge the duties of that situation in such a man. nor as it ought to lee condueled, and save a singie shilling out of his salary. After that, the two films, at the expiration of which he had the fever.. slots eof the sinecure Office. fell ; one of then by acaident ; and on receiving it, he relinquished the additional sum of ode thousand rounds a year made to the salary, sad only retained it at the farmer 30001: which reduced his income Yee, considerably. He believed in this he had given an unporalleled instance of disinterestedness. Tee Noble Loid (liowiek) had no ground fur retire, seaming himes ► rain yes y teteacieus of Ale. \\ - het his Right lion. Frieed d ceased ('lr. Pitt) tee `signed, he selickeJ him very strougly to remain ie the situation under his seccessor, which he already possessed. but lie see.u. ily tefused to conneel self with any Adatiniztratien, of seneree he Was uot a member, as long as they both lived. He hat ilnce been urged, by his sincere attachment to him. and veneration for his memory, to take an aCiiest part in defending the measures in which he was con cerned ; but after the death of that great min, he should have remained as shied a menther or that House as he ever was before, if he had not foaled himself called upon by a sense of public duty. He confessed, that after Log poblic service, when this place was vacant, he applied for it; but surely it would not be geld that the performenceot arieotts do ies did not entitle a man to any thing. So far w as he hears. being very much attached to office, that he would appeal to - those opposite hies, whether, on the ter. 'nation of the New Ministry, lie did not imme. dietely apply to the Noble Lord, new at the head of vie Totem+ y (Lord Grenville) for permission to re sign his office. During the eighteen years that to i was officially connefted with Mr. Pitt, he newel asked him a favour for any of Isis family or con . , nations, except this sinecure, which was an ere - ployment that continued for five centuries, sad toe the last four of them was uniformly granted in re version. He concluded with an apology to the House for having troubled them at ouch lengths upon a sell j..a personal to himselt. Leave was then given to bring in the Bill. On the motion of Mr. FOS I'ER, the Report • 01 4 the Irish Foreign Linen Import Drawback Belt, was defer red till tomorrow. Ctieettte AGAINST MARQUIS WI-LESLEY. Mr. PAUL moved the Order of the Day for the farther consideration of the Oude charge ; which being agreed to, Mr. Hawthorn in the Chair, Colonel Payne late Aid-de-Camp to General Sir James Craig), was called in. and examined by Mr. Paul. In answer to the first question, he stated that he was never present at any of the consults tions held with General Craig, and that he was out sufficiently master of the sullied to say whether the British power, before the demeede aside on the Nabob, were strong enough to defend his territories against any external hostility. or internal commotion. Mr. Henry Strachey was the next wioness called. His testimony went to prove that the country was in a state of insursedion, and that the mild measures which he advised, had the effect of noose-leg peace. After his examination had bees finished, Mr. Paul declared, that it was not his is tention to cell any other witnesses. Sir ARTHUR WELLESLEY wished to knot whether the Hon. Gentleman intended to cell Cap:. Salmon. who had been summoned to attend, by order of the Committee. Dr. LAWRENCE saw no reason why the Com mittee should take the trouble of examining Caist. Salmon, as his testimony must relate to paps'' which were not yet before the House. Mr. Hurst, Mr. Burton, and Mr. Johnstone, we of opinion, that Capt. Balmoa should be called ie. as he was the Gentleman who framed the accosts:: which the Hon. Gentleman (Mr. Paul) stated have beets fr iudulent. Mr. PAUL said, hi had the Wettest °Owings rd Capt. Salmon's honour; butt he did not think his testimony could be, in any degree. necessary tie. wards the investigation of the bustress, as he het made out the different estimates for full regiments, not even knowing the name or number of the rrgw thent. He had tlitee times, he said, moved for ao counts of the number of men serving in the detected regiments in the East Indies, and he understood they would be produced in a few days, and then the House would be able to perceive the difference Iy tween the number of men who actually received pay, and the numb= of men changed for. After some further conversation. however, Cots Salmon was called in. His evidence want chide' to prove, that in private conversation with the Marquis Wellesley, his Lordship had always es , pressed a wish that the exist dee for addeional utieer should b.' as light as possible on the Nabob. lie evidence was then closed, and toe Chaim , : reported progress, and oetained leave to sit ae,4 151 40-Moi row. Mr. PAUL moved, " that there he laid balite thi House an account of the number of troops tai led in Oude at the eapence :,1 * ti n t from November 1799, to November 1 dot ." Ur' dered.—The other orders were then asseomie .0,1 the kjouse adjourned.