The Sun. — London, England, 1807-03-26 00:00:00

ds df 'ard. not interfere with the Royal Prerogative, and the reason of the thing was so obvious as not to re quire, illustration. Every grant of a pike for 'life had a direa tendency to impair the dignity of the Croivn. Any other measure might be con demned upon - certain particular grounds, but this was a. proceeding whieb was to be resisted upon every consideration of reason, .policy, and interest. The pra6tiee, if permitted, would the-dignity and means of the Crowni • It would deprive it of the ex erciseof the power of punishing weak, .wicked, or corrupt Ministers, by depriving them of their offices, and takeaway from the Crown the power of bestow ing thoie offices on Wise and virtuous Ministers; it Would remove, all locus penitentia. from the So l'et:eign, by tying up his. hands with respe& to of fices which Ire might once have conferred on un worthy objects; and be an injury to the rights and interests of the people. Unavailing, would be the complaints of the People under their sufferings ; t would not be in the power of .the Crown to re -..oke mad) grants, after they had been Once made. 'Grants of this description appeared to him unconsti tutional under all circumstances. They had the ef, feet of raising- up a race. - of men to live upon the wealth of the Public, and to make them, alike inde pendent of the Bovereign; who might promote them, and 'of the People, - by whom the means were sup plied for their support. As the.grant of places for life therefore had such a dire& tendency to deprive the Crown of the power of punishing weak 'or wick ed, and of rewarding its meritotious„ servants, the • N'lotion for the Address should • have his warmest support. was ight With 30U( the :uch Nms lon, yard 3.- any the sere lan- Lion The nke and ose nt )Id li .o- Mr. PERCIVAL had felt so, anxious to be pre• 7 sent at the discussion of this question, that he had delayed accepting the Office which, but for the no tice the , Hon. Gentleman .last night, he should, ere this, have held. He thought it his duty, by his presence, to take care, that if the Hoese thought fit to address his Majesty, it should be on accurate statements, and that no uncertain rumours should usurp the place of facts. He could not for a moment su pp ose , w h atever m ight be the-motives • of his Hon. and Learned _Friend, the present M o . tion proceeded from any personal towards himself, because, in the whole of his intercoutse - with his. Learned Friend, he was not conscious of a single . circuinstance from which such could • arise: It ' way unquestionably true that he had re ceived' an offer*om his Alajesty•of the Chancellor , - ship of the Exchequer, accompanied with a grant 'of the ChaneellOrShip Of thb 'Melly of Lancaster for life ; 'and - that,•but. for his. Liaind Friend's - notice, be. would at't hat mo.neat. have .been ,in possession of both those- situations : •his Learned Friend, there fore, was not chargeable. with - surprise in bringing forward his Vlotion .'at so shorra notice, as other- Wise the season for it would have gone by. • He was not :in . the 'House yesterday evening ; but, under ....,stalAngthat such a notice bad been given, instead of 'approaching hi s Sovereign for the purpose of re teiVing his appointment to office, he had approached itim with, a request that the appointment might not take place on that day, that_he might have an op portunity of addressing fife House on the subject ; 'and still more, that his - Majestymight not be fettered in consequenceof any advice that the House might think proper to offer him. This request Was ac companied with an assurance, as his Majesty had been pleased to think that* lie - could be an useful servant—that, whatever -might. , be - the' pleastire of bis.. Majesty in consequence of catty Address from : the Mouse of Commons,,althoug,h itsboulddeprive him, of the Duchy of . - Lahe ste`e"forenerly . oti'ered, if ' ser ve Would not in the slighiclCil4gre6 kiliatebis his Majesty. Unquestionably, though. irt, :the , i irst instance he should not h ave -f e l t justified in neg. 4 e6tin g his duty ,to his. family by quitting a lucrative prOfession without the prospect of sjAe'thing like cl aropensation--:yet - that when he found' his;Maje4-ty thought his services. might be advantageous- to the interest of the country, and, when. he. saw the crisis in' which that 'country was placed, he felt it 0-olonger to be -a. Matter of optiOu -with hith, • but that whatever might be the consequences to himself,. his Sovereign should command the utmost exertion of his humble abilities. With . •respea to ~,,the two precedents alluded to by his Learned Friend, be would not compare himself with the' objee4 of. eithe r ; but that Lord Ashburron should be allowed, W ithout notice, to accept for life. th e .Ch an l e ll ors hi p ° I the Duchy of Lancaster, impressed on him..the belief that no Parliamentary objecaion existed against such an appointor - tent. Lord AShburton was taken out 0 f th e Profession of the. Law by an .Adininistmtion Professedly of pure Whig Principles,Abat of Lord Rockingham ; and the grant to him of the Duchy of Lancaster was afterwards confirmed to him under the Adthinistration of a' near relative of the Noble Lord opposite (Marquis 'of Lansdowne). Lord Ash burton was a man with' whom it would certainly be presumptuous. for him to compare himself, but his Majesty might think proper at different times to reward services done to different branches of the Constitution. The most distinguished service of that Learned Lord was the famous Resolution pro posed by him in the House, of Commons, " That the Influence of,the Crown had increased, was in creasing,.and ought to be diminished." Such a per son having . received that appointment, Under such an Administration, had led him to think that the Present motion would not have been seconded or sUpported.by the Representatives of the Whig'Prin oinles in that House, and that it would not h ave received the countenance ofan Administration whose .first act had been not merely to advise the King to 1 1 0. 1 0 y 'due exercise of his prerogative, but to introduce unto Parliatnent a .measure, by which a Noble Lord enabled, in opposition to the laws, to hold two situations .constitutionally incompatible with each O ther. The arguments of the Gentlemen' opposite Were applicable against every grant of an office for life, as well as ,his own ;' they Were applicable to. that exception, frotn.:the praelice so loudly boasted i . 0)% the l ate Administration, of with-holding rever sDln ar ! gr a n ts, in which the Chancellor, to reward . t 1 private meritorious services of an individual, had procured, for hint the revetsion for life - of a - lucrative situatio!?. S urely; if the Clerk of a Barrister -were not an Improper person on whom to copier such:a grant, it seemed extraordinary that' he (Mr. Per.; rival) should be cOnsidered so; AHIIOIIOII • •he ac quitted' his Lea rned * Yr i end of any improper inten lions, he yet left it to the House to consider whetli.:.r his motion was founded on enlarge:Ll motives, - or whether it was , tart pointed .at this dired office; • nu;.-ftlatu let;ii110-01 personal hostility .to himself, but because tbe . ais . pointunent to thit office tniieht b; .- , . kr. MONTAGUE .apologiseci, but on saying 0 supposed to give some facility to the arrangement of ! That he deprecated a motion which Went.to set aside a new Administration, The House were also to ; the 'pterogati ve; an d i.o.distress elle- eOvereigh ' was consider whether in th e p resent critical state of again called to ord er by M r . G aLsantsee and Mr. the Country, when hia . Majesty, whether correctly .KOKEitsr. • ' • •• ' . or not was not now to be. considered; bad conceived ' ' 'The SPEAKER observed, that the House, havlng . himself bound, by his r e g ar d f or t h e E sta bli s h ments on ce e nt e rta i ne d allusions ef• this nature to the ,So and Religion of his - Country, to dispoSe of • the ad- - vereign,' it was . ditault to k now w h ere to Step. • ' ministration of affairs in other hands than those , to - • Lord HOIVICK maintained that the HotiS Gentle • .which it had lately been entrusted, whether, at such - man was out -of Order. a moment, the House would throw any unneces-. Mr. MONTAGUE then proceeded. He said, that' sary difficulties in the way of the Sovereign? 'With' the the independent MeMbers, ' to . Whom he particularly . this he felt that he ought to leave the question and - addressed himself - - ,' ' ' the House: It woeldebe'imeroper for him to exec- ' The SPEAKER once more interposed. The , Hon. cise his discretion upon it, and still more improper Member ought to conaider every Gentleman in that to give his vote He should therefore quit the House House as independent eeke - e • .with this assurance, that w h a t ever measure i t might Mr. MON'TAGUE . satW . n; Satter a short explana , in its wisdom think fit to' adopt, 'should his Majesty tion. continue to require Iris services, they should on no - Mr. H. THORNTON would not give .his vote . account he wanting. without qualifying it w ith t wo o r three words.No Mr. PERcIVAt immediately quitted the House. • person entertained a higher opinion of the disinterest- Mr. PLOMER, as he had first started this subjea, edness of his Learned Friend than -himself; it was thought a few words necessary in his own jhStifica- not, therefore, from personal orparty feeling-that he tiort. The declaration just :made by the Learned I should support the Motion: he considdred it as a dry • Gentleman would shew .an .Hon. Gentleman - (Mr. j abstract question, and he was clearly of opinion, - that Johnstone), if be were. present, that be had.not, as ' a grant, su c h as t h a t w hi c h i t was stated was in cote ' that Hon. Gentleman yesterday insinuated, set this templation to bestow, ought not to be made. • thingegthng on any.idle rumour. For his own part,. no Mr. JOHNSTONE opposed the Motion. - What • one would be better pleased than he to see the Learn- had been the conduct of Gentle Men opposite ?'Their ed Gentleman in Admi n i s t rat i on. ' Hi s on l y w i s h verystirst artwas at nine o'clock et.night, to read a was, that a great place during life, should not be Bill to impower a Noble Lord to hold two • situa • ofiied to induce hitit to take a place during pleasure. dons, constitutionally incompatible with each .other. Lord HENRY PETTY had not intended to'rise . Another ad'of theirs was 'to increase the salary of on this subjea, but as he had been personally alluded.. the First Lord of ' the Admiralty, although no to, he would trouble the Hous e with . a l e e , words. document of such an increase was before the House, He disclaimed all personal hostility t o th e Learned , Even the proposition for a Coruniittee of Finance, 'Gentleman, as connected with his acceptance of of- when made by his Hon. Friend, had not been received. five. - Ilan increase of the salary of the situation with kindness; and it was only when they bad found which he had lately the honour to •hold, had been that this proposition could not .• be resisted that proposed, he would have couserited to it with great they came forward and avowed themselves to be its ,•satisfattion. With regard . to the merits of the Learn- supp orters. I t was true, Commissioners of Accounts. ed Gentlemae in ptivate life, the impression of them ; had, been appointed out- of number; .but .what have was strong on his mind ; but with that impression ' they done ?- • CommissiOners of Accounts had been he must declare, that, in his opinion, the objeat of appointed for the West-Indies; not : °lee: of which the Learned Geetleman might have been obtained had Ail e d. Af ter some . f urther observat ionee:he • , • without an ea which, in the present crisis, was in- I concluded by eaying•that he did• not. 'think this MO -1 consistent with the interests 'of the Couatry, :The tion w.otside do anyagood to either side.' - -: e . ' . Learned Gentleman had alluded to the conduce} of a . Mr. SEEIDAN vas glad to find that the Ho= Noble Lord departed, an d very near re l at i on. of his, curable Gentleman- suddenly became •So neutral, as in what that _Learned 'Gentleman Was pleased to ... wit which -he sat down 'cotivinCed n he declaratio n • h term a similar case. Whatei- respe6t he!. enter- i t ihn tte be, for in 'the former part of his speech he tained for that dear connexion, of hip, he hadnot that ' bad followed up hilOng antipathy:to the bite Mieis respea for any man .which should induce him to de-. ters. He at one time - flattered • - •himel•f, that that part from that which be conceived to be his public Hon. Gentlemen was well- dispo se d to i t h oae Minis duty ; but in this instanc e ; hi s respea and hie pub- tera; •'he (Mr. Sheridan) was no divelger •Of 'private lie duty were Compatible s . ' The transaaiona wereand secrets . , bet be happeoed to' be the bearer •ble.Geptlemanof a pub broadly different. When- Mr. Dunnine- waS":made tic message froni that Honourable. Gentleman, a Peer by the title of L or d A s hb urton,_ h e was' kw . ne very well he might heve•lheen delcified, and b ilk . censidered a Law Lord, altheneh he did not hold induced to withhold the on sereat imi s in. which: he_ a judicial situation. The -Ci ianeellership• of the had chosen losindelge. .He• Was sure that the Ho Duchy of Lancaster waseherefore granted him, to nonrale Gentlemen under S to od hi m , I t • h a d b e e n citable him to enj o y an i ncome ' (which, if he bad b e asked in what instance th e l ate Ad m i n i strat i on had not derived it from that source , m u st h av e. flowed , sheivn their dispositi on to re f orm ? H e wor d& from a Pension), until th e , iesth of Lord Mansfield ; should have provid e d f or hi m a sea t in the C o urt of ask in what instance had they swer ve d f rom the King's Bench. Hisfrie n ds had been accused of attack - deleratio i to that effea with w hi c h e hey set-out •?- ing the rerogative b sUppo . rtin the Mos - g In the Army' alley had. eeducedeheStaff, the Cm p, y present • missariat; and theßeirecla Department. The I-lo fion ; when, in f e et, the grantieg of such an office 1 tient:able Getitletia en assertedse that th e Committee Of for life was a serious at ta ck n eon t h e pieromative: • The great cause for wi nc h the advaacates of On finance was forced, and the fad} was, that his No 7 stitutional prerogative, recor d e d in the Eelish blaeli'rel tie [never of that Committee. Had thereienafkLord Henry -Petty) ex t e nd e d t h e propos:, e '• History, 'bed contended, wa s , th a t it' should sitionnot , been any shuffle or Ministerial arrangement to get be limited and impaired by suc h gr a n t s . • Not three : years had certain men lute:the Com m i t t ee ?. The name of elapsed since an arr ange rne n t o f a s i m il ar n the Chairman was the best pr o of th at cou ld b e gi v en aterse was in contemplatio n , as a rewar d f or l ong ' of the •sincere and hOnest -vieWS of hie . Noble Friend. and ernitient 'services peeae me d b y a p e rson f or ' --Witli regard teethe salary of the• First Lord of the whom lie•entertained the highest respea• (Lord Sid- - ! Admiralty, it had been long keown,fo be scanda , meutle) : : E gr,antlike the present was offered to himee loassly tOte small: , When the Noble' .Lord who had bet the.NobleLerd answered, that he could not re incurred- the'cenSure of that House (whether he was cencilash - fe Mind . to be the instrument of alienating S 0 to retests to office or eotehee did `not knew); held large a portiohOf ! poWer from the CrOWn, especially where . ,no duty arose out of the office. A Corn. mtttee, of Flounce had - been appointed to itiqUire its Report,' an office ': thas situation, how was he paid 1 .The salaty was increased by a legal interception e of the' revenue of , Scotland, which . that Noble Lord still retained., If ) whaa offices might be-abolished with edeftetage-ao the Hon. Gentleinenssonld - not Succeed better in-his: the..Country...ln the present state of- affairs, end : befOri . 'tleatCommittee had „madecharges, he ho he would remain Chareer-Gene•- b ; : rat to:the Gentleerfee opposite. With respea to the eitremelseealeable • was endeavoured 1O lie entailed ',emoluments sacrificed by the• Learned Gentleman, on. the Countret•during the life Of •anindieiduale On he thought it was ind e licate io to uc h upon t h em. — this .ground, :and not, with a view to. diminish the • 1 No men had a higher respea for his Parliamentary eneesmneeits of . the Learned Gentleman, which he •wes free to cOefeis, a s a tt ac h e d to t h e s it uat i on Which j talents ; but if his friends h a d a d v i se d him, when he might have had the Atto rne y G enera l s hip , w i t h he• Was About to . undertak e , ' w e re ' insufficient,' he , 10,0001. a-year, to accept.the Ch ance ll o t s hi p Of t h e , should give his vote for th e M ot i on. Mr. STURGES BOURNE, expressed his surp . rise ere Exchequer to t h with em . The only precedent's of Lord LeCh re ; 2,5001. h e was not . muc h and regret at the quarter froth which . the• Motion obliged and Lord Ashburton were irrelevant. When Lord peoceeded, and: his astonishient at the quarter frOM Lechmere *as made a Peer, some addition to his in . which it was seconded ;he was surprised at the quer- " come became necessary ; a n d Mr. Dunning, by be that in co nsequence o f hi s c l ose acqu a intance with ter wheece th e Motion proce e d e d, b ecause he t h ou gh t ing created Lord Ashburt o n; wa s put out o f t h e his Hon. and Learned Friend, the Learned Gentle- Way of , advancing in his profession, unless •• by the 'death of Lord Mansfield.. Mr. Dunning's whole man opposite would be fully sensible of the cha- ' racer, of the talents; and above all, of the disin- life had been spent in opposition to the S ervan t s o f terestedness of his Honourable Friend. Yes, he the Crown; but he never would admit that such an Would repeat it, a long and intimat e ' acqua i ntance opposition to the Servants o f t h e C rown was not convinced him that a• more honourable hide compatible with the ,Most steady loyalty and elle • ' pendent,and disinterested meta never existed. Were glance to the Sovereign. The Crown was better s his Hon. Friend even to obtain both the situations, served by sea t men than by o th er s, and it was high ly Honourable, that after Mr. Dunning' he Would make a much larger sacrifice th an w ha t s famous Re- Solution, be wasmade a Cabinet Minister, and had was usually made' on such occasions. The val ue o f the Chancellorship orthe Duchy of Lancaste r was the grant of the Chancellorship o f the Duchy o f Lan about 20001, a year, and for this his Hon. Friend caster. It was painful for him to pursue the subjea of the sacrifices of the Learned Gentleman; since that gave up all the bright Prospeaas that were opening Learned Gentlernan.came into Parliament, he had to him from his profession. It did not become hith • seldom - been out of office. First, he was Solicitor . to say any thing of the cause of the change of the General,. then be-was Attorney7General under Lord' late Administration. He could not refrain, bow- .. Sidinouth's Admit.istration, and subsequently with ever, from declaring his surprise aS the notice given Mr. Pitt when be returned to office, For a little by a Noble Lord tbr to-morrow, for that Noble Lord more than a year, indeed, th e L earne d G ent l eman . must • be well a w ar e th a t no t (see of those per so n s , who alone had breathed th e c hill a i r o f th at s id e o f t h e H ouse; ' could know theci rc umstance s ,, cou ld, by which did. scentt, however, scent to eeree with Lis any possibility, be pre s e n t. , . . I les or his constitution ; an d h e bee therefore re and(.ll 0 Mr. SHARP cont en d e d, th a t th e cas e i n 1783 gained that happy sp o t, i n w hi c h he wou ld en j oy a the present- were totally ' dissimilar. Lord Asia- • had not been induced t o E more congenial temperature. Th e w i s h, h owever, UKTO,DI take possession of of the Learned Gentleman t o obt a i n a, permanent one place by anoth er b e i ng o ff ere d to hi m, b ut that ' another had been given as a compensation for'the incemes seemed to imply that he anapeCted e lack loss of the mo s t l ucrat i ve em pl oyment. It woul ef a perrnapency in ,pi officiel'situation. f' But,' it dbe - was Said, “ it you deprive his Majesty of the-L earns trious impossible to compare the emoluments of that Hies . ed Getitlenem, yhti.deptive him of the only N eils on person, who bad b een solong at the. head of • his profession, with the emoluments of the Learned fit to -be Chancellor of the Exchequer." Now,w Admieistratiod be could n o t e how ever great the Learned Gentle Man's talents, vet - Gentleman, of w h om , till h e b eca m e Attorney-Ge in. defenc of the ne neral, the Courts of L aw. h a d noe h ear d much. . . • ..s remark :he wa s not aware allow the lustice of phis Mr. MONTAGUE k new i t F or a distinct fea, ' how many old or new Solicitors and. Attorneys Ge that his Learned Friend made more by his profession ' nerel—how many new and worked-up Masters; of - outeof office, than he would Make with sboth his of the Rolls .existed .among the Gerillenien of:whom. faces together. This must be . obvious to averse-fair ' the new Adininisiration evas. formed: but if they man, althougo it was tint. to the Gentheree'n swarmed with any thing it must be with ChanCel ! opposite. , . . fors of the Exchequer When hie Noble Friend Lord Howlett spoke to Order. It was oaten-rely propesed a•Plan of Finance, which tnet wish his . irregnlar to- impute un fair ness to 'any- Menileisra warm approbation, every day produced a new ChAn- Cellar of the Exchequer ; they came like Jews with their budget's strapped round their.'ShatilderS, crying out " Here's ray Plan !-4tere areinyitegolutronst: Evens .a gallant Baronet (Sir J. Pultene)•); for whom :he professed gre,ff resped, appeared prepared to be Chancellor of the Exchequer. As he had : not been appointed to that Office, perhaps it might be Meant to make the g allant Bar one t Attorney-General.. For his part, h e thought there could be n o diffi c di ty o n this , subjea ; -bot it lamentably turned out, that nut an - individual was to be found qualified for this Of, fice (which only required a knowledge of the three first rules of arithmetic, and a little Plausibility of statement) except one, who Would not accept it, unless accompanied by the unconstitutional'grant of another place. for life ; and this was the Ex-Attor ney-General, who certainly, had made an admirable Attorney-General, bdt from whom he had *never heard a single word on Finance ! NO sophistry could do away this fa&—that those with wham had the. honour ,to .aa retired from -office without ,having secured a single penny for themselves---Whilo . their. successors were unable even to forM an Admi nistration without the a&ual promise of, lark.: and undeserved emolum e nt s . - Mr,;,./0/YLVSTONE, • in explanation, stated that. what the Hon. Gentleman had thought proper toas sert, with respect to. him, was !lilt - consistent witti fa6t„ lle had not employed the Hon. Gentlema'n - to be the bearer of a message intimating his readiness to accept employment under the late Administration :- Ist, because theffon. Gent. was too busy in provid ing for himself and ,hiS family, and, - 2dly, because if he had not been so busy in that way he would pro bably have forgotten -- any-message Intrusted to, him. , But he did' tell -the Honourable Gentleman, that ho had communicated to another Han. dentleman, now no more, at .the comineucement of the:late Admi nistration, that if there was ,any office without a salary annexed,' in which his labours might be use ful to the country, his services were at his disposal. Mr. SHERIDAN, in explanation, expressed an unwillingness to fix any imputation on- the Hon.. Gentleman. As -some persons wished fir emolu ments, so others wished for honour or patronage. It was. not for him to say of what-description the Hon. Gentlenlin was. :With resped to the charge of his (Mr. Sheridan) being busy in providing for himself and his funilv, the fact: was, that his Hon. Frieni!, who 'was now unhappily no more (Mr. Fog), thought;: that after - a service, he hoped not meritorious,' of twenty-seven 'years in Parliament; some-provision for life ought t o b e ma d e f or hi n i . I t had happened rather singularly, that his lion. Friend had intended, that the office thal had been so much :spoken of this night, the Chancellorship of the Duchy of ' Lancaster, Should' be appropriated to. that provision : 'but, on consulting with his Col leagues, his Honourable Friend found that they had formed a ,determination' not to grant for life this office,: or any other usually held during pleasure,— Oii beincr informed of this determination, he entreat+ ed' his ITon, Friend by no means to press the matter, and thus he remained' without a provision for life, and this office was_ reserved for the disposal of the New Ministers. .Mr. SIMEON thought the right of granting the office in question 'for life ought not .to be much exercised. Mr. FULLER said, there was no doubt that the King had, by the Constitution, the right to give that place for lite if be chose ; but his, advice to his Ma jesty would be, not to give it. Let him keep the key of the oat sliest himself, and deal it out as it was wanted. His Majesty's servants would not 'serVe hitn if their wants were not supplied, and 'therefore he should keep in his ONVII hands the means of serving them. . ~. Mr. WILBERFORCE was sure that there was no person who possessed a higher degree of disin terestedness or liberality than" the Hon. and Learned Gentleman • who would be particularly aireaed by . this Motion, He hardly eXpekted the Hon. Gentle man would ; have rendered the motion necessary. He bad hoped, that when he should have been informed of the notice of the motion he would have surrendered, the office, even if he had accepted it. The argn- - ments that had been adduced by some against the Motion operated in favour of it with him. What had been done by former Administrations in granting this office for life, had been much censured and complained of at all times, as tending to diminislithe poWer of the Crown to dispose of offices and emo luments as times and circumstances may require. - The present was a time of acknowledged difficulty, and therefore he wished the Government and the Parliament to stand high with the public. He wish-- ed to have no room fur the suspicion of a mean or mercenary spirit in the Government, no room for the suspicion of a disposition to _countenance such a spirit in the Parliament. The public - was of itself too much disposed to suspea the -mo tives and the disposition o.f those entrusted witti, the administration and superintendance of its affairs. The peculiar - circumstances of the. present time I strengthened his determin a ti on to vote in favour of I the Address.' If s uc h a M ot i on were made and fie ! gatived,i it would optSrate as ail encouragement to the unrestrained indulgence of this praAiceof grant . uvr offices for life. the MASTER If the ROLLS looked upon this • - as-a question of great and general magnitude. He had not had leisure to inquire what places were usual ' ly granted for life, and what places were granted only . during pleasure. He did conceive it possible that many places were granted for.life which ought to be granted only during pleasure, and that- Many were granted only during pleasure which ought to be granted for life. There were also places which ought to be entirely at the diSposal of the Crown, and • I with which Parliament ought not to interfere in any manner Whatsoever. The House w as no w going to . decide on .• question which involved all those . considerations Without - any inquiry whatsoever.- 1, He wished the question had been brought forward At any other time; for, - however rightly and dispassion ; ately it •may decide now, the public would not give creditAo it- for having decided with so much proprie '' ty; - Sufficient opportunities had occurred before if ' Parliament had thoitght proper ro enter into this in vestigation. This very Office had been before granted for:life, and' no proceeding had been taken upon it. The Address alluded to'did not determine in either way. It merely went 'to prevent any grant of the '- office - for life till a Bill which was , then • pending for merging•the Wetly of Lancaster in the Crown should be disposed of. The restrktion was to last bat a Month, and thy very words of it, restrAninz