The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1821-03-10 00:00:00

manse mats of accounts that were its arrear, f
and it was calculated that the whole of the
aceouuts would be disposed of in three years
from its eatabliplinient. It had, however, gone
on for ten or twelve years, and yet the accounts
remained in arrear, and would continue so to
k do as long 'as' this suet coritinued to be grant-
. 'ed-by-the House for the keeping up of that este-
r blishosent; the expense of which was worse than
tireless—for, be contended, that it was unjust
to.inquire into any officer's acceiants so many years,
• perhaps 10,40, or even 30 years after theYivere deli-
vend In, and then to call upon the parties to make
up any apparent deficiency. whiCh might have been
cleared up by the product.on of proper vnucherr,.
had the accounts been ex:stained in time, lint whick
. the lung delay, and perhaps the death of the officer,
themselves, rendered it impossible to produce. Thia
establittlinnent, was, therefore, not only uselessly
expensive, but ',reductive of much injury and, in—
justice to milividuals. The smeary, except where
the parties had neglected to send in accounts,
ought to be entirely given given up, and the grow-
ing accounts to be examined and inquired into as
they became due. Besides this addition, there was
a further increase of charge iti this office of J 3,371/.
: for superannuation, which he muintsined to be an
enormous.evic He did not media to say that the
superannuation system was worse managed in the
Noble Lord's office than iii any other, but be coo-
-1 sidered it to be bad iii the extreme in all. The
system itself was u cryiiig, evil, and the Bill which
had given rive to it had entailed upon the country
an.increused expenditure of several hundred thou-
sands of point is per annum. The whole expense
of the War-office in Ifitil, thus' a:Wonted to
64,6901., which, in 1792, at the commencement of
the war, was only 8,2571. the difference being
56.4331. At the former period also, the whale
details of the array were conducted in this office.
with the addition of the Adjutant-General's de-
partment,- in which was then tronsacted at a charge
of about 8461. all the business now performed by the
Commander-in-Chiel's office at 30,684 l waking a
difference of iy,13.38/. These several illfferences in
the various departmeutewhich he enumerated, were,
Ire contended, enormously disproportionate to the
actual difference either in the duty actually requi-
site to be done, or which the change in the circum-
stances of the country required. Hering proceed-
ed !hos far with such general statements ini he hail
conceived it necessary to lay before the Howse, he,
should, when they were in the Committee. call
their attention to the details.—(Muck larglaer,
and loud cries of Heur, hear, hear.)-11e felt that
he should not be doing his duty in the present
distressed state of the country, unless he brought
under the notice of the House the differeace in
die scale of the various establishments at the two
several periods to which he had referred. The
Hon. Gentlemsn concluded by moving the 10l-
Itiwing
Resolutions
:-
11.. Resolved, That it appears by the official returns before
the House, that the total military establishment of Great
Britain and Ireland, fur 1792 (exclusive of the East Indies. •
mod of the artillery, obi Nis, and marines), consisted of 48,474
men, moody, of 15,919 for Great Britain, Gurnsey, &c.;
17,373 in the Colonies abroad; and 15,132 iii Ireland ; and
Hots the total military establishment of Great Britain and
Ireland for 1821 (exclusive of the East Indies, the artillery,
the militia, and marines), consists 0(.81,106 officers and men,
namely, 27,852 in Great Britain, Glow', &c.; of 32,476
is the Colonies abroad ; and of 20,7711 is Ireland.
2. Resolved, That the supplies fur the expense of the mili-
tary establishment of Great Britain and Ireland in 1792
were 2,331,1491.; dial the supplies voted for the military
establishment of Great Renato and Ireland for 1829 were
9,500,216!.; mid that the Army Estimates fur 1821, now
submitted to the House, are only 153,498!. lesi than those
of 1820. •
3. Resolved, That there were in the service of Great Bei-
tete and Ireland, in 1792 (exclusive of the retutar cavalry
and infantry). 25,757 troupe, namely, 3,730 of royal
artillery, 4,425 of royal amities, and 17,602 of disem-
bodied militia; and in 1821 (exclusive of the regular ca-
valry and infantry) the number of 115.492 troops, name-
ly, 7,872 engineers and aroilkry, 11,000 royal marines,
51,998 disembodied militia, and 57,622 yeomeory cavalry
and volunteer infantry, being in unitiber a larger force by
132,367 men, available for purposes of the Governnient, in
this year than in 1793.
4. Heim/yeti, That it is the opinion of the House that
wider the present circumstauces of the country it is ex-
pedient to make a large reduction in the ammo and expeu-
diture of its military establishment, and to approximate as
.as soon as poseible to the establishment of 1792, as return-
Amended by the Culotte Committee in 1817. •
Sir R. WI Lson seconded the Resolutions. ex-,
pressing his concurrence, particularly in the obser-
vations which the Hon. Member had made with
respect to the Colonies; and tittering in support of
his opinion iota a statement from his own know-
lidge of the Mete of the Cope of Good Hope, when
it first came into our possession.
Lord CAeTl.69.5AOti said a few words which we
could not collect.
Mr. HUM 6 said the Resolutions expressed no
opinions of late, but the results of documents be-
fore the Hone; and the recommendation founded
on them, 01 a return to the establishent of t 79?..
was the same which had been made by the Finance
Committee.
The SPEAKER then pat the resolutions, and they were
negatived.
Mr. HUME, we understood to say, that it hail been his
intention to brave divided the House un the last resolution.
The SPEAKER observed that he was certeiu the House
I would see the delicate situation he was placed in, as to the
I Honourable Member's views is proposing his restitutions,
i fur they were defeated by the rules of the House, and he
, Maid out assist him, as the only question that he could
ascii put was, that lie should be allowed to leave the Chair.
Mr. TIERNEY said, that the intentions uf his Honoura-
ble Friend (sir. Hume) would he defeated, certainly, by his
mistake, if the House resolved itself into a Committee to
• take into titres-consideration the Army Estimates; sod wheat
• he considered the late hour of the night, he was of opiniou
4 that it would be more convenient to postpone the plug into
the Cumnisit. eto M lay.
land PALMERSTON was of opinion that it would an-
, • swer every purpose of the Hon. Member to move his rooste-
r Quits in the Committee; and, although thee would not be
4 entered mi the Journals of the Muse, he could again move
II them on the Report of the Committee being brought up,
which would give hint the opportunity of Lariat them en-
tered vu the Journals. He could see Nu reason *by the
Committee shoeld be post psded.
31r. J. P. GRA NT said that the Nolde Lord had forgot the
solojeell alluded le lay his Right Huu. Friend, that the late
hour of the night was au objection to plug tutu the Corn-
-
i ull'ilt. CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER said, the
1 night had not su far advanced as to Ferrol their plug into
the Committee.
Mr. M. A. TAYLOR said, lie disapproved of gi.itig into
Ike discussion in Coltinailtre at sir late au hu Ir. tie would,
' therefore, move, that the House should then adjourn.
Mr. J. P. GRANT seconded the motion).
Mr. GOULBURN made a few ohaervalions •,- but from
this:e
was Wad
uu ctalis
hearduf IQuestion!
Ealito.
eiiesliour'—'• Go on ! go (Ml,'