The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1825-06-18 00:00:00

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i ss ain astecessioh. The Hon. Gentleman then made Some observe- l'
none upon the late appointment, by Chief Justice Best. of his son,
10 the office of Filacer, and remarked that when a Judge of his
rank gave hie son such an office at lee/. a year, he moat have been
I very hard pushed—that it showed bow the Judges would, with the
additional salaries, indemnity themselves for the hem of their al-
, • aces. Ile perceived too that Judges might still appoint deputies in
particular cases when they saw occasion—a liberty lie saw nothing
1 to prevent them from exercising to the full extent; so that in short,
4 giving these large increases, the public gained nothing in profit,
now obtained one single present abolition of a useless office ; and he
thought therefore they should secure something better than the
niece word of a Chancellor of the Exchequer for the abolition of
those offices to which the Government was pledged ; for, howteer
much they might be inclined to give praise to the exertions of the
Right Hon. Secreuey for the Home Department, he thought that
much more could be and ought to be done in the way of reduction.
There was another office{ the Receiver-Ovieralshlp of the Aliena-
tion Office, held by the Right Hon. Secretary for Foreign Affairs.
Mr. CA NNING said, urns* the table, not as Foreign Secre-
tary, an office which they all knew was appointed for the receipt of
some nevments upon the sale of freeholds. That he thought wholly
nosteeesurv. and a charge which might well be spared to the pub.
.
id The lion. Gentleman then praceeded to condemn the course
permed, ir. giving a sum to the Puisne Judges, almost as large 11
that which was paid either to the Secreteries of State, the Speaker
of that House, or the first officer% in the kingdom, sad declared his
intention of taking the sense of the Houleon the propriety of Meal-
. lowance being only 50001. instead of 5.500/. He expressed ton.
after some observations on the state of the Judges in put times, and
Moir subserviency to political pommies, his earnest wish that some
I Measure might be devised. either by an insertion of woes in the
preamble or otherwise, for rendering the promotion of Puisne
Judges illegal.
Mr. N. CALVERT was desirous of making the retiring allow-
ance even greater than it was, if he could by that means avoid the
still greater mischief of having Judges remain upon the Bench un-
til they were, as he had the misfortune sometimes to see, wholly
iacapable of performing she dune, assigned them.
• ' ' The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER said, that in
point of form they could not, even if ire wax inclined to pursue that
fount, increase the retiring allowance is the present stage of the
Rill, although it was undoubtedly in the power of any Member to
p move a reduction. Rut he thought that if his Hon. Friend eon-
. sidered the expense incurred by the Judges in going two Assizes,
l': which amounted to peony near 6001., he would find the difference
between the retired allowance and the salaty tot so greet as to war-
rant the making any alteration in their relative proportions, and
ender all the circumstances, quite sufficient to leave no apprehen-
sion of a Judge clinging in future to his office until quite worn out.
As to the objections of the lion. Member for Westminster upon the
subject of the salary, considered with reference to the other offices
of state, he did not see any analogy in the application, and as the
principle had been already argued most amely before, he must. if
that Honourable Gentleman persisted, give his resistance to the
amendment.
Mr. Sergeant ONSLOW defended the coterie of promoting the
Puisne Judges, and instancing the canes of Chief Baron Thomp-
son and Chief Justice Wilmot, argued that it had been the practise
I from the earliest times. He denied too that soy Judges held their
office until they were unable to perform the duties.
Mr. N. CAL re
explained.
Mr. R. MARTIN contended that the Judges were not suffi-
ciently paid ; everybody he asked told him so; and after he made
his motion three years ago, be heard the Judges themselves say
thee were not well paid. A Right Hon. person on the other side
of the House had told him lately too, that so small was the salary
of office campared to the expenses attendant upon its duties, that
he was deterred from serving his country by the acceptance of office,
ie consequence of that deficiency, even with the additional expen-
diture of his whole private income. Meer and a laugh.)
The Bill wax then read a Mad time.
Mr. HORHOUSE moved, as an amendment, by way of rider,
that the salary of the Puisne Judges be 5,0001. per annum instead
of 6,5001.
Mr. BROUGHAM seconded the amendment; and alluding to
what had fallen from the Hon. Member for Galway, expressed his
determination to oppose the exercise of which that speech gave
1 some hints, by every means in his power. Ile might be, and most
probably would, be unsuccessful, but if he was he would certainly
feel it his duty to propose, on the same grounds, an immediate in-
crease I
to the pay of the army.
Lord JOHN RUSSELL supported the amendment.
Mr. MONCR would, as an act of justice, support the grant of
i the original sum of 6,4041. provided it was understood clearly that
the Puisne Judges were not to be promoted.
The House then divided—
Against the Amendment - - 74
. , For it . . - 45
Megiority for the original grant - —29
/ SIR ROBERT WILSON.
On the motion that the Speaker do leave the Chair for the House
. . going into a Committee of Supply,
. Mr. ABERCROMIIY rose and said, that he believed It was
perfectly consistent with the rules of Parliament for a 31enther to
. .
rtl .
.- use on the motion for a Committee of Supply, and state to the
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House any thing which he did not desire to make the ohject of a
I ! specific motion. He knew that it was his duty to offer every
i apology for presuming to address them, although he was perfectly
cesscious the House would be inclined to look upon him with
. favour and indulgence, when he stated that his proposition con-
. e • curled one of the most Valuable Members of their body—the repre.
sentation of an important part of the metropolis—an officer who
had served his country with unexampled zeal and fidelity, and
obtained the highest honours of his profession. He thought he
need hardly name him, his Gallant Friend the Member for South-
-1 week (Sir R. Wilson). In order to guard against any suspicion
that any thing he was about to say had any reference to transarg
them long past, the recollection of which, perhaps, might be as in-
jurious to the object lie had in view, as it would be disagreeable to
t the feelings; of the Gallant General whose cause he advocated.
Be would in the filet place unequivocally and distinctly state, that
/ it was not his wish to be considered as at all calling in questiort the
' conduct of his Royal Highness the Commander-tn-Chief, in the
1 case of the dismissal of the Gallant Officer in question, for he
would be one of the last persons with whom any measure would
originate tending to impugn the propriety of those regulations,
. . which were necessary to preserve the dicipline and good order of
11l
oar Military establishment. Neither wan it his Intention to call
• r into question the conduct of that House upon the occasion of the
proposal of a Resolution with regard to that diceissal, or to ques-
tion the propriety if the decision they had been pleased to pro.
Bounce. They all knew there had been differences of opinion upon
the subject ; but he trusted now at this distance of time, that the
feelings which operated then have lost their influence, and those
who might then, t'rom the considerations of the period have felt it
their duty to recommend and support a particular course of pro-
ceeding, would see that there never was a more fitting occasion to
shoe that their objections were to the principle not to the indivi-
dual. He did not, however, wish upon the present occasion in the
slightest degree to compel the utterance of opinions--to ask for the
expression of motives—or invite discussions. He did not wish to
ask any thing which would prejudice the Commapider-in-Chief—he
did not wash for any revision of the decision of that House. His
object was to excite their Sympathies on behalf of merit, valour,
and eminent service ; to enable them to show their sense of Mut-
erioue deeds. His wish was to enlist the feelings of the generous and
Cite noble, on behalf of one who had endured so much in the assertion
of those principles which all the generous and noble must approve.
(Hear.) If among the passages of a life so splendid in the eye
of the world there be any which may be liable to censure, be would
s ask whether the errors, even such as they may be, have not pro.
• I ceeded from an excess of that feeling of et moor and chivalrous de.
voteon which through 29 years of a military career has shed such
lustre upou•his name; and even admitting as he might, and as he
,• had before mid, be did not mean art present to question that there
might be actions{ *Tong in a public view ; he would ask whether
looking into private lite his floe. Friend had not suffered in amen-
ter more than commensurate with his offence; and lie would ask
with equal confidence of the House, if from any conduct either
,public or private that gallant individual had been either less
esteemed by his family and friends, less cheerfully received by the
public, or forfeited in the slightest degree the good opinion and
just attention of the House and the country. (Cheers.) lie would
Nether say, is tiwensilitary career of that eminently gifted mon ea
. be fee ever closed to his country, to be for ever deprived of hir
teat, his talents, his surprising energy, his almost unequalledgx-
I patience, from the influence of any such trivial circumstances. He
now appealed to the House on behalf of that gallant man, and he
' . did so with mote confidence because he thought they must all re-
collect his (Sir R. NVilson's) bearing upon the accession of that
1 t suotioil he before
malluded to with feelings of respect and admire.
; they must all remember the admirable temperance, nuale-
tion, and forbearance with which he conducted himself on that oc.
cession—a course of conduct which even commanded the unquallied
e approhatiou of those who felt it to be their painful duty to refuse
/. gtie inquiry he solicited. It was from a sense of what would have
Seen the remit If the kindly feelings of human nature had rot been
overpowered by that imperious public duty that lie now wished to
appeal to that House again, and ask them, from a consideration of
. what has been done, and suffered since, what were their present
‘t.
..... eentiments. Ulna, hear, hear.) To those who had expressed
themselves before upon this subject. he would appeal to now,
particularly to the members of the gallant officer's own pro.'
profession, many of whom lied shared with him the toils and perils '
of a military life—who had witnessed his achievements and marked
those actions which rendered his name illustrious; to them he
I ' I would appeal, and ask them whether they thought that the British
soldier would not hail him as a friend ? whether the whole army
'would not be as much gratified by numbering him amongst its
ranks in the field as its officers would be delighted by his coin
j( parry In the camp? If such be the testimony those persons could
t give, he was sure it would not be withheld: to oloain that teed-
many was his object. To offer any opinion himself upon the con.
. duct of that gallant person would be preposterous, because, from
1.1 the warmth of his sentiments, be could hardly speak of hint with-
,
cot being Purposed justly of partial exaggeration. He would not
add any opinion of his own ; hie purpose was to give others who
( felt towards that gallant officer what his conduct deserved, who •
knew his services, and had witnessed his devotion to his country,
an epportimity of expressing their sentiments ; and if their opinions
should be such as he confidently anticipated they would be, he
knew that the expression of the feeling.; of that House would be
I t readily and generonsly conveyed by those who had access to the
place where stone they could effect, and where he war convinced
the magnanimity of righting wronge, or relieving worth, would
never be wanting. .(Hear, hear.) The Iftm. and Learned Gentle.
man concluded by observing, that he did not mean in the slightest
degree to be supposed to inteefere with the bee exercise of the pre.
ti motive. or dictate to a gracious Sovereign what course he war
to pantie, nor did Its say aught 51* of the illustrious indivi-
dull WM commanded his gallant feland's removal, than that be :
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