The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1805-02-06 00:00:00

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the former, explained, 'that there vixen no specific
instructions forwa*fell to Mr. Prete CS Iheatibead
Th. Noble id not *tenets= to go into
tettin hire upon litho
tli Nof loOfr Mr. Uwe was 6r was not
j eseboyasion, sfust.may
ootoott
be' miter of future'discOuion ; but' ills initiations
were of a general nature, and more specifically ap-
plying to the topic adverted to by the Noble Earl.
The lest point adverted to by Earl See tiCilt, on
the pan of
.Isis Noble ,Friend, was an explanation
respeding the mode of calcolisting the sums in
limes, instead of reals, &c. rirsng which, it v.
'peered, from what was stated betm Nobble Secrets-
cies of State, that Mr. Petri wis seat for to town, for
porpoise of explanatino on that head, and which
of course would be adverted to, in that way, upon
a future Opportunity.
The questions, as we could perceive, were not
pat On one or two Motions, formally made, in the
course of the above, by Earl S same Ea, which in-
duces the understanding, that they were, in effect,
withdrawn.
Their Lordships then, after disposing of 'rime
routine business, adjourned tall to-morrow.
HOUSE OF COMMONS.
The Hon. Mr. F°Lev t°4 the omits andnis seat,
as Representative for the towt of nockinirlam.
The Exchequer Bills' n 1 was read a second time,
and ordered to be s'iri miued to-morrow.
The House 'if:cot through a Committee on the
Co,mlni.ssi9o"..n of Assessed fazes' Bill, which was
"?.I_7t to be read a third time to-morrow.
Mr. ELLIOT T, preparatory to the discussion on
the Military Force of the country, wished to know
the amber of persona in the Asylum, enlisted for
military service.
. The SECRETARY at WAR replied, that the
regular returns were not made to the War-Office,
but that he understood the number to consist of 396
boys. If any motion should be made upon That sub-
ject, he said, that he should make no objelion to it.
Mr. ALEX ANDER brought up the report of the
Commium of Supply, of yesterday, which, after a
trifling explanation, was agreed to, and Bills ordered
to be brought in upon it.
IRISH ESTIMAtFS.
Lord A. HAMILTON moved for an account of
the sums upon loan, borrowed in England, for the
service of Ireland, distinguishing each y,ar, and
the interest paid for them, up to ffie latest period.
Mr. FOSTER said, that he had no objection to
the motion, but wished to explain, that the Direc-
tors of the Bank of Ireland did not think them-
selves right in advancing money directly, and were,
from circumstances, obitged to take the money at
eleven and a hilf, for every MI. which was after-
wards !educed to ten and a half; and, in the end,
was taken at par.
His Lordship also moved for an account of the
sums borrowed in the present year, and the interest
thereon, and particularly since August last, which
was agreed to.
CHARGE AG SINST SIR HOME POPII %M.
Mr. KINNAI RD, after disclaiming any perso.
nal motives in the enquiry he was about to institute'
said, he rose for the purpose of calling for some pa-
rrs relative to theexpences of the two ships Romney
and Le Sensible, under the command of Sir Horne
Popham, in the Red Sea. Nothing but a sense of
duty could have led him to urge any thing which
could be supposed to derogate from the character
and conduct of a distinguished Officer, employed in
a profession so highly and justly tespesed, and
who, he understood, had A considerable rank in the
confidence and esteem of His Majesty's present Mi-
nisters. The charges which would follow from his
motion, came from high authority, and were Con-
tained in a pamphlet, which had hitherto been un-
answered by that Hon. Officer, whose pen had not
been idle upon sonic other business. It would be
needless for him to argue, that a person holding the
rank of Captain in His Majesty's navy, and in pos-
session of a command, was respousiik for any
waste that may be committed of the public money.
and liable togive a sat isfidory account of it. It appeared
from the report of the Navy Board, that, in the
end of the year iBO3, the ships Romps', and Le Sen-
sate, were under the command of Captain Sir H.
Popham ; and it also appeared, that, in the accounts
transmitted from the East-Indies, there was no less
a sum than 80,0001. charted for the expences of
those vessels. The persons. in whose depaitment the
expences of this charge arose, found themselves, in
duty bound, to look into it; and the result was, that
the Commissioners of the Navy, as appeared from
thiir report, stated, that die Rumne,, in the year
MO, was in complete repair, and that, in the year
following, the repairs of it cost 11,0001. The cha-
rater of the Report, and of those who formed it,
needed no advocate; and the representation contain.
ed in it stated gross irregularity, and extreme defi-
ciency. Amongst these were included, sundry arti-
cles bought at an enormous price, and soon after-
wards sold for a tenth part of their value. Amongst
the items were, that an anchor was said to be lost,
and the same anchor was afterwards returned from
'the Cape of Good Hope. This was stated to have
occurred en the 12th of August, 1800. That the
boatswain had expended more than he bad in charge;
and, upon the whole, the expences amounted to
6,0001 more than was authorised for extraordina-
ries ; that the Romney was returned to have had two
repairs in !NUS, and that the charge was 90001. in-
stead of 7001. at which it was calculated, &c. &c.--
These charges were explicitly stated in the Report of
the Naval Commissioners. They were alleged against
an officer whom he supposed, on that station, to
have had an independent command. What defence
Might be set up against these, he could not antici.
pate. 'llse Hon. and gallant Officer .might, per-
haps, urge the necessity of sneh rerai,e,, or some
other cbtonnstances in his justificatvin I but, as a
Member of Parliament, whose duty it ws s to watch
over the expenditure of the public mons•yl he telt
himself Woad to pat him to that justifica twit, and
should feel infinitely happy if he could exculpate
himself fairly. It might be said, that nett s charge
WAS brought in compliance with the wishes of the
late Admiralty Board; but, •at all events, it was a
subject proper foreequiry; and. if the chavges or
imputationi werewtong, he considered bit! welt- as
doing the gallant Officer a favour, in giving him
the present opportunity of vindicating himself. H.
concluded with moving, that there be laid before
the House an account of the expences incur-red by
the reptir of His Majesty's ship Romney, in ate year
1804.

Sir liobl POPI4AIyi observed, itcreply th7llllllll
the animadversions of the Hon. Gent. founded n
the report of the Navy Commissioners, were found.'
ed entirely upon crOrte information, wind) he had
in vain solicited an opportunity of contravening
In regard to what had been alluded to, of the scni:.
iaveftives eenstainesi in a pampas, written hi,
some anonymous author, his pen should not on that
occasion have been idle, as he had prepared a very
fell and complete teiutation; but, such were his in-
dignant feelings, and such the constraint upon the
press, that he was -losable to get any person who
would vesture t 6 piblieh it for him. He would,
however, with the permission of the House, read,
part of his speech the then read several Letters to
Earl St. Vificent, the !list Lord of the Admiralty,
on thelOth of June, 1303, on the 12th of July, the
same year, red more particularly a subsequent Let-
ter, in which he demanded an enquiry into the na-
ture of the charges, and that he may be tried by ~
Court Martial. In the last, he stated a number
questions, relatin to the charge, which could I.
answered by all tEe Captains and other Officers
served under him in the Red Sea, tlai answer'.
which would clearly spew v'hether he was at all ins
peachable in hit condut on the 19th of Nov,.',nt
1803. He also read a Letter to Sir Evan Isleda,a
Secretary of the Admiralty, in which he pressea
far an immediate determination, and earnestly re.
quested that the Board might order his personal at.
teadance). The Rowney he represented as one a"
the best equipped ships, in point of condition ,tad
crew, that ever he had seen or known of in His Ma-
jesty's Nary ; and, notwithstanding the necessiiy of
repairs, frens the service she was engaged in, it
would be seen, by the proper documents, that he nit.
ver dreW any bill' on that account, after the month
of. November, 1801. With regard to his making
use of his pen on various other occasions, he repeat.
ed, that his answer to the scurrilous pamphlet he be.
fore spoke of, WAS not his fault, but occurred by
the circumstance of his not being able to obtain 4
publisher. The circumstances of his justification
wars sworn to in an affidavit taken before Sir John •
:Mew, the then Mayor of Portsmouth, by several
OK Officers besidethe Gentleman who was then Lis
Fogirth Lieut. and had sincebeen a commander unii r
Earl St. Vincent. He then read the affidavit,statieg
that there was tits unnecessary expenditure in the lit-
tle squadron under his command; that, with infinite
pains, he had saved a crew of 400 men, who were
shipwrecked ; and also the testimonials to the same
effect, written by Lieutenant-Colonel Harris to the
Marquis of Wellesley. If the Navy Board thoetala
he was so culpable, as their report stated him to be,
, why not institute a criminal prosecution againa
him, as there was sufficient time for the Cra
Lawyers to decide upon their mode of proceediii; ?
and he himself soliciting an enquiry, ha .:rag rem
ed, together with his Officers, in England, from :he
swath of February to the month of May. Whea
!maltreated fo: enquiry, they said, that no proceed-
ings could take place till the full reports were re.
teived from the East-Indies ; and, as these must now
have come to hand, he was in hopes that the Bowl
would yet institute a criminal proceeding ap'7lst
hlm, in which he should have the opportunity of
exculpating. himself from all the imputations against
him, contained both in their report, and in, ja
; pamphlet, in which it first made iraappearance, at-
ter refusing to give him a copy of it.
Admiral MARK HAM observed. that the
of the Navy Board, on the conduct of the last
Speaker, was precisely such as t was descri
The Admiralty then ordered Sir H. Popham to be.
furnished with that report, and that was the time
when he skald have made his justification. Ica
first proceeding of the Admiralty, when charges
of irregularity appeared to be substantiated against
officers, was to stop them. This was not done
is the present instance ; but a criminal prose-
cution was certainly intended, but was nett car-
ried into died, on account of doubts whether the
prosecution would stand in law, until all rise ac-
counts, which had any relation to it, should arrive
'from the Red Sea. Such was the opinitas given
when the charge was aftually sent into the Ex-
chequer. He aided, that he knew of no (scurri-
lities in the pamphlet alluded to, but what ap.
peared in the Report of the Navy Board.
Mr. W. DICKINSON said, he did not know
whether the Navy Board meant or meant not to
prosecute the enquiry ; but, of this he was sure, that
the rormer Navy Board, in this instance, afted oat
of their usual pradlice. The Commissioners of Na-
val Eirsquiry rejected it, as the term of their cont.
rnissioi t had expired ; but he was happy to be con-
vinced, that the Han. and gallant Officer, should
any enquiry take place, would have to combat, nut
with itnituations, but by opposing fad to fa&
Mr. KINN AIRD said a few words its rapier:Gull-al.
The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQL KR
said, that .be was far from having any wish to enter
into the msvits of this question in the present stage ;
bat he cools: not avoid expressing hit feeling that it
would be move consonant to the rules of equity and
liberality to aNstnita from any premature animad-
versions, and not attempt to aggravate a charge.
when no part of it was proved. Great stress was
laid upon the report of the Navy Board ; but it re-
mained to he consielered whether this report was not
made without due a nituiry, and supported this con-
jeaure by reading a transcript of the, concluding
paragraph of the report from the Navy Boatel,
wherein it stated itself- to have :idled in compliance
with the wishes of the Admiralty Board at that
time.
Mr. FOX said, he was by no means desirous of
anticipating the result of this inquiry, and he
thought the Right Hon. Gentleman who spoke last
might as well have delayed any opinion he ought to
form on the report from the Commissioners of Naval
Enquiry. When the subjeA should be before them
in detail, the House may be inclined to snake a very
different conclusion from that which was drawn by
the Right Hon. Gentleman. Ile could not con•
ceive how the idea of aggravation catt:d have sug-
gested itself on such an occasiun. Whenever a nl(''
41011 was made of late for an enquiry, he or others
who might have submitted, were uniformly told, that
acase, ands strong one too, must previously be made
out as the ground of such enquiry. If it shots's' be
answered that the Hon. and gallant Officer W/4
willing to have the enquiry instituted, it did not
safe& his argument, because, however a MAO may
be influenced by motives of personal rewire', it
ought got to influence his Parliamentary cooduft,
and therefore he bad a right to represent thins in