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London, England, 1805-05-24 00:00:00

13(PERI4L I‘ARLIAMENT.

ItOga Of COVISIONS—Tau RSDA T, Mar 41.
tatalaill STANLEY b.ought up the Report of C
Siete, 'open the claim of the Duke of Athui. r,s,eoing a
6rvilifirtistise fur h 4 rietit in the isle of Men.•:-.liie.l he moved
to Ito blots into e3nsideration on Tip.sdateriext.

tip WEN omose.'. the Motivat, And viciebnjd a Ta.
if
ray her papers, he thor.ght the lidutt have
It, is older to decide 04 the validity 4.1 Cta claim. Ilc
uan Amendment. ti t the Rep.ort should h, Liken into

Wastiderotion on Wedthesday, the rah of In thyra may
IP;tirtte br eaatnining Into all the necesaaridocivine..ts.
- A Sok ee•Terotioo, of little fif no iot.oeit to the ',oldie,
then matted, iaotwoen Lord tileoneivle, Mr. Creevev, Sir W
one I, Mr. Rote, Mr. Pitt. Mr. Windham, and Mr 1. H
Smote, in Which it 1114 ca.artided, on the one she, that an
the ree•teary Paper. were sheerly bAcem the House, in an ap•
pendlix to the Report of a former Committee; that so long a
Polly woul.! endanger any rhscassion upon it in the present So-
elan ; and that it world be tine enough further to postpn
if it thou.(' he thought reoni.lte, on To .sday next; and on
ides (Alter side, lb •t ad litional Papers were aboontely 'met-ma-
w ; that there were other rights concerned, as well ai those of
th• Nikki Duke ; and that it could be no great hardshi:i if a
claim, whieb had been cenrested for fans years,should now ex.
. . . . .

prienee &delay of a fe.'s d m, itr it. disco...ion.
_ On a disisionohe ows.lbers of wilich e e did not learn, it was

decided that the Report should be taken into consideration on
Tuesday neat.

THE ELEVENTH RFPORT OF TITy COMMISSION-

FRS OF NAVAL ENQUIRY.

Mr. Serjeant BEST said, that, in rising to call
the attention of the Honse to this important subjea,
he was emboldened by the consideration of its being
generally admitted, that the present was a time
when PaiLament must feel it peculiarly incumbent
tilt, to enquire into all abuses in the public offices.
On the present occasion, he did not ask for any
men than an enquiry, after which the Fli,use would
be better enabled to pronounce a proper judgment.
EV the constitution of this country, Parliament was
under an obligation to watch it narrowly, and to
take care that no inroads should be made upon it,
'notwithstanding which, it would appear upon ex-
*ruination, that there was scarcely any check of
law, which had not been violated by the present
ixscutive gay -rnment. Upon the topic c.f raising
money upon the subjett, the Bank of caziand At
was filly explicit, and restrained the servants of the
Crown lions borrowing money of the Governors
and Company, without the express authority of Par-
liament ; the obvious inference from which must
be, that they nre eqnally prohibited from raising it
indirealy in any other manner. At that period,
it was net in contemplation, that any Minister would
bave pruumal any sums of money by the
i:see of money-bills. On the 7th of 3..:11;.,r7, 1630,
jast before the reviilatiou, that Rime resoived, that
SO money sh;ml.l be raised upon the sul-j-as of this
country, unless sandioned by Parliament ; ard, un-
der the autiority of persons open to responsibilay.
In support of tl,!s tui.•,ciple. he referred to the writ.

ings .c:f Dr. who laid it down, that the Te'
straints upon the raisin; of pub:icmorey were He•

cessary to she frequent meeting of the Parliament.
Though the pra:i ice, wlich he had now to complain
of. might. at times, hate been convenient, he did
nor think that it was ever attempted before by any
Minister. in order to decide whether this sacred
principle of the Constitution had not been violated,
It would be necessary to recur to the fails stated in
the Report of the Commistioners of Naval Enquiry.
1.73 that it ',mild be seen, that, fri mOft.l3oo to 1302,
instead of paying off the Navy Bills already nut.
standing, the Executive Government had supplied
them by the issue of others, to no less an amount
than 4,300,0001. The sum of 500,0001. was at one
time issued in pursuance of a note addressed from
the Secretary of the Treasury, and that in a manner
that seemed to indicate that the prallice was usual
and regular. if this conduct was now to he sanc-
tioned by the approbation of the Ilottse of Com-
mons, be saw no restraint upon the Government
levying, in the same manner, all the snms necessary
for the service of the year. The note which he
'trendy alluded to was dated on the 24th of Oeober ;
the Navy Wits, issued on the 10th of November,
bad no communication whatever made of it to Par-

%uncut, which met on the 11th of November, which
was the very day following. This being therefore
♦ithout the consent or authority of Parliament, was
an illegal transaCtion on the very face of it, and
could not, as far as he could see, admit of any
justification. It did nut even appear that there was
at the time ary state necessity for that flagrant vio-
lation of the law; and if any such did exist, it lay
with the Gentleman on the other side to shew it.
The resolutions of Parliament, prohibiting sums of
money to be raised for any public purpose, without
its express consent, must therefore preclude the pos-
sibility of any defence in point of law. In addition
to this violation of, the law, he contended, that the
manner of discharging these bills was still more re-
prehensible than the tnant•.er of contracting the debt.
The Administration did nut even so much as apply
to Parliament for an indemnity, for what it had
done, as was the usual process on all singular and
unauthorised proceedings. It appeared in the Re-
port, that Sir A S. Hammond, the Comptroller of the
Navy, deposed upon oath. before the Commissioners,
that the same means were taken far the payment
of these bills, as were usually adopted in regard to
the other bills of 90 days. They were defrayed by
an application to the House of Commons, without
any specification, and, as if authorised, like sums for
stores supplied, o:- for the general service of the
Navy. The privileges of the House required that
the sums necessary for the supplies of the year
should be regularly and specifically voted; but the
hills, of which he had to complain, were issued
for the paymet.t ez bids of termer years. Hitherto
the House of Commons -vas accustomed to look
upon the public accounts present...A by His Majesty's
Ministers as authentic documents and records;
if such a system as t. i; <hoold be permitted, it mast
inevitably shake the confidence of ?ornament in the
a:connts of the Etecotive Government. The cha-
raker of Ministers was Urial:y comidored as superior
to the prance of such artifices ; the I louse never
expeaed that they would deceive than ; hut, unless
this condnft should be reprehended, all implicit
cin-
fasenre must be henceforward at an end. Thus
mach he thought it necessary to state, in support of
his complaint of the roamer in which this debt was
both crantraeed and discharged. It was pos:ible
that, upon inve.rigation, tbetvhole of these preceed-
isms may be explained and ;testi:Jed ; but as far as the
instigations were yet understood, he could see no-
sling to indisost the House not to concur in the re-
port. If there re-ally did exist a necessity for doing
eft ie should be brought forward and avowed; sei.t

• •

filmed of that, he believed, that were it net for the
investigation of the Commission, the sullied would
never have tome to the knowledge of the public.
He :would not deny that great state necessity might
at times justify a d-pArture from arid law; bat; he
must contend, that it was not applicable to these
proceedings, as it was impossible that such immedi-
ate state necessity could continue to subsist from
180 u to the year 1802, as should induce His Ma-
jesty's Ministers to have recourse to brokers, instead
of making an application to Parliament. It could
not have existed, on a reference to the language of
the Minister at that time, who represented the finan-
ces and the state of the treasury to have been in the
most abundant and flourishing condition. In his
defence, he did not see how the Minister could al-
lege any thing but one or other of these two reasons ;
either that the expenditure greatly exceeded the esti-
mate; or that a considerable part of the money voted
for Naval services had been applied to other pur-
poses, which he believed to be the case; and if nut,
it WAS the duty of those opposite to him to chew the
contrary. It was represented in the Report, that
the Navy Estimates always constituted a very great
portion of the services of the year ; and the state-
ment was certainly a just one, as the Naval service
was so popular in this country, that votes frequently
passed without any great degree of inquiry; but
after the estimates were voted, the money must have
been ready whenever occasion called for it, if it had
not been devoted to more unpopular objeds. On
the other hand, the House was disposed to view
the Army Services with an eye of jealousy ; and
there was reason to susped that persons in office
had taken some pains to disguise the real estimates.
Upon the whole, he must conclude, that the con-
do .% adopted on this occasion was highly offensive,
and a violation of the Constitution, unless the

Right Honourable Gentleman opposite to /I'm
(Mr. Pitt) could shew, which he would find
great difficulty in doing, that it was not illegal.
As the objeet of such delays must ha* had in view
the preservation of the authority of himself and his
colleagues, it furnished a very sufficient ground for
the Inquiry which he meant to propose. lie said, he
was rather disposed to pass over the smaller sums,
amounting to trom three to 4,0001. as they seemed
to proceed from an error in the proceedings of the
Navy Board ; but he could not otherwise than corn-
plaie of those means taken to provide for secret
Naval services, not by the authority of the Hoard of
Admiralty, which was the proper and legitimate
department, but by an crder tmm the Lords of the
Treasury, and only subscribed by one of their
Secretaries : some of the services to which he sus-
peCted those sums had been Applied should not have
been undertaken but under the smnion of the Lords
of the Admiralty, who were aione responsible for
them, and with whom no other department should
la! allowed to interfere. The Comptroller of the
Navy had no right to issue those bills without the
positive direetiun of the First Lord of the Adiei-
ralty, and any order from the Treasury he was not
authorised to obey—( cry of Ayer! he.ir ! from the
Deasyry Beech !) If Gentlemen were inclined to
dispute his position, he need only refer to the order of
His Majesty in Council, dated the 4th of June. 17e6.
by which the Comptroller of the Navy was required
to issue money to the orders of the Lot ds of the Ad-
miralty, and acziount for it afterwards to the Com-
missioners of the Navy Board. The same order
then went on to prescribe, that the secret service
money for the use of ti.e Navy should be under the
controul and responsi! 'at). of tl.e First Lord of the
Admiralty for tee time being ; and, of course, the
Comptroller of the Navy should not have paid at-
tention to any °tine order. All the powers of the
Lords of the Admiralty were immediately and exe-
cutively derived to them from the crown, and yet,
in one item, the Report of the Naval Commissioners
included the issue of 100,0001. by order from the
Lords of the Treasury. The provisions of Mr.
Burke's Bill—a gentleman, than whom no man ever
lived under the British Constitution, who was better
acquainted with it in all its parts—prnhibited the
abuse of secret service money being applied, with-
out the authority of Parliament. it might, indeed,
be true, that the regulation of that Bill applied
more particularly to the expenditure of the civil list
but neither Mr. Burke, nee any other person, could,
at that time, suppose, that there was any other
fund but the civil list, which could be recurred to,
or that Navy Bills would ever be issued for that
purpose. The civil list expenditure did not. like
Navy or Exchequer Bills, come under the revi-
sion of that House; but when secret service money
was defiaycd from the civil list. the public and
the House bad the security of the oath of the
Prime Minister; for the time being, that it was
not improperly applied; but here there was no
security whatever ; and the only account ren-
dered of the 95,0001. was merely in the letter or
requisition of a Secretary of the Treasury, though
the law did not allow of any such security. If
Ministers were allowed in this manner to go on from
smaller things to greater, the consequence may be
that millions would be squandered without the sanc-
tion of Parliament, as was done some years since in
the case of Messrs. Boyd and Scofield. It would
Se capricious and inconsistent in Parliament to sanc-
tion a eonduet contrary to the law which it pre-
scribed in 1796. It seemed that the service he al-
luded to, and for which this money had been granted,
was of too delicate a nature to be entrusted or com-
municated to the Commissioners of the Navy
Board; though, if the very respeCtehle persons em-
ployed in that department were not worthy of con-
fidence, they must be unfit and unworthy of their
office. Of the appropriation of this f 15,0001. the
House and the pllblic as yet knew nothing; nor.
were they ciNcially informed of the other service,
for which 16,0001. had been issued, which was also
represented es of a very delicate nature:: though
there was nut a waterinan upon the Thames, and
scarcely any man iu the country, who was not folly
aperised of the tomes Stone Expedition. On the
present occasion, he did not mean to call upon the
I louse for any immediate judgment, as was very
properly dune oa the subjs.& of the Tenth Report,
when the resolutiens were farmed on the admission
of the parties, sante guilt was indisputable. The
*pert, however, hal placed the Howie in a sime-
tioa to demand a Committee of Inquiry, which he
could not suppose would meet with any opposition.
as the Right Hon. Gent. (?dr. Pitt) had declared
the:: he would trot resist any inquiry, and particularly
such as would go to the investigation of his own con-
duet. Perhaps the Ministers might he able to mate

a justifiable ease before a 'Committee ; but as they
wep bound to look to the laws. as Well as eatat4i-
ency. and as they were not ectitleil to set so Oseir
own judgment against the law. the House should
call them to an account. for the uke of the Cottsti-

tution, which was guarded by the statute enatted on
the occasion of William 111. .joining that both
King and Ministers should be bound to all ac-
cording to law. The Ministers theniielves had re-
cognised this principle, when they applied the motion
of an l lon. Friend of his upon the Roman Catholic
Petition, not on the ground that the thing itself would
be dangerous, but as they deemed it hostile to the
spirit of the British Constitution. He then concluded
with moving that " the whole of the I Ith Report of
the Commissioners of Naval Inquiry be referred tc
a Bele& Committee, to report their opinion upon it
to the House."
The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER
said, he did not rise to oppose the motion, but to
express his approbation of it, as he was convinced,
that the result, as far as regarded himself and
others, would be completely satisfaeory to the
House. But, however desirous he might be of re-
ferring the wiwle oldie Report, there might Ise
cumstances which would, probably, induce the
House to divide it in such a manner, as should re-

fer one part to a Seka, and the other to a Secret
Committee ; on the reports of both of which, it
would have afterward.; to decide. The Hon. Gen-

dernin referred to the praticeof renewing navy bills,
as k is quite novel, and tending to supersede the
opinion of Parliament. Against so dreadful a
charge, he thought it only necessary to say, that
even the Report of the Commissioners of Naval In-
quiry, so far from alleging any thing to criminate
His Majesty's Ministers in that respect, expressly
declared, that though some of the proceedings
might be deemed irregular, they did not appear to
be done with any " indite& view." He admitted
to the fullest extent, the position that both the King
and his Ministers were bound to govern this coun-
try according to law ; and, therefore, he could not
but think, that the Learned Gentleman had unne-
cessarily wa ted a great deal of his eloquence, in en-
deavouring to prove, what lio person ever attempted
to dispute. He might, however, have recollet ted, that
Parliament Was always in the habit of making good
any unforeseen deficiencies iv the naval service. In
doing so, it had a&ed upon an economical principle,
by which millions had been saved to the public in
the course of the last war ; and if these defii iencies
were not regularly paid, the consequence must be,
that the credit of the Government would be de-
stroyed. It was impossible in the estimates exitaly
to ascertain tie number of men, the quantity of
stores, or the expeuces of the viettalling the navy,
weal and tear, &c. In the progress of a war,
His Majesty ntight find it necessary to encrease
the number of seamen, ships, stores, and pro-
visions ; and as every one knew that the prices
and expences were liable to ary, they c.•uld there-
lore admit of no accurate estimates. Since the
Revolution, it was, till of late years, the praftke of
Parliament to vote the sum of 41. per man per
month, for the service of the navy, which included
all the expences of pay, stores, provisions, wear and
tear, &c. but as that never was found sufficient to
cover the expenditure, he found himself under the
necessity of proposing an encrease of it, to 71. per
man per month, about the commencement of the
late war. The Motion he then made, necessarily
recognised the oright of creating a navy debt, as
well as finding means to discharge it, without which,
that must important branch of the public service
could not possibly go on. The praiflice since
the Revolinton was, that the Navy Bills out-
standing should be paid in course, that is, that
those which were issued should come first in
the order of payment; but, Ai there was no
precise time limited for paying them off. the accu-
mulation of them went on progressively till the year
1794, when he proposed, and the Parliament enal-
ed, that they should be payable in fifteen months
after date. l'his was found, at that period, to have
a very beneficial effett, compared with former years :
when, at the close of the American war, when navy
bills weie frequently at a discount of 181. and at all
times of from 131. to 141. per cent. In the year
1796, ant-titer regulation was adopted for making
the bills at three months after date, which kept up
the credit of the country, as they nem regularly dis-
charged as soon as they became due. It certainly
did away the discount, but did not, nor was it in-
tended to, prevent debts from being contra ted fee
extraordinary purposes. All that the Learned Gen-
tleman complained of was, that in the Autumn of
1800, bills were due for services actually perform .d,
the holders of which, though left to a fair option,
agreed to renew them for sir months longer...—
" The Learned Gentleman supposes (said Mr. Pitt).
that these Bills were filtitions, and, as such, he has
represented them ; whereas, nothing can be more
remote from tie fat. They were 10:11s draw ton
the Navy Bpard ; the totbl amount of the Navy
Debt was laid before the House, and they were, to
all jaunts and purposes, for Navy Services, pre-
cisely. The Learned Gentleman then says, that
no account of these bills had been laid before the
House, and that, therefore, this was a very repre-
hensible mode of raising money, without the con.
sent or knowledge of Parliament. How he could
make out well dolrine, he was at a loss to know.
He Roped he would come before the Committee,
and prove these assertions ; for, certainly. Gentle-
men might to be very well and accurately informed,
before tney assert any matter so roundly ; and yet,
if it were even true that this money had been is-
sued, without the express consent of Parliament,
there mght, according to his own argument, be
many circumstances, that would fully excuse and
justity such issues. The Learned Gentleman could
nut have to learn, that, towards the close of the
session of that year. this country, in addition to the
other enemies she had to contend with, was threat-
ened with the additional weight of the whole North-
ern Confederacy, which caused our Naval exertions
to be much more extensive, and which, of course,
produced a very great increase of unexpated, be-
cause, of nnforeseen, expen;es, in that particular
department. Such was the absolute and immediate
necessity of equipping a large fleet, in a very short
time, that provisions, and almost every other arti-
cle wanted for the use and equipment of it, rose di-
fatly from forty to one hundred per cent. above the
usual prices. Under these circumstances, it was
for the !louse to judge, whether there could I e any
thing very criminal in His Majesty's Governtnen.

I.

issuing the bills in question,"Whiel:r it is not and can.
not be denied, were expressly issued' for Naval Ser.
vices, and never applied to any otil!isciirlsose what-
ever. But the Learned Gentlemat'giaes on to state,
that this proceeding went on from OS.inber 1609, to
the Spring of 1802. He, for his own part, was not
answerable far the latter part'of the rieriotrouudvi
to, though he wit not only willing, but desirous, to
give every possible explanation to the House, reit.
tire to the whole of the trans:talon. If the Learn.
'ed Gentleman had duly considered, or bed been .1,:-
queinted with the ex iet nature of the business, re
would at once see, thet the issues of the year 1340
were due, and must be made good, in September
or 03ober, 1811. At that period, the prelirnins.
ries of peace were negocieting, and, he be:iered,
the v hninve Treaty was not signed, or dirt
take place, tail the month of April, 1302. He
would ask the House, or any Hon. Member in it,
whether it eouldise supposed that was a proper time
for any Minister whatever to have thought of negc..
ciating and concluding a loan ; and that being the
situation of the col:ntry during the wllole of that
period, was the sole calm why those Bills bed
so long continued to be issued, without some me!
particular end specific provision being made for the
payment of them ; from that time they had beets
discontinued, and had never since been resumed.
He was extremely willing and desirous the matte&
should be fully invesriAated, and minutely er.quir4
into, as, he was convinced, the.mnre it was sifted, the
more it would he found to be for the ill:erev: eat

advantage of the country; and as such, the more
it would redound to the honour and credit of those
who were concerned in the transaehon. As to ent
Bills of ninety dap, date, one of two things must be
the consequence. In making the b :rgain, yea
must either make an allowance for eighty-niae or
ninety days, ands he believed, with those must con.
versant on :he subjeel, it was deemed a very tri-
fling difference. He thought the fraftion did net
amodett to more than threepenoe-halfpenny is ore
hundred pounds. tie had once mentioned the sub-
.o:l to Mr. Goldsmid, who, in his opinion, seas
much skilled in all money trans:o;ons ; and he had
stated it as so =mitten:a, that lie took no notice
it. If, therefore., that Gentleman, who was uei-
versally allowed to be eagle-eyed in money traesee-
lions, made so light of this fraaien, he therught the
Commissioners of the Navy Board could nut it
very criminal in having overlooked it, and that it
was not necessary to look with that miciospoi.o
eye into every trap rah ion of this kie-i, entered ie.()
on the spur of immediate and urgent necessity, as
the Learned Geatlemen seemed inclined to sup.
prise. There was anetfier point on wit ch the Le-arte
ed G ntlemon had touched, which was that of mo-
ney for secret services. On this he should not sae
much, for the reason he had given, as to divining
the Committee into two, in the first place ; and se-
condly, that he might keep good faith with a meri-
torious individual, to whose integrity and talents
the country was very much indebted. fie would,
however, [eke up en himself to declare boldly.
that any Committee whatever, to whom it may
be submitted for their consideration, will say.'
that it was a- trensaetion that alight is bay:
been undertaken ; that it had every appearance
and likelihood of etfraing a most important ser-
vice to the country ; that it required secrecy ; and.
what no one could deny, it was strialy end alto-
gether naval, and paid cut of nevel money : but,
that it cannot with propriety be inquired into
by any other than a secret committee. The Learn-
ed Gentleman had said that money could not b•
raised for secret service but out of the civ.l
list ; but there he was mistaken, and went a great
deal too far. It wan true, indeed, that the moss!
mint ultimately be issued and paid out of the cirri
list; but will he sty that a General, or an Admiral,
abroad on a foreign station, having occasion to Au-
ply money for secret services, may not pay it ten of
such mosey or fends as are entrusted to him for
other purposes. such as paying the ships or troops:
or that they teay nut teepedtively draw hills on the
several departments at home on which they draw in
other CANCS ? Surely no one can suppose there would
be any thing dirge' or nncoi stitutional in this. I:
would be impossib'e .n ilmse cases to expo& success
in war, without such a power ; the fact is, it is not,
that such an appliottioa is never to be disclosed, but
that the performance fur which it was given shield
not be disclosed. As to the Lot transeaion, the OA`
son for not d sclosiee it nets, that it was not per-
formed. He was, however, very certain, that a
was well known to the i' first Lord of the Alluirety
in the course of whose adntir Lime's, it was heetso
(Earl Spencer), and also to tiro First Lord of the
Admiralty in whose admittistra:ion it was finish-l;
and there c u'd therefore be no ground to doubt it.
being bone fide a revel service. Under all thew cir-
cumstances, wis iig as much as any other petios
could wish, that a full and:f t r inquiry should t Ise
place, he thought the best wae w he, that the ne-
tem of the leareee Gee:lent:lo or any otter words
to the same pus port, should be ittloPtedr with "
exception of the money fir secret service. Ile
would, ther :for:, pro rose, th it after the word re-
port, should be a ides!, 4. r xceet so fur as reletes
ra
the issue of Jaime 1. for Ferret services.
The SPE kK l P hey g read the amendment ;
Mr. FOX :,aid, he sh old no; have occasion to
trouble th e /tsetse with mere th in a few short ob-
servations, as it was not his int noon to objet t
the proposal of the Right Hun G eulemen,
dividing the tee r Committees, wlii.h he the ugut
was a eery far one. lle woh d otey to notice, as
briefly as possible, two or three points which the
Right Finn. Gentleman had touched on. Ile bad
said, that it was not necessary for my Honourable
and Learned Friend, who brought forward the
motion, to state with so much precision, " the the'
cessity of a Minister's always aaing acconfog.
law." In this position, be totally differed from hin'i
The Constitution had, for the wisest purpo'llt !'"
pressly provided that it should be sot that peon"'!'
was made a safeguard to the Constitution.; and 't
wis row the more necessary to look to U. a.'
Right Ho h Gentleman had most truly siv•ed. tint
circumstances very fretpently had, anti most cicoh
at tim I, which render it necessary for Kull
to deviete, in some measure, from the stile! letter.
the Constitution. He owned this was a DTA.? cs
which for some tins out had grown very much 10
use, and, if sot 4 becktd, might go on to my! 016.
nus lengths. 'I he Right Hon. Gentleman had ga•
into the examination of the praitim of former I'm:
ravel% the issue of Nov &Ufa is 44,41"

L,~--^

'"bates
e ligh'
the tea
measo
re
111.10
njwbstilnilina;l73gael efoYtl etr-r rtn,
tEbtutelil

. the present was better. He allowed what
Gentlemm had stated was correa,
, reason why he had countenanted him in
tires when he st proposed the ahem-
rivets •
was, because the old praaice was contrary to
otitotion, and Thosed those modes of
very had oaes. of 15 months, 6 months,
• be very good ; but he could not allow that
-the sake of advantaile or pecuniary s
interest
not to look to C snstitution. A
ninety days, he was sure they were not AC-
,to the usage of earliartynt ; it was
.qt) state Bills to be for servicos to which they
.tv,, to be applied. Such Bills, he thought,
th appellatiou of fictitious. As to the
.(vice e
moiler, he thought the Right Hon.
1;3,1 pat it On a very fair footing. It was,
mitionably, a proper ohjad for the inquiry of a
Committee. On this sul-jea it was not pos.
to say any thing limber, till they had before
store intormMon ; he thought that both
irger and smaller sumbut appear to have been ap-
t
wubout the knowledge of the First I.ord of
Admimity. He WAS induced to suppose so
the letter which had been sent to him by the
aptroller of the Navy, and the answer he re-
lied to it. Ile owned, that if the Virst L✓ord of
Admiralty did not approve the measure, he
should not have given it his countenance ; but, on
!other band, he thought the Navy Board should,
A their own satisfklion and security, have had his
specitic consent to it before they attempted to carry
into execution. He was very glad to find the
pity was to take place, in order to see whether
money had been properly applied; but it was,
lauhredly, the duty of every Govarament to take
ore that, in the mode of issuing any species of
tints:
y
the public finances, they should not do
in such a manner as to militate either against the
;ongitution, of that check which, for the wi.est
rrpoies, it had plated in the hands of the House
of Commons, in making them the guardians, and
tiring them the supreme cantroul over the public

irse.
Sir A. HAMMOND expressed the most sincere
misfasction that a Committee of this kind had been
; and congratulated the House that the
ritsellon. the Chancellor of the Exchequer had
brought it
the task forward. as he was so mtich more
sievate to than he (sir A. H.) should
AT.' been, who would, otherwise, have moved for
sash a Committee. He also thanked the Hon. and
Learned Gentleman who brought forward tn.
minion, for being, in some measure, the cause
.0;
this Committee. As to what had been said by t,
ie
Hon. Gentleman who spoke last, respeittaig tae
letter sent by him to Earl St. Vincent, he had, as
soon vs he received the communicati an from Lord
ex:.ressed his desire to write to the kirst
Lord of the Admiralty upon it; but Lord Hobart
Id him, he wonld himself speak to the Earl of st.
(ascent; and then, on a subsequent OCCAsion, M-
iami hi n, his Lordship van as:go:tinted with it,
ad approved it. lie had never, in any one in-
stance, passed by the First Lord of the Admiralty,
without consulting him, thmagh the Earl of St.
Vincent and he bad been on such tams, it was vary
diffizult for him to do so as be could have wished.
Wroth regard to the Ninety Day Bills. the Wile
method had been pursued as on former occasions,
and she greatest benefits had resulted from it to the
puhlic service. He recapitulated what had been
stated by Mr. Pitt, as to the enormous loss the public
bad sustained, by the accumulation of Navy Bilh,
which had occasioned the passing the AR on that
subjed. He said, the present mode had been highly
beneficial to the service of the Navy, and that it
was particularly owing to the astonishing punctu-
tuality with which Mr. Goldstnid had always pu-
ttied for these hills. They had experienced every
difficulty that could be conceived in getting them dis-
ctunted ; all the holders of navy bonds, and other
government securities, were against them ; they had
ail 'Change-alley to contend with; and their ultimate
Liucess was owing to the uncommon perseverance
al the Navy Board.
The question being creded for, the amendment
was agreed to; and then the whole motion was
agree&to as followS:
" That the Aare oldie Eleventh Upon be referred to a
Select Comnintee, wicept so far r relates to the roe of
k0,..001. fur rent IIerVIC,O, to consider the matter thereof,
and to re,.ort the same with their opinion Co the II ore."
it was then ordered that the Committee should
consist of twenty-one Members, and that they
should be chosen by ballot.
Mr. HUSILISSON brought up a Bill for the bet-
ter Regulating and Auditing the Public Accounts,
which was read a first time, and ordered to be read
a second time tomorrow.
The Irish Excise Licence Bill was also read a first
time, and ordered to be read a second time to-
morrow.
Mr. VANSIT FART postponed his motion re-
lative to the Dublin Poii.e, which stood for this
day, till to-morrow.
The Irish Malt Bill was read a second time, and
ordered to he cnnimitted tmmarrow.
The London Wet Dt.sks Bill WAS read a third
time, and passed.
The Prize Bill, which had been ordered to he
committed to-molt-ow, was further postponed till
Tuesday next.
'r. At tx t:o ea brought rte the Report of the
toininttee of Supply, which was read, and a Bill
erdered to be prep.ired.
fhe House resolved itself into a Committee upon
the Post-Horse Farming Duty Aft, and the Chair-
ra.ut was i:lslrtated to move for leave to bt ing in a
Atli, which WAS accordingly done, and the Bill or-
d.:red to be prepared.—Adjuu.ned at Half past
hint o'Clock.

TEE BRITISH PRESS.

LiiNtY)N,
FRIDAY, M•Y 24.

We have received P.trs Papers to the I.Srh, end
Iht.•h Papers to the I sth intrant. They only tend
to vrplex tha accounts already received of the
combined squadrons, and to exaggerate the mit.
chid done in the West Indies, by the Rochfort fleet.
lbr Alorrisecr contains a long article, IA which

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