The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1803-02-22 00:00:00

•4DVERTISE

FEBRUARY 22, 1803.

of what Was alleged against him. (A letter from
Mr. Marshall to the Board of Admiralty was then
read, explanatory of what he supposed to be
alleged against him, and asserting his charaater as
an upright man, who always did his duty to the
utmost of his knowledge). Sir Wiliam Elford then
went on to state, that as Mr. Marshall had thus
appealed to the Navy Board, he was no longer
noponsible for any defect which might irtve hap-
pened in his department. It was die duty of the
Clerk of the Checque, an officer appointed for
that purpose, to have found out and notified such
defeat, and if he did not, the blame attached to
him, and not to the chief builder. t'pon the vi-
sitation of the Commissioners, Mr. Merahall and
the storekeeper were discharged at a month's no-
tice : and it must consequently appear, that if any
depredations had been committed, Mr. Marshall
must have had his share of them. Was this to be
presumed from a man who had been thirty-seven
years in the scryice ? Certainly not. He should
read certain doitiments, which he held in his hand,
from which it would Appear, that so far from Mr.
Marshall's studying only his own interest, he had
used his utmost endeavours under Lords Cornwallis
and Bridport to prevent and detei frauds. Here
the floe. Member ?rad several letters to this effe.
He then proceeded to ask, why Me. Marshall was
-now disgraced? Having made such appeal to the
Navy Board as he had before read to the House, he
would ask < Was that the language of a man who
had failed io his contract ? WAS that the language oi .
.a man who had defrauded the public ?' Certainly,
not. If a man does every thing in his power to de-
tea andprevent impositions, he, at least, does his duty,
and can do no more, and if no other degree of pecula-
tion can be attributed to Mr. Marshall, than what
must and ever will escape the observation of amen
in his situation, namely, the petty frauds or the
underlings, not only Mr. Marshall, but the whole
corps must be discharged. It was, he said, a bold,
if not unconstitutional thing in the Navy Board, to
be administering oaths to officers, as thky now did,
when that power had been refused thent by the
House of Commons. In favour of Mr, Marshall,
he stated, that beyond the limits of his duty, he
had made several important discoveries, which,
although desired by his friends to obtain a patent
for, he had communicated gratis. [Here the hon.
Member read sane letters to this effesl, and attest-
ing the good charader of Mr. Marshall,] he added,
that he could only suppose that vacancies were
created for the sake of filling up, rather than for
the default of the present possessors.
General MAITLAND here interposed in behalf
of order. He had attended, he said, very minutely
to the long speech of the Hon. Baronet, and was
ittres rjsed to find that the topics of it contained
atarges-irsgross and flagrant miscondut upon
others, while its professed object was to exculpate a
certain individual. He submitted to the House
whether these two things had any direct reference
to each other, and stated himself to have been led
into this interruption, only from a sense of duty.
Sir WILLIAM ELFORD replied, that the
House would be better able to judge between him
and the Hon. General, when he informed them that
what he intended-to move was, for « a Stied Com-
mittee to enquire into the conduft of John Marshall,
Esq.—the motives for discharging him from his of- i
fice in Plymouth Dock-Yard, and other proceedings
of the Commissicmers of the Navy."
General MAITLAND observed, that had he
been aware of the precise nature cf the Motion he
should not have made the observations he did ; but
it certainly was not explained by the comments in
which the speech abounded.
' Sir W. ELFORI) proceeded next to state, that
he had little farther to add, but shortly to re-state
some of his former positions : that under the new
system all former practice was inverted ; that it was
heretofore the custom for children to be bred
with an express view to the dock-yards, which
gave them an attachment to that employment,
whereas it was now usual to advertise for
children and apprentices, and that persons were
now dismissed, not for any fault or incapacity of
their own, but in order to make room for others.
Persons so dismissed had no resource whatever,
but in the justice of that House. There was no
men would deny his Majesty's power to dismiss
whatever servants he thought proeer, hut if there
Should be Ministers who advised the Sovereign to
exercise that_ prerogative capriciously, it sviVi the
duty, and in the privilege of the House a Com-
mons, to censure them. He concluded by appeal-
ing' o the justice of the House, for its sanftion of
the peeper inquiry : he called on the justice of the
Minister himself, and the regard he had to 'pub-
lic opinion, to support it ; and lastly, called on
the Board of Commissioners to endeavour, by
justifying themselves on this occasion, to remove
that disgust that' such conduct generally excited
through all the departments, both civil and military;
finally, he read his mot:on as already stated.
The SPEAKER informed 'the House that no
question could be pot, as the motion had not been
seconded..

Sir WM. ELFORD seemed incredulous of this,
and contended that it had been; but a cry of " Chair!
Chair!" and no small degree of laughter, put an end
to the discussion. _ _ _

The Bill for preventing Officers of the Revenue
in Ireland, and the Militia-training Bill, were read
a second time, and committed far tomorrow.
Mr. VANE presented a Petition from the Mayor
and Corporation of Bristol, praying for leave to
bring in a Bill for Improving the Harbour of
Bristol, which was referred to a Committee; as was
also a Petition from the Shoemakers, Sadiers and
othel. Manufafturers of leather, praying for leave
to bring in a Bill for extending the laws relating to
the dressing of skins to all places within fifteen miles
of London.
A Petition was presented from the Merchants of
Grenada, praying fcr relief, which was ordered to
lie on the table.
After receiving private Petitions, till half past
nine o'clock, the lionze adjourned till to-morrow•