The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1808-06-22 00:00:00

could he no doubt, In hie mind, upon the subject :
it W. 16 a clear gad suleatei contract wade two, cell'
an individual and the Government. He had taken
the utmost }milts to go through, with attiaition, all
the evidence upou their Loidships table, not one
particle of which, wheat taken with u reference to
the whole, had the least tendency to set aside, in
the judgisseat of an holiest mail, the just right of
this claim. Uncoonected with 31r. Palmer, he
never felt himself, in any period of his life,
more strougly inclined to exert himself in be-
half of those %shoat he considered as sutlering
the hardship of great injury. He conjured that
House to weigh, with greet deliberation, and with
circumspection to decide, a subject of suds great
importalice. A &term:nation, which must be
termed jialicial, would be the vote of every Peer
upon this o I•i.iou. lie was astonished that any
attempt 1.11001: le made to subvert au engegs:nieut
which ought to Ise preserved inviolate ; bat if that
House could he induced thus to break through
contracts with private individuals, where justice and
every thing that was sacred required a different con-
duct, thesis was an end to the respect which was due
from the counts to the proceedings of Parliament.
This wash question in which no political principle,
Or any party animosity, could, or ought to have the
smallest infinseice. But' he was amid the rude
hand of power As at thisetinie applied to very im-
proper purposes; it was applied to break down the
barriers of justice, and to cause the violation of
every sacred principle which ought to have regn-
lated that power, when the ease of an individual
catne before it, for the fulfilment of a soleanu
contract. With respect to the charge :mole
against Mr. Palmer for his misconduct while
tilling a situation in the Post-Office, a charge
certainly of the meet serious nature, accus'ils him
of au attempt to defraud the public and the rave-
sue, be taunt say that, with deference to the Noble
Lord (Elan) who, he could have no doubt, was
actuated by motives of duty, the evidence laid
before them by the Committee did nut \N tumult such
an accusation, hut, on the contrary, clearly chewed
that Mr. Palmer never did persuade any persons to
commit any such fraud ; and although irregular
accounts had been made out by other persons nude-
signedly, Mr. Palmer was sot in the least privy
to such irregularity. His Lordship then wean
into a history of the engagement made iu 1786,
the alteration of it in 17139, the substitution of
three thousand per annum 111 3793. and the pro-
ceedings of the Committee in the House of Com-
mons, in 17J7. From these statement* he argued,
that the substitution of three thosisaild wends
per annum was not accepted by Mr. Palmer as a
commutation for the 2 per cent. and that the evi-
dence of Mr. Pitt himself, as far us it went, rather
supported than contradicted the agreement; sod
instead of havitt examined Mr. Long upon this
,question, he thought it won'd have been more
regular to have exionined a Nolsie Earl (Cam-
den,) and a Reverend Prelate (Idielsop of Lin-
celii,) who were in high situations sit that time,
and privy to the engageitieuts ampere/a into is ith Mr.
Palmer. His Lordship coatende:l, that Mr. l'al-
mer had nut been desirous to bring tbraard the pre-
sent measure. and probably it would base been
much wiser its to have agitated the questiosi at all,
but by neglecting to notice it, it would have ex-
pired of itself. it was a siihject winch had 3144.11
gravely considered by the other House, which
had taken every means of coming at all the evi-
dence which could possibly be adduced, and there
would be a want of propriety on the part of their
Lordships, if they should give a coin-ere decision,
when they were not in pos.uNtion f all the evidence
inquired into by the Home of Coin.nons. lie
thought there was sornetliing inissoiserous in this
proceeding, for lie had hers. informed that notice
had been given in another place that the grant to
Mr. Patiner would be separated from the general
Appropriation Bill. To get rid or this question
eistirely, he should propose*, That their Lordships
do now adjoursi."
Lord II summit., at great length, opposed the
claim of Mr. Palmer's per centage, sand thought
that he was amply compensated by three thousand
per annum, which had been bestowed upon Vim for
the last fifteen years.
Lord ERSRINE, in a speech replete with power-
fill argument, eouteuded that Mr. Palmer had au
indisputable right to what he had claimed upon the
faith and responsibility of •His Majesty's Govern-
ment. Although by the law laid down in the case
of Wilkinson against the Commissioners of the
Navy, it was decided Cast those who acted merely
as servants of the Executive Government were not
hound by their engagements, but the performance
entirely depended upon their owa honour and in-
tegrity, still it so happened, to the honour of our
Government, that it never did break any of those
engagements; and wlauever it was necessary to
try the facts of tne case, it was the constant prac-
tice tsf •.11 public boards to come to issue nn those
facts, a:id thereby gi..e cognizance to Courts of
Justice.
Lord WAV:IVORIM represented erveril of the
transactions which took plaice when he was Post-
master-General, ami :helm; a that Mr. Pal titer had
been amply reinuneniterl, and lout rite eluira upon
Government for what he termed an agreement re-
specting his per comago .
The Loan CHANCT Ol.ArTred, that it was
painful to him to give his %etc against the claim of
an individual, because it frequesitly happened, that
individuals conceived themselves, when they did
make claims, entitled upon such evidence as ap-
peared strong in their own prejediced imagination.
Ile considered Mr. Palmer na' not iiisti:hal pn any
application to Parliament lii es of that
reward which had already been him fur the
services whieh were perforieseol. Ito ought to hare
beat satisfied with the .30001.a-vear which haul been
granted to him in 1793 ; fur. it' tile claim of that
sum keel been narrowly ex:indeed into, having
a regard to the r.creement for that purpo,,e, per-
haps it have ',ern tinesti.m.ilde how far lie
was entitled to an annuity. It ..a- certainly a
T,M'y Stlifi,l4!.l3 rUCllMpetitl• fur tni..t services ;
fifteen years had easelsit in whis-h he hail not
been employed, uad it wt..% to be continued during
lii. life.
The Earl of RADNOR raid, that whatever might
he his censure of Mr. Palmer's tamt:iiet, even if he
had heel' foiled guilty of felnay and transported,
still he shotild have tlitylOit that ..vary era agrme lit
solcunil) entered into kept with tldelity.