The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1826-04-11 00:00:00

now repeat, being, as 'it wasthets, when filled by the Right Hon.
Gentleman, occupied by a man of talent and compieutrus in the
House of Commons. The talents of such a penen were constantly
employed in many sets of business, not as belenging to any pare.
cular department, hut whits were required of him generally by the
Government to perthrm. Ilk. Rose Lehi the situation of Treasurer
of the Navy alone in 1817, and in that year the Committee of
Finance made their report. The salary at that time was 4.0001. a
year, and with a house, coals. du:riles, and other advantages,
made about 8001. a year mere. The Coneuittee of Finance made
theireeport on the 23d of June, lOU. They estimated the -salary
as too large. and recommended a reduction on a future appointment
to that office, and proposed that it 'Mould be placed uti a level
with the Paymaster of the Forces. The salary of the Paymaster
of the Forces, by Mr: Burke's Bill, was fixed at 4.0001. a year and
a house. As the House were aware the et: nation was divided into
joint Paemastent, one taking 2.000/. and the house, and the other
the remaining 2.0001. From 11t14 to 1795 the salary of the Linde of
the Admiralty had been 1,0001. and the Treasurer of the Nevy 3,040/.
and to which animint the.Comittittee recommended it should lie re-
duced. Free the language of the r eport of ch at Comm it I re. it was clear
they contemplated that there might exist officers whose time was not
wholly taken up by their office, but which was liable to be token
tip by the general husineas of Government. It was recognized b,
' tint Committee that such officers might have other business to
transact than that relating to their immediate offices. and one of
' which, exit was mentioned by them, Red not his own language, he
Wight refer to, was Parliamentary business, time attendance on
Committers, and for which persons holding office. of that sort
' were eminently desirable. He believed his Right Hon. Friend
' (Mr. Peel) was at the present time Chairmen of a Committee, and
every body must recollect *at the Noble Ignel (Londonderry) of
whom he (31r. Canning) was the unworthy successor. had, by his
attendance on the Committee oil the great corn question, and
others, completely destroyed his physical ettength. A great diffe-
rence of feeling on the subject of the measure existed amens/ gen.
elemen on that (the Opposition) side of the House. One Gentle.
roan said that the offices ougot to be separated, but that lion.
Gentleman mood alone In his Abjection—seedier was of opinion
that enough would be done if the salary was diminished—while
another was of opinion, and that appeared to he the jet of objec-
tion, that it was done to constitute a new office in Parliament.
lion. Gentlemen had been very kind in their commendations of
Government, but they had taken back in detail what they had
given in the gross. and.that by the most vituperative invective they
could invent. Ile ( Mr. Canning) would ask, whatever Mules his
Majesty's Government might have displayed, whether they had
shervn any wish to increase the number of their officer in Parlia-
ment? The Hon. Member for Caine (Mr. A bereminby) had'
mentioned the ernes of the Board of Trade, the Treemtership of
Ireland. and the Mastership of the Mint. Of the Treasurership of '
Ireland a conaoli.lation of office had taken. place of great advantage
to the public service, and thet was most effective. As to the Mas.
tership of the Miot„ before Mr. lVallece held that, he was at the
head of • Parliamentary Conimietion ; and his Majesty's 00.
vernment cave him the office of Masterof the Mint, and retrenched
his salary at the head of that Conimission • and lee would ask,
could not hie Majesty's Government. if they had been so dispneed,
have given it to another person? That Commission (the Cum-
mission of 'Revenue Inquiryt Ind received from the llouse the
greatest possible eulogiunn. It could net therefore be said that his
Majesty's Government had been looking out for parliarnentcry
patronage. There never had been a Governinent which hadcone
on with so many detidestious of votes a, the present. They had
not endeavuuteti to fortify themselves with a single vote. If they
were to remain in office, he hoped it vomid fee by possessing the
emiffilence of the House thear, hear); and not, as it was fermerly,
when mostions were decided by a majority of six, eight, ten, or
twenty votes: rather than such should he the ease, he would wish
the Government to be at an end. (lleer. hear.) Ile hoped the
house would not chase out of Parliament every officer whose effirrts
strengthened the hands of Government. The Government had been
lax in respect to the number of votes in that Muse; and so tar did
he dither from the Hon. Member for Caine ( Mr. A bercrotnby),that
he asserted there were officers at the present time out of Parlia-
ment that no Government ever did without. lie (31r. Canniec)re-
membered Mr. Pitt in the plenitude of his power, when he was equal
teeny ten of his Majesty's prevent Government; Mr. Pitt was sup_
ported by the Master of the Rolls (Sir W. Grant), who was never oat
of the Homed Commons. lie (Mr. Canning) would ask, if the
Government were anxious for votes, why the Master of the Rolls
(since that period) hail been allowed to remain out of Parliament ?
Them was another officer also that he (Mr. Canning) recollected,'
who at civil law corresponded with the situation (Wide Majesty's 1
Attorney-General—he meant the King's Advocate ; he also was no
longer a Member of that House. It was perfectly in his (Mr.
Canning's) reeollection, that in two of the hottest debates that
ever occurred in that House, the questions had been decided by the
votes of the Master of the Rolle and King's Advocate of that day.
The fact was, that his Majesty ought to have in Parliament an
officer to correspond with the Attorney-General; and he might
truly assert that there never was a Parliament troll the present, in
which the Government had not a 'Judge Advocate. ( Hear, hear.)
He trusted that he bad then rebutted the general accusation which
had been advanced, that Ministers were looking for an increase of
Parliamentary places. (Hear, hear.) It such were the case, was it
probable that they would have allowed three places to escape them?
(Hear, hear.) Surely the Hon. Members opposite would admit
that this at least was a proof that, in maimaining the 0 ;tee
of Treasurer of the Navy, hP Majesty's Ministers were not
senzate I by any desire to gain the patronage of an additional
place. Had such been their view, he t Mr. Carving) could
only say that they had missed abundant opportanittee of doing so,
when it could have been done without the gainsay of a single indi-
vidual. (Heer, hear.) There was another paint to which he
wished to draw the attlntion of the House. It had been said that
it wax of greater importance that the Treesufor of the Navy should
not be aParliamentary man, than that his salary shoull suffer any
diminution. He must declare that he had a greater objection far
to withdrawing the holder of that office from earliament than he
had to the decrease of his salary. (Hear, her.r.) %Pith respect to
the influence of the Crown, he was mire that to -curtail its privileges
or its influence in that way would be quite as prejudicial to the
country as it would be to increase it In an extravagant degree.
((dear, hear.) Ile hoped the House would look a little to the op-
posite side of the picture, and examine what would be the probable
effect of driving out of the House ali those Officers who held situa-
tion.' under the Crown. Ile was MU aware that any law exiered
which bound his Majesty to select his Ministers Tfliill amongst foe '
Members of the House of Commons. Ile might chooseany private
Gentleman whom it might be his pleasure tooppeint to fill official
stations. The Gentlemen opposite to him woulo, of course, cry
out against such appointments, but yet that was the manner in
which the business of the state was conducted in many other coon.
tries. (Hear, hear.) Ile had never heard it asserted that the King
was bound to cheese his Ministers front amongst the Members of
both Houses of Parliament. (Hear, hear.) But looking to the
converse of the proposition, he would ask it' there is nn rule to bind
his Majesty to such Reelection, is there no good Reese in it ? (Cheers.) '
Did it not operate as a check upon the conduct of the administra-
tion ? Was there no advantege—even though it might not be the
law—was there no security iiii the circumstance, that the person on
whom the choice fell should have given solid proofs of his ability
during a probation in that limete, where he was constantly under
the public eye? (Cheers.) The inf.:ll9de coneequence of divesting
of Perin:nen:my character even those offices %huh were below the
rank of theoffice of a Cabinet M Mister, would be, vs had been stated by
Mr. Burke, to render the: country less /genre against the favouritism
that might be exemised et the will of the Crown. The effect of
divesting thorn offices of a Parliamentary character would be to
lower the standard of the holders as public men. Of those
offices the Treasurer of the Navy was one, lie held an office next
is eminence to that of Ministers of the Crown. lie was sure the
Honourable Gentleman (Mr. Hobhouse) would not believe, indeed
it was impeasible that he could suppose that, for the sake of a vote,
they would ever reneent to go through such a debate as had just
taken place. ilesincerely believed that the office of Treasurer of the '
Navy ought to continue, and he could assure the House, that as far
turegarded thereponderacy of the influence of the Crown, the office
did not value a single feather. It', bay/Leer. the Hoene were to tle-
cide that such offices :Mould be no longer of a Parliamentary cha-
racter, each a decision would make all interior offices a scrainb:e
for the Lis curites of the Crown. lie would contend that the best
service done to those offices was the maintenance of their Peril 'men.
tary character. (Ilear.) Persons might he chosen to (lime offices
who would make good bombers' clerks. One hundred candidates
would be raised for every one existing at the present moment, and the
offices end the men would be alike degraded in public opinion.
The ether question to be eonsidettel was that of valery, and wit!'
regard so that, he knew not upon what principle it could be adopted
as regerded the office of Treasurer of the Navy. Sometimes it had
beer, somewhere between four and five thousand pomade ; latterly
it had been between three and four thousand ; and it was now pro. I
posed still further to reduce it. A. lie had already stated, he knew
of no principle by which to nicesine the appropriation of salary ;
but although he could find no satisfactory reason, he might per-
haps find a rule upon which to form a judgment. The Report
of the Committee of Finance in the year 1817. stated, that
when the office of Treasurer of the Navy was held separate, it
should be so held upon the same footing as that of the Paymaster
of the Army. (Hear, bear.) Ile Mould not take upon Matel(' the
onus of setting up his opinion eeeinst that of the Committee. His
opinion at the time was given with a nutepective view. Tee salary
of the Paymaster of the Army was 2.0091. pee annum, with a Meuse
which Might be valued at NW. per annum ; thus making the Amt.
Lion worth, annually, 2.6tML The reduction, therefore, •hich
was proposTd in the office of the Treasurer of the Navy, according
to thelminion of that Committee. would render it leas by upwards
of 1,111001. than it was at the present moment, and leas by one-half
than it was prior to the year 1817. (Hear, hear.) The Right Hon.
Gentleman spoke another sentence, which, from the noise in the
gallery, we were unable to hear, and then sat down amidst loud
cheers.
Mr. TIIRNEY then rope, and said that any person who had
heard the Ibis speech of the Right lion. Secretary, must noes-.
eerily heed Imagined that the question before the House was the
propriety,Of abolishing the office of Treasurer of the Navy. (Hear,
hear.) Bo no person had propnsed anything of the sort. (Hear,
hear, h 1
e111.4t this moment reviiral Members entered the
Houte,) a was extremely glad to see gentlemen coming in, .48
he was sure that now they would have a fair start. (A laugh.)
The question was, whether the President of the Board of Trade
should moire 20001. more for that office than he already received as
Treasurer of the Navy, and he sincerely hoped and entreated that
the House would not be talked eat of their acquiescence to grant.
Mg the disposal °Committer office to ebe Crown. Hip Honourable
Priem* at his (Me. Tierney's) We of the House, had bees de.
signated as his Ma' Opposition which he really looked upon
ea a this con great praise and honaqr. (Laughter.) For
his owe part he triad both ways, (Great laughter,) rod he
meld assert that, poetically, Ma side of the Howse might be eon.
&Wed a bIitOCII Of Ma Majesty's Government. (Grist laughter.)