The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1819-03-31 00:00:00

He had reason to know what law sums or money
her Majesty lied given in charity, and that there
were numerous individuals who, haring shared her
bounty while she lived, would have to mourn her
loss.—/Hear, hear, hear.)—He then remarked, the
grant to the Duke of York stood on the same
footing as it did with regard to the Quiceii, and
observed, that no individual could he placed in an
eminent public situation without inrurritig the
claim. of individuals on his atteetion and gratitude.
If the present Bill were not passed, the Establish-
ment would be thrown back to its former state of
100,000/. a-year, and the establishmeist of the hie
Queen, 'mourning to 58,0001. u-year, would lapse
to the Civil List, whereby a saving would not be
effected to the country, us was now prnpriseil, of
90,000/. a year. He stated, that the duty of Castor
Persoaor would be gladly performed by the Duke
of York without salary or compensation-mill/ear)
—lint the House ought tint to throw on his Royal
Highness a duty without providing fur the expenses
necessarily incident to it.—/Hear.)
The Marquis of RtIcKINGHAN remarked, that
by the law as it tit present stood, there was no re-
sponsible servant about his Majesty's person ; so
that if the House should, by holy chance, learn
that his Majesty had suffered any personal ill-
treatment, their Lordships would fund a diffi-
culty in ascertrining what person they ought,
as the responsible officer, to sunimoii to their
The Noble Lord said the question VinS this, whe-
ther the Elfice of Costos high was or was tint a
responsibly public sit tuition ? If it was, tied lio one
disputed that it was, it was clear to his mold tidal a
salary should be attached to the office. ;or why
should the Duke of Yolk, because he was the son
of the King, be derriyed of a public compensation
for a public service? No one on the least acquaint.
ell with the liberal feelings of his Royal Highness
the Duke of York would impute to him tiny mean,
selfish, or sordid object. Ile was called npon by
the Legislagore to till a public situation in the
State, sold he was entitled to receive pit le..st a vim
adequate to the dignity of the office, and the ex-
penses necessarily attached to it.
The Earl of LAUDERDALE said, that on the present
itibjgct he could not deity that he entertained etroiig
feelitigs towards the illustrious individual whose
name ras connected with the grant; he lelt mole
than a stiorg personal attachment. It was iu the
nature of Ins Royal flightless, that those most intl.
mately acquainted with him, who knew his many
distinguished public and private qualities best,
were nowt firmly attached to his person, nod most
interested for his feelings and his fame. But meet-
ing this question on the fair and open ground, he
could not see why his Royal Highness should not
receive that compensation for public service which
the nature of that service required—which the dig.
nity of the station, and the expenses incident to it,
demanded. Of these expenses, he would not
enter into a mitiutit particular of their nature
rr amount, but sure lie was that hie Royal
Highness, whose generous nature wee ever open to
every humane appeal, would be anxious to attend
to the applications of these who were in the habit
of appealing to the bounty of his Royal Father.
As to abet had been said with respect to the pro..
(triers.
of taking this sum of 10,000/. out of the
Privy Purse, be (Lord Lauderdale) must publicly
protest alpinist it—lie protested against it as an
attempt upon private property—as a violation of
public faith, tiot to be eisdured in a country where
the rules of equity were so well understood—where
the fet liogs of attachment to their Sovereign were
so ardent ; though aged and afflicted as he was,
the remembrance of his virtues were still preserved
in the grateful hearts of his subjects. The Privy
Purse was the private property of the King—it was
settled by Act of Parliament, and could not be at.
tacked upon any principal of law Or of right. 15u.
der an Act of Pat liament his Majesty had the power
of devisitig the profits of the Privy Purse- ; or,
to put another case—let them auppro.e that
jesty became indebted, was any Noble Lord who
beard him prepared to soy, that if Ins Majesty be.
came indebted, that yet the House would be jus-
tifiable in appropriating the savings of the Privy
Purse to the payment of the salary of
lie officer, in exclusion of Ilse lawful and ho-
nest creditors of the King ? Again, let it be
supposed that his Majesty made a will, that,
looking on this fund, as Acts of Pal hament
taught him to look on it, as his privet- property,
that in pursuance of the language of the Act, lie
devised the savings of the Privy Purse, would it
be fair, would it be just, would it not be at once
monstrously fraudulent and palpably illegal, to soy
to those devisees," You cannot receive what the last
will of your Sovereign devised to you—the funds
out of which you were to be paid have been appro-
priated to pay a high officer of State." But it
might he said that his Majesty had no creditors to
pay, and that he made no will—that may be so, but
it proved nothing—there were claims us sacred
those of creditors or of devisees.-three acre per-
sons whose rights were not to be assailed -they held
those rights by the law of the land, the highest
title, the common security and protection of all.
The law provided, that in case his Maje-te dwd
without disposing of the savings of the PI ivy Perste
the produce of that fund was to go to his lawful
heirs, as, by the common law, the property of
any individual would in such case go to hi•
What then was the nature of the proposithei, or
how would it operate ? It wt.uld operate to the
destruction of private rigles—it would take front
the Sovereign the tights which the law had given
The law authorised him to devise that pro•
perry; yet, if he exercised that right, the proposed
interference would defeat his will, and defraud the
intended objects of his bounty. Io the event of
not disposing of it, the law gave it to Isis
heirs ; but the proposition would go to defraud those
heirs of those rights which were as sacred, as legal,
and should beas unquestioned us the rights ufaiiy of
their Lordships. As to the reductions made iu
the Windsor Establishment, he hatred that what
he was about to say on that subject would ant re-
ceive the sanction of his Noble Friend-, and still
lees of the Noble Lords opposite ; for huts men part,
1 he had no hesitation in saying, that the Parliament
had acted with • degree of 111CillItIVSM toss aid. the
Royal Family, which was unworthy of them.
Why, lie asked, were the old and faithful screams
alas Mejtsty, who hail served him so lung--our
of them for forty-five pairs, another fair thit ty.
nine years—all of them long, all of them Lail.
fully—why v here they diems-std viitheut owlet

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