The National Register.
London, England, 1822-03-31 00:00:00

THE NATIONAL REGISTER

expenditure to the narrywest limit. They had the fin awe
report of I al?, which entered into all the branches of civil and
military expenditure, and merle an-award as to what ought to
be the public expenditure. The fact was, the expenditure of the
country had been reduced 1,200,0(e-i'. below the recommendation
of thet committee. If that were Sc. was the noble Lord sate
ranted in the charges he had made on the ministers of the country-
Last year the saving in branches of civil government bore a large
proportion to the unavoidable expences of the military and naval
establishments. The amount of thorc esiablishments was gene-
rally pascal over. The expenses of half-pay amounted to
5.00.0001. an anmeang sum compared to nn expenditure of
in,000.0001. A rediteiion had been already made of 80,0001. in
the department of the customs, with the prospect of still greater
advantage to the country, but it was impoe,ible, with a feeling
that was due to individuals who had served the country, to do
more than act gradually with respect to the juriea„ of Par-
liament over the civil list. The noble Earl then tied that
the arrengement made in 1816 did not render it necessary at the
present time. The state of the country was then kw, and
the civil expenditure was calculated to meet much distress
and e oldie emharritsstnent. The noble Earl uppneed the'motion.
After some further ill cussion the motion was negatived without
a dtv:sion, and the House adjourned.
WEDN ESD MARCH
Lord Viscount MELVILLE meved there be laid before the
!louse papers relating to the Lords Commissioners for executing
the office of Lied High Admiral of England. lie made this
motion preparatory to tratging in a bill to amend the act of
Purliainent which providts that the duties of that Office shall be
dune by not leas than three Commissioners.—The returns were
ordered.
Sir T. TYRWIIITT announced, that Mr. Adrian, a clerk
in the Treasury Office, was in attenluice, in obedience to diva
Lirdshi,i order of yesterday.
Mr. Adrian wax accordingly conducted to the Bar.
The Marquis of LANSDOWNE then put the following
eves i ins;—
Q. Do you remember receiving, on the 11th of March, from
an Aim'. of this House. an order to serve on the Cotninissitniers
of Lecim.—A. I do. I ractived it on the 12th. The order was
dated the 11th of March.
Q. Did any conversation pass between you and the person
who brought the order ?—A. Ile asked if it was right to leave
the order. I told him it was correct, and it would be sent to the
Bonn! of Excise.
Q. What did you do next ?—A. I transmitted a letter, dated
the same day I received the order, directed to the Board of Excise.
(lie then stated that the letter was in substance ;—) Genile-
men, I am commanded by the Lords Commissioners of his Ma-
jesty's Treasury to desire you will cause a copy of all orders sent
to the Excise offices of England for the seizure of all roasted
grain, or breakfast powder, in order that the same may be laid
before the House of Lords, in compliance with the order of that
House. (Signed) LUSHINGTON.
A similar letter was sent to the Commissioners of Excise in
&oiler 1.
Q. By whom was that letter sent P—A. By one of the Trea-
sury Messengers.
Q. Do you remember to have received from one of the mes-
sengers of this blouse on the 231 inst an order dated the 22d of
March ?—A. I do, my Lord.—The order I received on the e3l,
and I wrote another letter to the Commissioners of the Excise,
in these words.—" Gentlemen, I em commanded by the Lords
Commissioners of his Majesty's Treasury to call your attend in to
my letter of the 11th of March, so far as relates to your orders
far the seizure of roasted grain, &c. and I am to reqatat you to
send the same to me with all possible dispatch."
Treasury Chamber." •• LCSIIINGTON."
Q. Ditl you, in consequence of the last letter, receive any re-
turns ?—A. The returns were put into my hands tide interning.
Q. But you had received no communication on the subject
before this mo.ning?—A. Nene whatever. 'the letter front the
Commissioners says, In obedience to their Lordeltips order,
we have the honour to tran-mit copies of the order for chic seizure
of roasted Amin, or breakfast powder."
Excise Office, Mardi lath.
The witness was ordered to withdraw.
The Marquis of LANSDOW NE then addressed the House.
After wh it their Lordships had heard they would readily believe
there had been no negketon the part of the officers of that House,
or the officers of the Treasury ; he should therefore follow up
this inquiry by calling to t"eir Lordships bar the Chairman of
of the Canumittaioners, to give an account why the delay took

place.
'l'hc Earl of LIVERP3OI. suggested that the examination of
the Secretary to the Commissioners might answer the object the
noble Marquis had in view.
After a tew observations from Earl Grey.
The Nlarquis of LANSDOWNE moved, that the Secretary
of the Board of Excise be summoned to attend the Ake un Mon-
day next.
The motion was agreed to.
Mr. Adrian then presented at the bar returns from the Excise
of England. Ireland, and Scotland, of all instructions given by
the Commissioners respecting the seisure of roasted wheat or
other substances, prepared and sold as breakfast powder, or by
any other name. The return was laid 0.. the table.
The Earl of LIVER POOl. then asked Mr. Adrian who signed
the letter which came with the return.
Answer—Thomas Woodyer.
On the motion of the Lord Chancellor, Mr. T. Woodyer was
ordered to attend the House on Monday next. Adjourned.
THURSDAY, MARCH, 2b.
The House did not proceed to business this day until half
past five o'cioe It, in consequeuee of the detention of the Lord
Chancellor at the Council.
Viscount NI El. VILLE brought in a Bill pursuant to notice.
to amend the Act for regulating the duties of the Commissioners
for executing the Office of Lord High Admiral of England.—
By the papers laid on the Table, the Lords would see that his
Majesty had been advised to reduce the Commissioners of the
Admiralty from seven to tire. By the law as it stood, four
were allowed to be a Quorum, for the purpose of transacting the
business of the out-ports and other place; ; but under the late
reduction it would be impossible to go on with the public service
unless the Quorum was also reduced from Four to Two. The
bill he had brought in was to make that amendment. Upon the
expediency of reduction in the number of the Lords Commis-
sioners, he could not concur. In case lie had been in the other
House, he should have voted against it. His principal objection
was, that die reduction of two members of the Boanl would tend
notch to obstruct public business. The noble Viscount took
upon himself to say. mat reducing the number to Five, would
.be attended with great trouble and inconvenience. The re-
duction of one would not have been so detrimental to the service,
but a. it was, the noble Viscount was satisiied it would be found
necessary to raise the number again to seven. In every view of
public hu,iness, it would have been better if there had been six
Commissioners instead of live. All he could then say was. that
so far from this being a 111Caillte of economy, he was prepared
to prove it would occasion a considerable increase of expellee.—
The urgency of the public service required the bill be had in-
ter:Weed to VIM without delay, anti he expressed a hope that the
House would dispense wren the standing orders, and allow the
Bill to pass to-morrow•
The 11.11 was then read the first time, and the Lords were
summoned tbr to to morrow, in order to take into cordite:anon
certain standing orders of the House.—Adjourned.
rooms.. magus 29.
Several private bills were brought up from the Commons by
Lot ii Lo s tiler. Mr. S. Wonky, and others.
1.1 r 1 KEN YON moved that the Committee on Church brief.:
be allowed to report from time to Min.—Oak:ill.

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}a .

STATIONARY IN IRELAND.
Earl DARNLEY said the House would recollect that a noble
Viscount (Sit!mouth) undertook. towards the close of last Ste.
sion of Parliament, to institute further inquiry into certain gross
abuses which had been discovered in the supply of suitionary
nt
Ireland. As no communica.ion had been made to the Howe
on the subject, he wished to know whether that investigation had
taken place.
The Earl of LIVERPOOL said, the investigation alluded to
wac carried on as soon after last session as was practicable, but
in consequence of the alteration which took place in the lush go-
vernment at Christmas, it was found impossible to con.e to a
conclusion last year. The first question which became the sub-
ject of inquiry, was whether there had been any abuse or (lir-
ruption on the part of the individual who supplied the siationary.
The Crown offi:tis in their report acquitted the party of that
charge. Then :twee another question, namely, whether the
terms on which the articles were supplied were exorbitant ?
That question had been under consideration, and correspondence
was in pros,ercss. fur the purpose of bringing it to a determina-
• tion.—The noble Earl said, he should have no objectons, the
moment it is concluded, to lay the whole proceedings Wiin; the
llouse.
Lonns OF THE ADMIRALTY.
Visconnt ENI LLE moved the order of the day for the
comidenttion of the standing orders, which he proposed to sus-
pend, for the purpose of passing through all the stages of file
hill to amend the act for regulating the office of Lord High
Admiral.
Lord DARNLEY having heard that the noble Viscount
stated on a former occasion, that the reductian of two Lords of
the Admiralty would prevent the saving of much expence to the
country, wished to know whether the noble Viscount really en-
tertained that opinion.
Lord M ELVILLE said, the statement to which the noble
Earl alluded was, in point of fact, true. The noble Viscount
was convinced the reduction would not produce a saving.
The Earl of LIVERPOOL wished to say a few words with
respect to the composition of the Board of Admitalty. The
subject bad been agitated in the other {louse of Parliament, and
his opinion had ever been that the abolition was not expedient,
since the reduction lie had conversed with various Lords who
had been used to the business of the Board, and all woe of
opinion, that if the Board only consist of five, with a tuajotity
of seamen, such a Board would not be able to carry on public
business.
laid HOLLAND said, the declaration of the noble Earl
(Liverpool) lost part of its force, because the noble Earl had
formerly stated. that the government of the country could not
be conducted without sae two additional Lords of the Admiralty.
The noble Earl moaned the loss of two of the Board, but his
groans would not bring them to life.
Lord DARN LEY expressed himself at a loss to understand
how reduction of expense in the dock yards could depend on the
number of Lords of the Admiralty. They had still fie lords,
and he trusted economy would not be interrupted by the reduc-
tion of two. It the country was to sulhr in that respect, he
would rather have the Lords back again.
Lord MELVILLE did not mean to say, that some of the
Lords might not attend at the deck yards. but they could not
long !remain away from the board. With the number of five
they were subject to accidental illness, and casualty which must
lead to loss and expellee. Inc of the acts of lrarliament re-
quired the attendance of four members of the board, and unless
that number were present nothing could be done.
After a few observations horn Lord Holland upon the urgency
which required the suspension of the standing °ram,
Lorn MELVILLE stated, that the bill must pass before next
Tuesday, to avoid great inconvenience.
The standing oilers, which forbid a bill to go through more
than one stage at a sitting, were then suspended, the bill was
carried through all the stages, and passed to the Commons.—
Adjourned.

HOUsE OF COMMONS•

MONDAY, MARCII 20.

The Dover Gas 1,i;:111 It I! Waa read a second lime.
Fortntws Col V.— Mr. 1%111150N Said, lie held in his
Land a pet.tion from certain importers of corn in the t
of London. 'rite pet itione, s said, that they were consiitr
bottlers of foreign corn, either an their own account or a 4
culaignee,s ; that they had heard with much alarm thot
there am about to be a graduated scale of important
duties, which was calculated to allict their interests most
seriously : and that they therefore prayed the protection of

the House.
Mr. W ARRE presented a petition from Taunton, pray-
ing l•r a revision of the critumul code.—Ordered to Ire
printed.
Mr. C. Ili. HUTCHINSON brought inn bill fur the im-
provement of the city of Cork.—Read a first time.
Mr. BRIGHT presented a petition from Bedminster, So-
raersetsliire, slating that they had witnessed with satisf.c-
thin, the public exertions of Mr. Hunt, and praying that the
House would interfere with its endeavours to procure a mi-
tigation of his sentence.—Ordered to lie on the *aide.
Mr. 11. BLAIR moved for returns of spirits distilled in
England and Ireland for exportigtion, from the FOiit of Oct.
to October 1821, and for a variety of oilier returns
connected with the distillatiou and exportation or sign its.—
Orili red.
Puiecs or CORN —Lord G. SOMERSET presented a
petition, complaining of agricultural distress ft some
hundred iii Maiimoutlishile.
Mr. BIRCH did nut like these petiti• as; they proceeded
on bum-what too narrow a prior iple. The peiitioneis
seemed to think it, rt if prices could he produced, exist-
ing evils would be retuediad ; but while the growers is eie
considered, it seemed Unit the consumers Were forgotten.—
It hail been rumoured that it was proposed in the tigricul-
tura' committee to advance money (al behalf of goveromei:t
to boy corn, with the view of advasicilig the prices; tint that
plan would have no effect —nothile, but a reduction of tax-
ation would remedy the evils complained of.
r. CALL:RAFT was rather surprised at the titlark on
the A Riskiness of the petitioners, especially when the lion.
member who last spoke agreed with the petitioners oit the
necessity of a reduction rot t oration. N o enlightened farm. r
required high prices; what lie wanted was, relief form
those burdens aloes prevented him from coming into the
arket Oil something like lair terms. Su far Item
ing of the petition, he had retrain thick well of it, and he
was pleased that it should be presented by a Lind of the
reasury. (Hear.) ould
Sir I'. LETHBRIDGE hoped that this petition ss
have some eller( on the governing tit. Ile leg', tied thid the
glen( question allecting the agricultural int. rests excited so
little attention in that House; but lie felt assured that the
session ("Mild nut pass assay without Something being done
fur the benefit of the farinet s. The sianiifactoiers and the
country would lied, he thought, that they would do well to
support the landed interest. As to thesrheme for advancing
money to relieve agriculture, it would may lie pui,min
a plan that was acted upua heretofore to benefit the mom-
. ill,lllrPrS.
Lord G SOMERSET said he had only fulfilled his duty
in presenting the petiti tttt , but these were some of its idle-
gatiuus host hie Le differed. He, hu,lever, should aot

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