The National Register.
London, England, 1812-04-19 00:00:00

TUT', NATIONAL REGISTF,R.

APRIL 19

tart' could r.ot facilitate public concerns. He could not put the Royal
Signature, or be a means of communication front the Cabinet to the
Crown. Was it because Colonel MiMahon was a Privy Counsellor,
that he should be selected to fill a situation of this kind ? If it was meant
that he should be the bearer of those official communications between
the Prince Regent and his Ministers, would it not be his duty, in case
he bore communications of a bad and unconstitutional tendency, to con-
sider himself invested with his oblig;tions as Privy Councillor, and ad-
vise his Royal Highness against them. What then would be the situa-
tion of Colunel M‘l'liahon ? Would not his duty as a public and private
officer clash, and the rerformance of the duties of one rer.
Colonel
lion rewarded by one of the offices of the Household ? 'l'll,- indignation
of the country was evident upon the occasion of this appointment. Po.
pular clamour wits what he (Mr. W. Wynne) despised, but public opi-
nion was a very different thing, and should 1,..ve great iefluence upon
their decisions. If the situation of Privy Purse was not .ufficient for
Colonel M' Mahon, he might have been appointed one of the F.querries.
After some further observations, he concluded moviog for " a Cn.,y
of the Instnnuent by whichonel Ik.l‘lV ahem was appointed to the
situation of Private Secretary to his Royal Highness the Prince Regent,
in the name and on the behalf of his Majesty.
Lord CASTLERE.IGII opposed the motion. There had been ru prin-
ciples stated upon which to ground such a :notion. lf, indeed, it had
been the intention of the Hon. Gentleman to propose a char). ...inst
Ministers for the measure against which be declaimed. there :eight have
been some reason for proceeding in that manlier, but the document
moved for could not in the slightest degree operate t>
per
any
effect, except th...t of affording ground for an ulterior measure. The si-
tuation to which Col. Mqvlahon was appointed, was by no means one
of public responsibility. On the contrary, it was impossible front the
nature of it, that he should act in a public or political manner. His
functions were distinctly opuostte. The great encrease of business ren-
dered it indispensably necessary that his Royal Highness should have
some assistance; ithout a Secretary he would be overwhelmed by the
papers brought to him fur his signature. he necessity of the appoints
went toed on as good grounds as the constitutionality of it.
A long debate followed, in which Mr. Perceval, Mr. Whitbread,
Mr. Pomo:maw, &c. spoke.
A division having tc.!.cen place, the numbers were, Ayes 100, Noes 176,
Majority ag,inst Mr. Wynne's motion, 76.--Adjournech

wcnNF.SDAY, Anil. 15.
Air. MELLISK presented a Petition from certain Ship-builders and
CatOkers, of the port of London, isgalitst the encouragement of ship-
buiiriin in the Est Indies.—Ordered to lie on the Table.
Mr. 1-luTeitiN sow presented a Petition front the Catholics of the
county of Cork, prayitig the removal of the civil disabilities under
which they labour.—Ordered to lie on the Table.
Mr. er AND postponed his motion respecting Parliamentary Rc•
foe in, which :towel for to xt Tuesday, till Tuesday, the Stith of April.
Sir Jon Nrwroe r, after remarking on the number of defalcations
of late suet:titled by the Public from teir servants, moved, that the
Committee of Public Exi,enditure he instructed to examine into the
prei-ciit state of accounts, aral the balances of money due to the Public,
:old laefore the l louse on abstract of the same, and their opinions
thereoy n ; b
and that they shouhi Aate what balances were irrecoverable,
Sec.—The motion was agreed to.
The Hon. Mr. BENNtT r roie, pursuant to notice, to call the
attention of the House to the system of military flogging. The lion.
Gentleman observed, that the yractice was disgraceful to our military.
code, as well as to the nation in which it was suffered to take place. He
believed that no set of meu, if put to the task, could devise a more
effectual mode of tormenting our fellow-creatures. The feelings of the
people were so sifected on seeing it inflicted upon their fellow-creatures,
that it was always dune in holes and corners, and other obsciire places,
under the guard of a military body. It was the height of injustice to
sauction it, becaose the degree of it must necessarily vary, according to
the tempers and dispositions of the Commanding Officers, and no con-
sideration whatever was made of the difference of constitution of the
different men who were doomed to suffer it. These facts being
uncon-
tradicted, he could see no objection that could be made to hits motion,
44 f hat there be laid before the 1-louse an Account of the number of
Persoos who had suffered corporal punishment in the regular Army and
Militia, during the last seven year..'
Mr. M. SUTToN opposed the mutton, as tending to unsettle the mill.
tary mind, and lead the army to believe that there most be grievaeces,
though to them unknown, which caused the subject to be
so often
tated. From a regulation recently established by the Commander
red
ill
Chief, all cases of more grave offences were, in future, to be refer
to General Courts Martial, and those of a lighter nature to be left to
Regieiental Courts Martial.
Sir Lurclett, Sir Samuel Romilly, and Mr. Brougham, svzstmllT ad-
Sir
the cause of humanity, in endeavouring to impress oil the Bonne
the necessity of abolishing so inhuman a punishment. 'rite last teeti-
tiouecl Gentleman said, he had a book in his possession, containivg
account of the puttisltratitts inflicted on board a ship of war, es Lice he
would not name, so lately as the year 1809, and kept, as was tiontoll
the Master-at-Arms. by this it alp-.e that, in the coarse of sic
• moothe, 1.1,00 or IiSaCOO lashes had been inflicted on different persoes.

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