The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1818-05-08 00:00:00

CROWN LANDS.

Mr. flusittssou rose fur the purpose of moving
for leave to bring in a series of three Bills, fur the
better regulation, in certniu respects, of particular
portions of Crown Lands, therein names!. The
great object of those Kills was, to encourage the
growth of timber, tit foe itievid purposes.' 'I his oti-
ject, it could slot he denied, wie. one or primal),
unportiince, and well ilasi.rved the most s.riiiits
considewtion of the Legislature. Tlw Right Hon.
Grotleman that ))))) " for leave to firing in a
Bill to west certain parte of Brecknock Furst in the
Crown."

Mr. BROUGHAm said, that particular care should
be talc• ii, by the enactment of special statutes, to
give proper powers to those connected with the de-
purime.it user which the Right Hon. Gentleman
presided, to enable them, in the sale of property be-
longing to the Crown, to procure the best price fur
it. The Crown was in posses-ion of malty hortoers,
and it was material, that, when they were disposed
of, it should be done on terms as beneficial us piHsi-
lole to the Crown. He could only judge on this
subject by a reference to the Reports of the Com-
missioners which were laid on the table of the
House—and he there yew many items which called
for explanation. They had occurred during the
time the Hight Hun. Gent!emotes predecessor was
in office—and some of them were of such a nature
as could not, he believed, be satisfactorily explain-
ed. A great diversity appeared in the treatment
of differelit individuals whip purchased Crown
lands. Some were charged twenty, twenty-five,
or thirty yeasts purchase—while others were asked
no more than ten. A Noble Lord, one of his
Majesty's Ministers, hod actually received for
9,4001. a grant of Mutt worth 5001. per annum—
while another person. \lr. Corbett, bought a piece
of mashy land, i a Merioneth.hire. for which he
paid no leas than eighty years purchase.
was the only instance, in which the property to be
sold. had b-en fairly put up to public auction.
The consequence of this devattinit front the rule
of office was, that eighty years purchase, instead of
ti.n, twei.t, twenty-five, sir flinty, was paid. He
begged to call the attention of the House to an-
other case. Sir Walter Stirling had purchased one
of these hunomrs, which. instead of producing, him
tiny thing. cost him Id. 10s. it-year—for this he
had paid 3,0001. Now, he asked, why that Hou.
Baronet should be called on to pay such a soul for
this honour, when the Noble Lord to whom lie had
al I uded, dud another person, who purchased valuable
Crown lands at twenty or twenty-five years pur-
chase, did not pay one silver 'minty for the honours
attached to their lands ? By the returns before
the House, it appeared that the Earl of Lansdale
had purchased the three-fourth part of the Lord-
ship and Barony of fender, for 30 years purchase,
or 14,0001.—but did not give one farthing for the
honours. This bargain was not. any Inure dont the
others, a 'subject of open competition. No person
had an offer hut the Earl of Lonsdale. To him
it was a most valuable possession, as it lay OA
the neighbourhood of his property. It was sold to
him, on the oath of two surveyors, that it was worth
wily 14,0001. for that. sum. Bat those who were
in the habit of hearing the evidence of surveyors
on compensation causes, moat see, that their
statements were not always the most correct.
This estate, to which he alluded, had been disposed
of to a party, nearly thirty years ago. for 14.0001.
for which lie had heard a iieighbouring gentlemen
say, that lie would have given three times the sum,
Ville estate had been exposed to public auction or
open isle. He had seen enough' of the (liaise-
quentes of this mode of di-posing of the public
property by private biddings and secret contract,
to form this conclusion on the subject—that there
was Oa way so safe, so likely to peseta colturton,
or the sacrifice of this species of property, through
motives of private preference, as to set all the
shires or allotments of the property up at public
auction, or at least in such a public manner, as
that a competition might he excited amongst thee
various persons disposed to become purchasers.
Mr. Huseisson agreed with the Hon. and Learn-
ed Member in the two general principles which he
had laid down, respecting, first, the mode of selling
Crown lands or rights; and, secondly, reap ecniig
she sort of properit which it would become the
Commissioners of Crown Lodi to offer for sale.
But in the application of these general principles,

:certairely the Lammed (:.in bed nut hesitaterto step out of his way, wilt a sieve to insinuate that
during a pr: ins' precedent • to unit when •he (Hr.
Huskisson) filled the offiki of Commissioner of
%Vends and Forests, some practices had been dis-
covered which reflected highly on the motives and
character of his predecessors in office. 11'itle their
• duct he had frothing further to do than to state
his general conviction, that nn sorb motives could be
fairly imputed to them ; and it had been admitted,
that during his continuance its that situation, no
steepicion had ever been entertained that he had
been accessary to any such negligence or mis-
conduct. Oie the contrary, lie had always, with
• view to procure the best price for such pro-
perty, whets about to be disposed of, es well as
with u view to the maintenance of his own cha-
racter as an accredited and confidential officer, ad.
vises' it should he disposed of by public uuction.
It had been said there were *rectal hundred closest°
which a successful reference might be made to prove
the facts stated. Now the truth was, that almost
oil of these were cases of mere fee-farm gents of a
very few ahihboss upon each, of sin value even to
itedivistuale, awl become harshly worth the expense
of collecting. Massy of these, it was true, bad
Loren disposed of to the old occupaide, at thirty
years purchase ; and be mist think, as well as ino4
others, that Ora were exceedingly oell sold at that
price.—( Icor. j—ln far the greater number of
Weimer* eio purchasers could be found even at
that price, and they remained a charge up the
State to iii hour. These fee-farm rents would,
it was therefore clear, be very improperly selected
as property likely to sell well by auction. Ile was
happy that he hail not been the eisbiart of charge as
to any malailanimetration since lie came into the
office ; yet he thought it would have been a much
snore advie.,ble, and certainly much store candid
mode of proceeding, if, instead of generel insinua-
tion of very improper conduct in the department,
Ithe 1t0,,. and Learned Gentleman hurl selected
carefully some cases, which might exhiliit a fouieda-
tion for a charge of so grievous Is suture. IVith re-
gaol to the only specific case mentioned, the Kendal
honour, it was a mere dry, unproductive honour;
and notwithstanding the character of a Cabinet
Minister would, as had beet, stated, 1w likely to be
involved in the objectionable mode of proceeding
had recourse to in this iiestatece, the only ',reference
which had been given to the Noble Lord then
in possession was such as wools' liaturalle be given
to a person who bad been a long tune it, possesriou
of the property. This certainly eumetittited u
claim to some just preference, and even in such
cases it was the ['metier it, the office to•take
sub, co.isideration every honour or advantage the
property bud upon it when valued, or about to be
disposed of. It was usual iu this case, as in all
others, for the unsuccessful posters to ray, that
they would have given more for the properly than
it was sold at, load they had ass opportunity of do-.
ing so. He was cletrly convinced that the 'species
of property which should be disposed of, was
that which was in its nature unproductive to
the public, und attended with a more thou equi-
valtsit..expense. by which meat's the public would
be benefited, and the Commissioners enabled to
lay the money thus procured out its advantageous
purchases of property, suitable few reerieig such
timber as was lodealiens:Ade for the navy of this
country. Ile buret! enough had been said by him
to exonerate the departmesit in which he had the
honour to act, from the effect of the general impu-
tations with which it had been the object of the
Hun. and Learned Member to asperse the conduct
generally of the Commissioners ; and hoped, that
should he feel disposed to touch upoir this subject,
he would endeavour first its provide himself with a
few cases nut of the several hundreds he lead allud-
ed ta, which might substantively prove the :thoses
with which it was his object to charge that part of
the administration of the public
Sir JAM'S GRAHAM felt himself called upon to
state whet lie knew relative to the barony or honour
or Kendal. Tins holiour had been in the tamiiv of
Earl Lonedale for more than 100 years; and though
originally held for three lives, at the time of the pur-
chase it was held only for one reinueniug life, and
consisted of trifling rents of %Isl. or 3d. per ant,. and
which were very difficult's& collection. The har-
pies was not prowler-el even by the Noble Lord, but
by the Guyer 1111 l reit Commissioners, and a valuetion
took place at an enormous rate, which rioted in
the Nuhle Lord's purchasing that sit 40 years
purchase, or 14,000/., which never could produce
to Government 300/. a-year--(hcar)—a property for
which he was satisfied no man in that House would
give one-half as much. There were some manorial
rights attached thereto, but even including these, he
was tairtisiu, and lie thought himself no very bad
judge of property either, that he had given double
the fair value of it, us it was well known dry
rents might every day be purchased at twenty, or
less than twenty years porchane ; and yet the Noble
Lord had concluded this disadvantageous, or, us
lead beets said, most advantageous bargain, uuder
the additional disadvantage of the property being
at that very time only in reversion, and subject to
Ins rema s
11l il eg life interest thereon.—( /ear.)
Mr. Ilsounwsm, in explaseatiou, said he had
nothing to du with the of 'ons of this person or
that, whether the property was, as had been stated,
worth one half or only one third of what had been
obtained for it. But lie wished to know why the
Commissioners had not done that which the Noble
Lord had since done ? He had enfranchised the oc-
cupants at a certain rite each, pocketed the money
thus obtained, and still reserved the honours at-
tached. Why did reot the Commissioners pursue a
similar course, and thus secure the advantages re-
sulting thereon to the country, instead of throwing
them lido the lap of any favoured individual ?
Sir J. GRAHAM could not hear such a statement
made, without endeavouring to counteract its ef-
fect. He could assure the House, that the Noble
Lord had never yet received a thousand pounds,
i perhaps lent above five hundred pounds, for en-
freinchisentents on the property. Could this paltry
sirpeluui
return
iibliaese ls consideredeflosiric_seo povrrelee ryiany appropriate
lams Ili: the
obvious
nvooifoounr
sal otnwoeeyarlel that
er-
fectly without foundation ?—(llear, hear.)
Leave was then given to bring in the Bill.
Leave was also obtained to bring in a Bill for
granting to the Crows, in severalty certain lamb, in
the Forest of Sherwood ; and a like Bill with re-
spect to a certain portion of the Forest of Henault.
iii:na:tdidvpharietclacite or advantageous