The National Register.
London, England, 1817-02-10 00:00:00

Si P PLY.

Army
0)1.'11165 :via t and barracks, Great Britain
Oit to, ditto, (relit t:d
Extraordinaries 1,300,000
Ordnance 1,216.0U,
Navy
Misedlitneous, Great Britain and Ireland 1,500,000
4.0,373,0011

rEI3RITARY

Having now gone over the subjer's to which pi oinised
to advert, he (Lord C.) trusted, that the estimates would
meet with the approbstion of the House. He was as little
disposed to deny, as lie was ready to lament, that the country
was suffering nutter the severest per sure in every branch of
its industry and tesources. Whatever was the lot of other
nations, out siftreringh were severe, (tor calamity was great ;
but if it was weal, the ardour of tlwse in effluent circunt-
stances to relieve was likewise great. ( Hear, near.) In the
highest quarter. in the head of the Govettlinent ee this coun-
try, the same feelings and sympathies were that ac-
tuated his people. •He nut only sympath.zed with their dis-
tress, out was pre paled to share their privations ; and, from
the spontaneous movement of his own mint had extol ssed
his determination to abstain front receiving, in the present
state of distress. so much of the 61'11 :151 ;is he could refuse,
consistently vs sib the iniintaining the dignity of his station,
without doing sviiat Parliament would pausedisa: of incite-
ring. (Geheralchetring.) His Royal Highness had giver. his
commands to inform the Hons. , that he nicer t to givi up tor
the public service a hide pert of the fourth class of the civil
list, which it ought to be oboe' vcel was the only brawl' es•a-
heeled with the personal expenees, or the royal -tale of the
Sovereign; fur all the other beaus of charge isseltuled iii .be
civil list, except the privy pulse, were as much for paying
public set wires as the stints included its the estimates lie had
this night mentioned. 1 Hear, hen ..) That liram•li of the
• civil list amounted to ;e09,01.101. and his Royal Highness otter-
out of this and the privy purse, 50,0001. thew', ILar) for
the public service. His Royal Highness had treeted and
applauded the exertions of his people. he had shared in their
glori• s, and now generously sympathized in 'heir sufferings,
and determined to shot e their privations. (glee. hear ) His
duty, however, more deist his wishes, limited his grant, even
liberal a, it wits. The civil list, as fixed last year by Parlia-
ment, was reduced as low as it could be. Parliament had
seen the necessity of making arrangements that might pre-
vent the accumulation of debt upon any of its branches ; and
after it had expressed its disapprobation of such repealed
applications to make up deficiencies. as its uncertain esteem-
ii tine rendered necessary, the 111111`f• would not approve of
any surrender of income which !nicht lead again to such a
resu't. ( Her, hear.) His Royal Highness could not, there-
fore, make a permanent tender of this reduction without con-
tracting a debt which would render his liberality of no ad-
vantage to the country, and might lead to a degradation of
the Cile.vn by repeated calls upon his people to pay it. He
had, out of Ins disposition to assist his people, made a sacrifice
which he (Lord C.) was sure they would appreciate. ( Hear.)
It was not the saving, but the principle that was important.
(Mar, hear, hear.) To the general distress the sum it-elf
could bring little alleviation; but the feeling it manifested
would be universally consolatory, and would be received as
a proof of the warm sympathy which his Royal Highness felt
in every calamity that affected his people. Enl n the sons
itself, however, was not inconsiderable. 'flue servants of the
Crown (as we understood the noble lord to say, for he apiike
so low as to be inaudible in the gallery at this particular time)
had resolved to foliow the example of their Royal Master,
and to surrender that pat t of their salaries wlsieh bad accrued
to them since the abolition of the properly tax (hear, hear,)
and he trusted that the whole of whist would thus be given up
might amount to a sun) not unworthy ofthe acceptance of the
country, nut unbecoming their situation. (Hear, hear.) The
only other branch of the subject which be had to Wing under
the attention of the house related to the lot 'native' of a com-
mittee for the purpose of inquiring into the income and ex-
penditure of the country. As there was nothine, which he
inure deprecated, on an inquiry of such vital importance,
than a want of liberality on either side, as it was a subject
not in his opinion of political contest, but of deliberate
and solemn investigation ; if by any admission on nit part lie
could avoid a contest, he was prepared to du it on the present
occasion, and to nominate the committee open] iti die house,
(Cries of hear, Furor, from all aides). He should cooehtde by
proposing the appointinent of a committee, to consist of gl
members. " for the purpose of inquiring into the revenue and
expenditure of the comet, tOr the years ending 5111 January,
I 81.5,rstli January 18Iii anti int 7, atid also fur the years ending
5111 January, ISIS and Witt, with a view to the investigation
of measures for affording relief to the country, without detri-
tnent to the public service ; 01111 to report thereon, from tune
to time, their opinions to the House." Before he sat down it
would be right to mention, that he proposed the committee
should be invested with full powers to send for persons, pa-
pers and records.--(hear, hair);—that they should possess
all the 111C3113 of pursuing their insiMries to the bottom.
The Noble Lord concluded with reading the following list:
. Lord Castlereagh, Mr. Frankland Lewis,
Chancellor of the Exchequer, Mr. finskinson,
Mr. Ponsonhy, Mr. N. Calvert,
Mr. Banks, Mr. Davies Gilbert,
Mr. Long, Mr. Cartwright.
Mr. Tierney, Mr. Holford,
Lord Binning, Mr. Edward Littleton
Sir .1. Newport, Lord Clive,
Mr. Peel, Mr. Gooch,
Mr. C. Wynn, Sir T. Adam!.
Mr. krhtithnot,
Mr.'flEß\ear said, that he had often taken the liberty of
suggesting, that his Majesty's Ministers were called upon to
advise a reductiou of expellee in the office of the State ; be-
cause it was fitting that, in times like these, examples of eco-
comy should begin in the highest situation. It was tine, that
this example had conic late, but it was well that it had
el;111t. at ut all. In say ing that it hail come late, he meant
that the recommendation of such a measure by the Mi-
nisters had come late, and not that the disposition of his
Royal Highness was of recent standing. There could be no
doubt that the Regent had all along been equally disposed to
snake this sacrifice to the ssdierings of the people ; and it
must sorely be ever a matter of deep regret to his Ministers
that they had not sooner ailsisvil so honourable a step, when
they considered with what readiness his Royal Highness had
met the srcuttuneudation as soon as it was made.--(hear.)— •
He was glad also to leans from the Noble Lord, that a reduc-
tion was to takr place its the salaries of the principal officers
of the Crow 'fists was a measure which he had olive re-
commended, and he could snit but think it wonderfal lh.it it
had not been sooner adopted. He must, iu Itot.csgy, led the
Home, that one greisit ewject with him, respecting the ei.ni-
istittee, was the reduction of the influence of the Crown. Was
it intended then, that die state of the Civil List was to he
objected to the e%ilinillat it'll of the cot 1111 l ittee, with a power
to send for persons, papers, and tecordlior were they nett'
Chi tourtli et iss of the Civil be under shod to be the only
Les in which the Prince Regent had a direct per-usual inteirgt.
NOW he visited to esannue the third class, mud to sift used
roue into the various recent us retirements cone,' swig lee
Foreigo Ministers, and their Pensions.- heur.)— He wished
the uonunittee to look into the various elq.lontiatic arrapge-
meuts which ministers had wade, lie wished to know wit.*

Ft TIRUARY 10.

thee, endue all the cii etinistaneel, the douse would entertain
the idea that they were not to look into the estahlishinetits—
the expenditure of the double court of iv iudsor and Carleton-
baaae, with all the extra grooms and lords of the bed. chamber.
--(Hear.)—Fur his own part, in wishing fat examination, lie
did not de-ore to take away any thine fruit] the real splendour
and dignity of the Crown: hut if none of these offices were
abolished, there would arise a questiim as to the propriatv of
such officers holding their sesta in that
he attempted to call on the Hinse to do mai. that they would
that night support a proposition for the apposetmeut of such
a committee as the public circumstances required, and as the
comitry denied, nod a right to expert.- -( Mara
The CneAYCELLOK of the ENCIIF.Qt;r.It made several obser-
vations um the speeeli of the last fiouioni ably Gentleman.
Mr. BROLIGH NAI COllrriVril, that what the public wanted
was the reduction of an enormous expenditure. This was a
cry not to be smothered; it was a want nut to In- disappointed.
His only objection to a committee, appointed fur such a !im-
pose was, lest it saould be appointed for a puraose too gene-
ral and undefined, instead of being what he ahotild wish to met-
it, limited to lie consoler-41'km of a s uecitic question. But it
now appeared, that the great end of this new measure was
not to shew how far retrenchment might be effected, but hoe
entreat es might be preserved; not how enormous salaries
'Mato lie reduiced, but how the existing government ni;alit
maintain its ground. lie deemed it to be the dots, of a good I
subject to sampott the government under which he lived in
all times, and especially in tittle,' of difficulty and &weer;
but it was a duty to be regulated by urgent necessity, and by
the most pressing interests of the country.
Mr. CANNING cuougratidated the House on the very satin
factory statement winch had been made by the Noble Lund :
and eontended, in opposition to the Hu iiiiii rable and Learned
Gentleman, that Ministers, so far from being reluctant to
adopt measures of economy, had made as many reductions as
were consistent with the public interests.
Mr. WI LIII.IIFOKCE, after the best consideration of the sub.
jeet, could not give au entire approbation to the appointment
of the committee.
Lord I.tscrat.as had heard with great satisfaction the
statement made by his Majesty 'a Ministers ; and though there
was a proverb, that concession might be the parent of de-
mand, vet he believed, with respect to a very great hulk of
the cumutry, that the eonces.sion made to-night would be par-
ticularly gratifying, and be most tlnui k fully received.
Mr. PONSONDY said that on the score of reduction. the
noble lord had stated what had given him peat satisfaction ;
and though he thought the reduction ought to have been made
sooner, yet he was more ready to thank the noble lord for
coming to it now titan to reproach him for having neglected
it before. He approved of the resolution of his Majesty's
servants to abate a 'tartlet' of their salaries; they owed it to
the country ; but lie would go farther, and sac, that there was
no iudi+idual whatever receiving a salory that ought not to
be willing to reduce it. lie spoke this as an interested per-
son, and lie thought the reduction proposed was not sufficient
fur his own part, he was ready to go farther. (Hear, hear.
hear). To be sure, the private means of others might net
enable them to go so far in this way as his own happily en
aided him ; nor did he think that any thing he could coon I-
bate would be sensibly felt as a diminution of the great pub-
lic burden : but if he were followed by others.he was certain
something might be dune to alleviate the pressure of that
burden.
A d:vision then took place upon the original question
when the nitinbei a were—Ayes, 210—Noes, 117.--Majority
for Ministers, 03.
A second division subsequently took place, after a good
deal of conversation, which we were nun aolc to heir on ac-
count of the exclusion of strangers from the gallery, upon the
question, whether Lord Binning or Mr. Tremayne be ap-
pointed un the committee,
The numbers were • - Ayes, for Lord Binning, 1/3—Noes, for
Mr. 'lremayire, 136—Majority for Ministers, 42.
A third division occurred on the question, whether Mr.
iiuskis-on or Mr. Tremayne be elected to form one of the
committee.
numbers were—Ayes, for Mr. thiskinson,lBo—Noes,
for Mr. l'remayne, 129 +iajority for Oinistu•rs, 51.
The house then, at hint* past one o'clock, adjourned.

THE NATIONAL REGISTER.

LON DON :
MONDAY, FEBRUARY 10,1817.

NO intelligence of much interest has arrived from
the continent during this week. The French papers
of Tuesday are almost filled with a long speech of
Baron PlisoutEn, with which that of introduce
a plan of law on the responsibility of Ministers. The
principal feature of this law is, that the Chamber may
impeach Ministers for treason, and for a crime which
is called concussion. Treason includes all attempts to
subvert the Crown, or the Government, or the order
of succession. Concussion is explained to mean tyran-
nous exercise of authority or bribery, direct or indirect.
The speech is elaborate and full of leg-al argument.
Baron PASQUIER is a lawyer : he holds the office of
Keeper of the Seals. At home, however, the scene
has been extremely busy and interesting. It will be
seen by oar Parliamentary Reports that the Prince
Regent has spontaneously proposed to give up out of his
personal income the sum of 46'39 000 towards alleviat-
ing the public burthens. This is an act worthy of a
Sovereign not so much from the amount of the sum,
as because it identities the Prince with his
proves that he is penetrated with their suffering's, and
that all he can do to lighten and remove them, he is
anxious to effect. The Ministers also give up for
the sant.: purpose a prop:n.6°ll of their respective sti-
pends, (vat to 10 per cent. and their example was
instantly foliowed by Mr. l'onsoby, who rose in his
place on Friday evening,and declared his determination
of relinquishing a considerable portion of his pension.
The pension which this Right Honourable Gentle-
man enjoys, it will be remembered was conferred urn