The National Register.
London, England, 1809-05-07 00:00:00

HOUSE OF COMMONS.

Monday, May 1.
The Irish Insolvent Debtors' Bill was read a third time, and
ordered to the Lords. •

Mr. Whitbread wished to be informed by some of the Right
Ilan. Gentlemen opposiie, whether Col. De Charmilly, besides
the pay of his Commission in the Army, had not a Pension from
the British Government .
Mr. Huskisson said, that Col. De Chartnilly enjoyed his full
pay as a Colonel of horse; hut, besides that, he was ignorant
that he had any other provision from the British Govern►Ment. •

THE DUTCH COHMISSIONERS.
Mr. Ord said, that in drawing the attest:ion of the House's)
a Report which had lately been laid upon the table, he was
sorry to observe that it was too much the practice of the !louse
to suffer such Reports to be laid npoo their table without adept-
ing any proceedings in consequence. of them, or- taking any mea-
sures to prevent the future recurrence of the abu-es which they
disclosed. The facts were briefly as follows: In 1795,a commis-
sion, consisting of James Cranfurd, John Brick eood, Allen
Chatfield, John Bowles, and Alexander Baxter, Etolrs. was ic-
stitoted for the sale, management, and disposal of Dutch pro-
perty. captured or detained on the occasion of the commence-
ment of hostilities with Holland, in consequence of its invasion
by the French. When this commission was set on foot, no set-
tled rates of remimeration were fixed fur the labours of the
commissioners, but they had taken this matter lulu their own
hands, and with a pros cdent eve to their (twit ieterests, they had
charged live per cent. on the Bross amouut of •he Silk:. a the
Property committed to their charge. \V !tea the ere a, ked
by Mr. Pitt, at a period when government laboured meter ters
serious embarrassments, if they could make eny vette,- iii ! iLV
public out of the balances which they held in their week. ite..y
answered ; and yet at that time there was a very lag,e ba-
lance in their hands, which they were cpnverting to their oleo
private emolument. The Hon Member, after commeotine at
some length on the abuses disclosed in the Report, said it neght
seem stencilling strange that Mr. 3 olin Bowles, a Member of
the Society for the Suppression of V ice, should have been con-
cerned in such transactions. It was said that some of the com-
missioners had given up lucrative professions to devote them-
selves to the duties of their situation, and therefore they ought
to he handsomely remunerated. Mr. John Bowles might have
starved in his profession, had he not found out, under Mr. Pitt's
adiniaistration, that the trade of an anti-jacohin vas a meth
more lucrative employment taco his owu ; and this was the
origin of all his boasted zeal and loyalty. After colsoneetine
on various parts of the evidence as given in the Report of the
Committee, he concluded with moving a series of Resolut km:4.
Mr. Thornton entered into some ex planet iun of the view s o pon
which the Committee, of which he was a member, had framed
its Report. lie had no objection to the first Resolution proposed
by the lion. Member, because that was nearly in the words Af
the Report to which he had already agreed ; but he thought the
best step for the lion. Member to have adopted would hate
been to inquire what course Government had taken in coese-
quence of the suggestion of the Committee. If Gus eminent hid
done nothing, it might then be very well for the Hon. Oentle-
man to press his Reseiutions; but if it turned out thee the re-
commendations of the i; eninittee had been attended to, then he
did not see the necessity of them.
The Chancellor of the Exchequer declared that the principal
directions of the Report had been acted upon by the i'rea ury
with as little delay as possible. As for the Ist Resolution proposed
by the lion. Member, he felt no extraordinary interest in its
rejection, because it attached equally to other Administrations
as well as that in which he had a share; but as he could pet-
ceive no good that would result front its standing on the Journals,
and the recoumnendations of the Committee had already been
attended to, he hoped the Hon. Member would have no objec-
tion to withraw it, otherwise he should feel hitntelf tinder the
tnoessity of moving the previous questing.