The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1820-02-22 00:00:00

A DM IRA LTY.

Mr. BROUGHAII—It would be in the recollection
of the House, that he had, at a past period, asked
for the production of !Dome papers, respecting the
Droits of the Admiralty, and other sources of mire-
nue blliinging to the Crown, with a view to see how
far it might be practicable to bring such resources
under the control of the Parliament, and in what
degree they might be made applicable to the neces-
sities of the country. The papers were at the tune
refused by Mr. Perceval, then Prime Minister, be-
cause of the inconvenience of allowing them, on the
one hand, and their uselessness, if produced, 011 the
other ; and indeed he was willing to allow, that, ut
the time when Mr. Percevul refused them, there
was far less necessity fur their being produced than
at present. The subject was one of great importance
even at that time, but its importance had tot:reused
iu a very great degree now ; .that the time was
come when, even according to Mr. Perceval's own

acknowledgment, the period had arrived in which
it became necessary to consider and newly arrange
those fluids. There were from the Droits of tae
Crown rod these of the Admiralty, the produce
West India dory, mid that of the Sc.nch revenue,
very considerable stains left at the &avowal of the
Crown which were not subjected to the inspectiou
and control of the Parliament. The House would
see how isnot:tomtit it woo to examine into these re-
sources, which would be converted, except the
House interfered, into so many immense sources of
patronage and influence, contrary to the spirit of
the Constitution. and the regulations and inten-
tions of the HOOP., in allowing the Crown
hitherto the use of them. It became peculiarly
expedient to look into this subject too, at the
time in which the Civil List was •bout to he
formed anew, and when its abuses or defects, what-
ever they might be, ought of course to undergo
imprneement. Now it had been urged by Der. ,
Perceval, that as there was at that time as errastge-
ntent between Parliament and his late Majesty,
which had been made for some time previous, the
House onght not to break in on its conditions,
during the life of hie Majesty. At the mine
time 111 r. Perceval had allowed that on the demise
of the Crown, the Droits of the Crown and the
Admiralty, together with all sources of revenue
collected for the use of the Crown, not being sub-
ject to the revision or control of Parliament, ought
to be submitted to the direction of the House, and
■ !imminent alteration could with more perfect
propriety he then determined upon. From all
sides it had been agreed that the funds in question
ought in be put on a better footing than they stood
at present. They certainly should be placed on a
more constitutional footing thou they now were.
He did not mean to deny that these Imola had been
in a very substantial degree under the control of
the House, though they were not in legal
form. They had frequently been exercised
as a subject of discufsion, and, as he thought,
nothing could prove the general feeling of
the improper manner of appropriating them as •
general source of revenue, than the turnishiug from
time to time, ■s had beets done, accounts of the
receipts and application of those funds. The time
was now arrived, in which, according to the pro-
mises and opinions of Mr. Perceval himself, and the
general understanding which had prevailed at the
time of his (Mr. Brougham's) moving for the pa-
pers which was in every respect proper for their pro-
duction, and in which the subjects of their contents
ought to undergo investigation, and a thorough
change be effected iu the appropriation of their
proceeds. He therefore moved.
That an bumble Address be presented to his Majesty,
praying that be would be graciously pleased to give order*,
that there be laid before the House accounts of the total
produce of all Droits and Duties left at present at the dis-
poni of the Crown, and not subject to the inspection or con-
trol of Parliament, since his Majrsty's accession; distill.
guisbiog the different proceeds of Droits of the Crows,
Droll• of tier Admiralty, 4i per Cent. of West India Duties,
and Scotch Revenue."

The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER was not
going to object to the production of the papers.
At the seine time, he saw no reason for complaint
as to any thing which had been done respecting
the funds in question hitherto. The House had
always received the most satisfactory information
upon the subject whenever any anxiety had been
'hewn, nor had the application of those resources
ever been the subject of regular complaint. He
should agree to the Honourable and Learned Geo-
tleman's motion, as he considered it a very proper
method of bringing together a dijointed aud scat-
tered series of SCCOUIIiPe He could not then say
how far he might be able to go into the Honourable
and Learned Gentleman's ulterior views respecting
those funds.

Mr. BROUGHAM said, the House would perceive
that his motive in asking for the papers, arose from
his having taken the same view of the subject as the
Right Hun. Gentleman. He was as anx►ous as any
Member to use the utmost decorum in going to the
discussion of any topic relative to the immunities
of the Crown. With this feeling strongly impres.
sing his mind, he had considered that it would be
by far the most disrespectful manner of proceeding.
to delay, even for a single day n,nre than could
not be avoided, to bring the subject before the
consideration of the House. As to the conduct of
Ministers in times past, In relation to this subject,
he had before acknowledged that the accounts had
hardly ever been refused, and that the funds were
before substantially, though not legally, in a con-
siderable degree under the control of the House.
The papers were ordered.
Mr. Baas Ere presented a Petition from the
luhabitanits of the Island of Cape Breton, the pur-
port of which we could not distinctly learn.
Mr. ABERCROMBY presented a Petition from
certain Debtors confined at Liverpool, praying for
the continuance of the ln►olvent Debtors' Act.