The Sun.
London, England, 1839-04-26 00:00:00

would be -placed more than he (Sir Robert Peel)
did ; but that would not constitute a case for
coming down to that House for the purpose of
asking compensation. He would lay it down as a general
rule, that that House ought on no occasion to grant
any compensation of this nature. Even in cases of
soldiers or sailors, he shorild say when they entered
the sers ice they knew the rules and rewards of it, and
however much one might distinguish himself above his
fellows he would say these would constitute no grounds
for the House granting him a reward. Ho would re-
ward him by promoting him to higher rank or by apt
pointing him to any office in the gift of the Govern-
ment, but not by a grant from that House. Antl he
would say that such a distribution of their patronage
was an equal honour to the individual and to the Go-
vernment.—(Hear, hear.) He imputed no blame to
the Government for not having adopted this
plan with regard to Messrs. Fourdrinier, there might
be no situation in the gift of the Government for which
the peculiar abilities of those gentlemen fitted them;
but he did blame them for the course they had adopted
in not coming to a decision without having the subject
discussed in that House ; he considered that all such
preliminary discussions were calculated to excite false
hopes and embarass the Government, instead of assisting
it. He felt that in many cases it became a most ira"
portant duty for those having the care of the public
purse to act in opposition to the dictates of their

,celings ; he was not satisfied that a just claim for com-
pensation had been made out, and be should oppose the
motion.
Sir ROBERT INGLIS, agreeing with his Right
Hon. Friend who had just sat down, as to the easiness
of being liberal at the public expense, believed that
there was no danger of any improper precedent being
established by granting compensation in he
present case.—(Hear, hear.) Only one Siin
case had occurred within the last 30 years, and if there
really existed the danger imagined by his Right Hue'
Friend, it was extraordinary such a period should have
elapsed without any such application. He believed
that these gentlemen had a claim on the justice of the
House for compensation, as they had contributed largely
to the increase of the public revenue at a great loss to
themselves, and he did not imagine his Right Hee*
Friend would have objected to a grant, if it had been
proposed under the sanction, and on the responsibility
of the Government. He tru,ted that these gentlenleu
would net suffer because the Government had Imt
adopted the course which his Right Hon. Friend sr
proved of, and he hoped the Chancellor of the Evil!'
quer, seeing the feeling of the House, would take the
case of the Messrs. Pourdrinier into his serious cons'
derat ion.
Mr. GODSON would state the circumstances
of the case to the House. These gentle Men
were stationers, and in 1800 their propertl
amounted to 14,0001. a year. They withdrew a portic;
their capital to perfect their invention, and three or t.
years after the introduction of their improved Inue,bie
nery they were opposed by all the paper-makers in "I
kingdom. The House would see that no indiridt;l:
however rich, could stand a combination such as tu;
In 1807 they found that by actions in courts of laW '-
protect their rights and other proceedings they
60,000/. out of pocket. In 1807 they became baae
rupts, and the assignees determined to go on With for
actions, they recovered a verdict ; and on a motion
be
a new trial, the Lord Chief Justice said, that as t;
patent was for making paper from 30 to 40 feet lar4'
and from 3 to 12 feet wide, the machine which wasp
duced in Court could not do so ; so that they I's
ruined, not from a.defect in their patent, but frola
want of mechanical knowledge in the Chief fns'
tice, for had they had property sufficient to Weed
gone to a new trial, they would have Prep, a combination of those machines was cliy
able of making paper in the manner described.
this invention 150,0001. a_-year had been saved to toe
public, independent of other advantages dependeatect
the superior size and quality orthe paper manufacturer ,
It had also been applied to other articles of tos°,llen
ture, and it was impossible`to calculate the advae,l7to
that had accrued from it. If any person had a rigu'd
compensation, these gentlemen had, and the onlY.greno
for opposing their claim that he could imagine yrir,
the wish to establish a precedent sever under any