The Sun.
London, England, 1830-05-15 00:00:00

LONDON, SATURDAY EVENING, MAY 15, 1830.

IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT.

HOUSE OF LORDS-(LAST NIGHT).

The Duke of RICHMOND presented a.petition from
the city of Chichester, against the practice of allowing boys
to climb chimneys; also a petition from the hop growers
in Suffolk against any further duty en bops.
Lord LITTLETON presented a petition from the So-
ciety of Surgeons in London, praying for ficilitits in ob-
taining subjects for dissection.
The Earl of CARNAVON presented a petition from
the parish of Randwick, Gloucestershire, complaining of
distress, and praying for relief.
The Duke of WELLINGTON presented a petition
Irons Roscommon, against the introduction of poor-laws
into Ireland.

The Duke of RUTLAND presented a petition from
Kingston against the proposed licensing system; also one
from Scarborough complaining of distress.
The Marquis of LONDONDERRY presented a pe-
tition from lielfast, praying that foreign corn might be
permitted to be ground in this country under c..!rtain re-
strictions.

Lord CLARE presented a petition from the Provincial
Bank of Ireland, against the punishment of death for
forgery. Also several petitions from the Branch Banks to
to the same effect.

The-Marquis of ANGLESEA piesented a petition from'
the parish of St. Paul, Dublin, against the increased duty
on British spirits. ' Also one from Athlone, against the
impost of any extra duty on coal imported into Ireland.
Lord KING presented a petition from the county of
Devon, signed by 7,000 persons, in favour of the commu-
tation of tithes.

Lord DE DUNSTANVILLE presented a petition from
a place in Cornwall, praying for the abolition of the punish-
ment of death in cases of forgery.
Lord CALTHORPE presented a petition from the Pro-
testant Baptist Dissenters of Ipswich, against Sunday
labour.

duals connected with this department were necessary or
not ; but Government appeared to add one thing to another
in the way of expence. He observed an item of 1,500/. a
year for a standing counsel. He understood that the gen-
tleman who held that appointment had got another situa
tion, but he did not know whether lie still retained that of
standing counsel.
Mr. S. RICE said there was no pc:son acquainted with
the business of the Colonial-office, but must admit that the
services of Mr. Stephen, the standing counsel, were inva-
luable. While on his legs, he would call the attention of
the House to an office connected with the Home Depart-
ment, in which a saving might be mask. The office he
spoke of was the Alien-office. If the Secretary of State
for the Home Department were present, he did not think
that he could state any possible ground, or point out any
imaginable advantage that could accrue from keeping on
our statute-book any portion cf the law for the regulation
of aliens.—(Hear.)—So long as the laW gave a severe sane•
tion to our sending aliens out of the country, although it
was an impolitic, unjust, and atrocious law, yet it was ef-
fective and answered the purpose for which it was intended.
But the law as it now stood served only to clog and em-
barrass commerce. He hoped, therefore, that his Hon.
Friend would move for the repeal of that Bill, and thus get
rid of the office altogether.
Mr. HUME thought it was most preposterous thittitiveral
of the,Packs inAhe Home Department not only received
salaries lift their services in ttioffiCe;ltut deriVed further
emoluments as agents for different colonies. _ _

Sir G. MURRAY did not, generally speaking, advocate
the propriety of appOinting clerks as agents to colonies, but
in these particular instances it was necessary.
Sir J. NEWPORT adverted to the danger of allowing
balances to accumulate in the hands of those agents, and
instanced the case of a Mr. Chinnery, who at the very time
that Parliament was voting large sums of money to meet
bills of exchange that were drawn on account of New South
Wales, had' very considerable funds in his hands. He was
ultimately a defaulter to the amount of 18,0001. or 20,0001.
After a few words from Mr. W.SMITII, Colonel DAVIES,
Mr. HOME, and Mr. DA WSON, the resolution was agreed to.

The following vo►es were agi ced to without observation :-
16,8581., to make good the deficiency of the fee fund in
the departments of the Privy Council and Committee of
Privy Council for trade.

8,0001. to defray the contingent expences and messengers'
bills in the department of his Majesty's Treasury.
The next resolution was for 8,0451. to defray the contin-
gent expences and messengers' bills in the department of
his Majesty's Home Secretary of State, which, after a few
words from Mr. HttmE, Mr. DAWSON, and Sir J. NEW-
PORT, was agreed to.
The next resolution was for 34,750/. to defray the con-
tingent expences and messengers' bills in the department of
his Msjestv's Foreign Secretary of State.
Mr. O'CONNELL moved that this vote be reduced by
4,000/.

Mr. lIUME—You may as well move that the grant be
reduced by 10,0001.

Mr. OtON NELL then moved that the vote he reduced
to the extent of 10,0001.

After an observation from Mr. DAWSON- and Mr.
liumE, the vete was agreed to. .

On the motion that a sum not exceeding 10,5001. be
panted to his Majesty to defray the contingent expenses
and messengers' bills in the department of the Secretary
of State for the colonies for the year 1880. _

Mr. HUME inquired what the colonies wanted with
messengers ?_
_ .

Sir G. MURRAY explained, that more than half the
amount of the grant (namely, a sum of 5,5000 was de-
voted to contingencies. Of these, the expenses of the
slave registration office amounted to 596/. ; there was an
allowance to reduced clerks of 9951. ; and the charge for
preparing returns (so we understood) was considerable,
1,255/. These were some of the items that came under
the head of contingencies. With regard to the expense of
messengers, owing to the state of thjLevant, great expense
was incurred by the necessity of communicating with the
island of Curfu over land.

Mr. HUME was quite willing to incur the expense of
making out returns, provided they were properly pre-
pared ; but the misfortune Iras, that he never could get
the returns he moved for.-,—(Laughter.)
The resolution was agreed to.
The next resolution, which was that a sum not exceed-
ing 3,7251. be granted to his Majesty, to defray the con-
tingent expenses and messengers' bills in the departments of
his Majesty's Most Hon. Privy Council and Committee of
Privy Council for Trade, for the year 1830, was agreed
to without discussion.

Mr. DAWSON moved that a sum not exceeding
6,500/. be granted to his Majesty to make compensation
to the Commissioners appointed by the Acts let and 2d
George IV., c. 90, and 3d George IV., c. 87. for inquir-
ing into the collection and management of the revenue in
Ireland, and the several establishments connected therewith
and into certain other revenue departments in Great
Britain, for their assiduity, care, and pains, in the execu-
tion of the trust reposed in them by Parliament.
Colonel DAVIES had no doubt that these gentlemen
lead discharged their duty with great benefit to the public.
He was aware that they had made several valuable reports,
and many useful suggestions, with respect to t, e suhjects
of their inquiry, particularly as related to certain depart-
ments in Ireland ; but it should be recollected at what an
expense these objects had been effected. This first pay-
ment to the Commissioners took place in 1823, and
amounted to 6,255/. ; the next was in 1824, the amount
6,000/. ; in 1825, 5,2001. was paid to them ; in 1826,
5,675/. ; in 1827, 6,000/. ; in 1828, 6,500/., and a fur-
ther sum of 2,000/. for contingencies; in 1829, there
was paid also 6,500/., and 2,500/. for contingenci6 ; this
year, to be sure, the payment was only 6,5001. ; but still,
there had been paid altogether to these Commissioners,
including the present estimate, a sum of 53,130/. This
was a prodigious expenditure. flow was it possible that
the Commissioners could spend eight years in their inquiries-
and be diligent in the discharge of their duties ?
The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER. said the
annual saving effected by the Commissioners in the col-
lection and management of the public income consider-
ably exceeded the aggregate amount of the payments made
on account of their services.

Mr. HUME asked what was the subject of the Cou.
missinuers' inquiry in the present year?
Mr. DAWSON said they would submit another report
on the state of the Post-office.

Mr. HUME was aware of the general importance of
the labours of Commissioners, but their proceedings with
regard to the Post-office had met any thing rather than Isis
approbation. What he wished was, that the Chancellor of
the Exchequer would try and effect a complete revision of
the laws relating to the Post-office. Although the general
feeling was that the Post-office was the best conducted de-
partment in England, he entertained a very different opi-
nion on the subject.

The resolution was agreed to.
Mr. DAWSON moved that a sum of 5,0001. he grant-
ed to his Majesty to thfray the salaries of certain officers,
and expences of the Court and receipt of Exchequer for the
year 1830.
Mr. R. GORDON said, that if this vote were adopted,
the House would give sanction to the acknowledged faults
and recorded absurdities of the system of the Exchequer.
There were seven departments
gake a few remarks.s in the Exchequer, and
Upon those' o
Remembrancer, and
,4. othe
Lord
f, the P i
et the
would Ki
Several Acts of Parliament had been passed for the regula-
tion of the Exchequer ; but, as they were round ineffec-
tual, three Lords of the Treasury, consisting of Lord
Lowther, Lord G. Somerset, and Sir George Clerk, had
been appointed to examine into the existing abuses. They
bad made Report, and upon this deal-
riaenth a v
he grounded
valuablededll
his objections.
• The Pipe Office con-
sisted of eight sworn attorneys, two Board-end Clerks, and
eight clerks attached to the attorneys. Five of these sworn
attorneys, it was found by the Commissioners, had never
been near the office of the Exchequer, and resided in the
country. The eight clerks had no fixed duties, no fixed
hours Of attendance, and did no more than just as much as
they pleased. It might be said that they had vested inte-
rests, but three oat of the eight were at school five years
after they had been appointed. In the course of time the
clerks became sworn attorneys, and the Commissioners
bad contended that if the offices were abolished no com-
pensation ought to be granted. All this was not merely
mummery and folly, but it was attended with a heavy ex-
pence. One of the clerks was called Clerk of the Nihile,
and the amount of his duties might be guessed from his
style. The Commissioners had thrown especial ridicule
upon the throwing copper coins round a hat upcn certain
squares of the table—upon the wooden tallies (which,
by the way, had been abolished within the last six or seven