The Sun.
London, England, 1830-06-12 00:00:00

and thitt >all diplomatic pensions - alequid be ,
to 40,000/. a year. Neither 'of these suggestions,l
however, had received the least ntention. Allow-
antes•were made without regard to any. rule, and:
the• amount of the diplomatic superannuations was
above 50,0001. One would think that they. would
have been more • guarded in granting superan-
nuation to Consuls ;: but it appeared that they
Were regularly on the increase. In 1821 the superan-,
'nuations•amottated to 1,190/.; in 1822 they were the
Bute; but in 1826 they rose to 3,370/. ; in 1828
(Lortr Aberdeen!s-year) to 4,2701. ; and in 1830 to
5,300/. He would appeal to the House, and call
apon the-Right Hen. Gentleman opposite to explain
tat mystery to him. lie wished to knex4..what had
become of the Committee appointed some time ago
In this' very subject.—(Hear, hear.)--The Right
Hon. Gentleman had done him the honour to ap-
point him a member of that Committee, but he had
never received a summons to attend. A report had
gone abroad that the present Parliament was not
likely to last long. Perhaps that had rendered them
indifferent to the fate of the Committee. What-
ever was the cause, the subject had passed over in
silence. In the year 1830 something was said about
it, and perhaps, in 1831, they might think of com-
mencing in earnest with those restrictions as to au-
perannuations and those measures of economy in
which Ministers had as yet proceeded no further
than to talk of taking ten per cent. off their own
salaries, without doing anj thing of the kind up to
the present moment. There were one or two com-
parisons as to the amount of charge for diplomatic
expenses which be thought it of importance to lay
before the.: House.. He found, on comparing the
diplomatic, charges :of the year 1792 with the present
year, that 'the bare Consular expenses of the present
year exceed by 8,000/. the whole diplomatic ex-
penses of 1792.- He bad made another, calculation,
• to which he would request- their attention—it was
the per centage of the Consular charges on the im-
ports and exports of the South American States
during the year 1829. He made his calculations on
the official value, which was greater than the real
value. The aggregate .offieial value of the imports
and exports ,of all the South American States
amounted to 11,470,0001.; the diplomatic charges
amounted to 60,5311., which ,was more than one
half per cent. on the whole sum. He knew that
that House did not like to hear comparisons
with the United States of America, but he would
confidently appeal to them to say whether the Con-
sular business of the American citizens was not as
well performed in the different stations as our own.
(Hear, hear.)—He had obtained from a quarter
upon which he could depend, the charges for the
civil Government of the United States, including the
judicial allowances. The salary of the President
was 25,000 dollars; that of the Vice-President was
6,000. The Secretary of State, the Secretary at
War, and the Postmaster-General, had also salaries
of 6,000 dollars each. The salary of the Chief
Justice was 4,500 dollars. In short, the whole ex-
penditure, civil and • judicial, amounted to 92,500
dollars, or 20,8121. • Of their Consuls there were
only three at the principal States of Europe who
received any pay from the Government. These
were the Consuls at London, Paris, and Madrid;
and they received but a small sum, not exceeding
2,000 dollars each. The Consuls at Algiers and
Tripoli, in consequence of the climate, and the du-
ties at these places, received 5,000 dollars. How
the business of the American States was conducted
the Members of that House were not ignorant. But
he thought it would be well if the Government of
this country would condescend to take example from
that Republic. The American Consuls generally
were paid in this way :—each Consul, on his ap-
pointment, entered into a bond, binding himself to
adhere to a tariff of fees formed on a very moderate
scale. The Consuls at Liverpool and at the Havan-
a* where so much business was transacted, re-
ceived under a thousand a year each. But the
Whole of their diplomatic and consular expenses
scarcely exceeded half the vote which was proposed
that night for the adoption of Parliament. As he
had mentioned the example of the United States,
he wished to guard himself against being supposed
to have overlooked the difference between a new
Republic like the United.. States, and .an old
Government like-the British Monarchy. He was
friendly .to the institutions under which he was
born, and from which.he enjoyed such blessings,
and was far from wishing to see the cards shuffled
once again, in the hope of being better satisfied
with his chance. It was not from a wish to favour
Republican institutions, for he would repeat that he
preferred our own, that he alluded to the economy
of the United States; it was from a sense of duty
that he felt himself called upon to warn the Minis-
try that the course they were pursuing was full of
danger. High prerogative had for many years given
way to influence; but the present Ministers affected
to despise influence, and to rest upon public opinion
alone. He would contend that half-measures were
always dangerous. If they were serious in putting
influence aside, there was no course left them but to
act up to public. opinion—(Hear, hear)—and public
opinion-was daily gaining ground. The facts which
he had stated were_known—the public mind was
every day becoming more and more enlightened—
and, with all the advantage of our institutions, the
people would not fail to cast up the charge at which
we engaged them, and to strike a balance between
the benefit- and the expense. The Ministers had cut
down the influence of the Crown to a certain ex-
tent. He would caution them how they neglected
. public opinion. Having now gone farther than he
intended when he first rose to address the House,
he would next apply himself to the reductions
Which he should propose to make. In doing so he
would' take as a fair standard of the scale of expense
the allowance which was made to the Consul-Ge-
neral at Russia. He was told that the Consul-Ge-
neral received a yearly sum from the Russian mer-
chants. But that, as he conceived, had nothing to
do with the question. It was nothing to them what
others might allow him. The sum paid to him by
the public was 1,0001. a year. According to this
standard he would reduce the salary of the Consul-
General at Hamburg from 1,5001. to 1,0001. a
year; those -of France and Spain, which were
1,600/. each, and all of the first class, to the same
amount; and by this process lie would effect a re-
duction in the first-class of 4,0004 a year. To the
Consuls in South America and on the coast of
Africa, in consequence of climate and other circum-
stances' he would allow 1,500/. a year; but on the
whole Consular expenses in Europe and South
America he would effect a saving of 10,0001. a
year: -The Hon. Baronet proceeded to say that he
had intended to move a reduction in this vote of
11,1501.; but he should now limit his proposition
to 8,0001. This reduction, though considerable,
• was no more than the country had a right to ex-
pect- under the circumstances. He assured Mi-
nisters---that- he-had no ill will towards them; but
they had not kept their word with the people.
There never was an Administration which pro-
mised se fairly for economy, and. yet deceived the
public so grievously. Let the House but look to.
the jobs which they had sanctioned. What could
in more barefaced than that of the lottery ? Mr.
Adam, with .a large income besides, had a super-
annuation of 375,f. upon the lottery-office; and Mr.
Brooksbank, whose income was 3,0001. a year, had
a superannuation of 175/. a year at the same office.
The rigour of the principle of the half-pay was ap-
plied to Capt. Frett, though be was ten years older
than either of those men he had mentioned, and who
was obliged to give up his half-pay, upon obtaining
the superannuation allowance. This was only one
out of many cases which called for revision and re-
trenchment; and he hoped the House would join
with him in exacting them. He concluded by
moving that the sum, as originally proposed, be re-
deced to 79,970/.
The
CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER
would confine himself to the particular vote before
the House, which was for Consular appointments to
America. He 'hoped to be able to show that the
principle upon which these officers were now paid
was precisely that which was recommended by
this House, and adopted by Ministers, though rather