The Sun.
London, England, 1838-03-13 00:00:00

Kilkenny would divide the House he would feel bound tt
support the motion, The 1406, Member had said that ht
would prefer havitig the management of the Post-office placed
in Commiteitern but that he (Colottel Sibthorp) was opposed.
bees ISQ he agreed lit the opinion that a Commission moult
Only open the door to jobbing. The Right lion. Gentleman
whve bird addressed the House on the part of the Governmen'
had given no satisfactory explanation, Their whole system
was ono of jobbing, and they applied the patronage of the
Crown with A View to the increase of their own power. Ths
Clerkship of the Ordnance had been kept open waiting for the
highest bidder-waiting for whoever would give the most
service in return. The whole system was one which any man
ought to be ashamed to defend.
Colonel ANSON thought that those who brought forward
this motion were as much influenced by personal as political
feelings. The Hon. Member for Kilkenny was guilty of many
mistakes with respect to this appointment. He was quite
mistaken in stating the place to be a sinecure; but though the
Hon. Member, in one part of his speech, did state it to be a
sinecure, in another he gave a description of the duties to be
performed. The Hon. Member for Greenock had made a state-
ment to which ho was surprised how he could have given credit,
namely, that this situation had been filled by a deputy to keep it
open for its present occupant. This statement, was too ridiculous,
and he was surprised how any one could be imposed on by it.
However, he could say that it was totally unfounded. Though
this situation was described as of no importance, such was by
no means the fact, and he would direct the attention of the
House upon that point to what was stated in the report of the
Commissioners of Revenue Inquiry, and which had already
been referred to. The Duke of Richmond thought the
situation so important that in 1834 he separated the duties,
and made this a distinct office. He did not deny but that a
junior officer in a public department might naturally look for-
ward to promotion to higher offices, but it could not be dis-
puted but that circumstances might often arise which would
make it more beneficial to the service that this rule should
not be adhered to. He claimed for the head of every depart-
ment the right of appointing those individuals whom he
thought to be most fit and best able to perform his duties.
There were Receivers-General appointed in England and in
Ireland, and if either of those offices became vacant the Post-
master-General would not be consulted as to the filling them
up ; for these offices would be filled up by the Government
without the interference of the Postmaster-General. He
thought that Lord Lichfield was perfectly justified in the ap-1
pointment he had made. He had hitherto spoken of the prin.'
ciple of the appointment ; lie would have spoken of the indi-'
vidual appointed. But, with respect to this appointment, be-
fore it was made Lord Lichfield offered the situation to Mr.
Mole and to Mr. Mason, of the General Post-office. Mr.
Mole would not accept it because he was in the receipt of
5001. salary, and because it was necessary that he should give
security to the amount of 5,000/. Mr. Mason refused it be-
cause ho enjoyed a salary of 3001,, and he did not think it
worth while to go to the trouble of getting security to the
a nount required. There were only two others who bad ap-
plied for the situation—one a postmaster, who certainly pos-
sessed considerable claims, and the other a junior clerk, who
had been only appointed a year before, and whose ambition
suggested to him that if he could get the appointment he might
ultimately become one of the Commissioners for the manage-
ment of the Post-office itself. Undoubtedly he thought that
this was a situation which should be filled by a person for whose
integrity the public had sufficient guarantee, and who was
of some rank in life, and on whom dependence could be placed.
He was surprised at the personal objection made to Mr. Prim-
rose. He was a young man who had been bred up to the law,
and who was likely to have a sufficient knowledge of business
to enable him to fill the situation with advantage. In his
(Colonel Anson's) mind, if anything could be said with re-
spect to the payment of the situation, it was rather underpaid
than overpaid. But if a different course had been pursued,
and Mr. Mole or Mr. Mason appointed, they would still have
objections: they would hear it said that appointing this indi-
vidual was keeping up the old official system, and that instead
of promoting these old officials fresh matter ought to be in-
fused. He thought neither with respect to the principle nor
the individual was the appointment objectionable.
Sir J. GRAHAM could not agree with the Honourable
Member who had just sat down, in his censure of the Hon.
Member for Kilkenny for having brought forward his motion.
The Honourable Member for Stafford bad said that personal
feeling was mixed up with this question. If it was his mis-
fortune to be opposed to this appointment, he supposed he
would be accused of personal malignity. The Noble Lord
the Postmaster-General was an old friend of his, with whom
he was intimately acquainted, and the Noble Lord the father
of the gentleman appointed to the situation in question was
also a friend of his ; but, notwithstanding, if a sense of duty
obliged him to condemn the appointment, he would not shrink
from doing so. Ho had come down to the House doubtful as
to the question, thinking that there was something that re-
quired to be cleared up, and having listened to the discussion
he found it his duty not to concur in the motion of the lion.
Member for Kilkenny. The Right Hon. Baronet proceeded
to read the terms of Mr. Hume's motion, and said that he
could not concur in affirming the statements contained in that
motion. The resolution stated that the appointment had been
made contrary to the regulations of the public service. Now
he knew no such regulations which could the effect unless they
received the sanction of the Crown. New appointments had
been alluded to as having been made by his Noble Friend the
Duke of Richmond. The first appointment was that of Re-
ceiver-General in Ireland, and the next that of Postmaster-
General in Jamaica. Now, with respect to the first appoint-
ment, when a vacancy occurred the right to fill the vacancy
was generally exercised by the Irish Government. With re-
epect to the Post-office of Jamaica, the situation of Postmas-
ter-General having become vacant, it was offered by the Duke
of Richmond to four or five individuals, but those individuals
not being able to procure the necessary security of 10,0001.,
the situation was given, with the consent of the Treasury, to
the brother of the Noble Duke, Lord Sussex Lennox, on his
finding the necessary security. He was not about to pronounce
any encomium on the Duke of Richmond, but he believed it
would be admitted on all hands that his Noble Friend had dis-
charged the duties of his high office with fidelity, zeal, and honour,
and with the utmost regard to the interests of the public service.
With respect to the appointment in question he did not think
it came within the rule laid down by the Duke of Richmond.
Lord Althorp had said that the first measure of the Duke of
Richmond's was, when country post-offices of sufficient value
became vacant they should be given to retired officers of the
Post-office in lieu of superannuation allowances. However,
that limitation was confined to country post-offices. He
thought that motions calculated to wound personal feeling was
not the best way to bring forward to the notice of the House
of Commons any violation of the proper dispensation of the
patronage of the Crown. Ile felt that the natural tendency
of growing power was to augment itself wherever an oppor-
tunity presented itself. Let the question be brought forward
in a general manner. He thought the Chancellor of the Ex-
chequer would act somewhat boldly in referring to cases of a
similar nature. If he ( Sir James Graham) mistook not, he
believed it to be a fact that Mr. Hay had been compelled to
retire from the Colonial Office upon a compensation allow-
ance in order to make way for Mr. Stephen, and that a va-
cancy was reated at the Board of Trade, to which Mr. Le
Marchaet was appointed.—( Hear, hear, hear.) He thought
the Honourable Member for Kilkenny was usefully employed
in applying his attention to subjects of this nature. And if,
instead of attempting high flights upon questions of Co-
lonial Policy, lie would be content to skim along the
mud of official proceedings, he would, in calling the
attention to such subjects, be usefully employed. Let
the Hon. Member fur Kilkenny give the House an opportunity
to ascertain how far her Majesty's Government had carried into
effect the promise of Lord Althorp that the reign of patronage
was at an end. If the Hon. Member afforded that opportu-
nity, he trusted he would be able to show that there never was
a Government in England which exercised the patronage of
the Crown with a more direct and exclusive view to the aug-
mentation of their own political power than the Right Hon.
Gentlemen opposite.
Mr. BARING—The Right lion. Baronet had dealt so
fairly with the general question, that it was not his intention
to trouble the House, but the Right lion. Baronet could not
s't down without an attack on those valued friends of his of
whom he had spoken so kindly. To the attack which the
Right Hon. Baronet had threatened, he could only say, that
whenever he brought the question before the House he would
be ready to meet him, and to rest the defence of the Govern-
ment either on their own conduct, or on a comparison with
the conduct of other Governments, which ever way the
Right Honourable Baronet chose to take it. He hoped,
however, the Right Hon. Baronet would be more accurate in
his facts than lie was with respect to the cases alluded to.
With respect to Mr. Hay, that case had already been discussed
in the House, and the Right Hon. Baronet appeared to for-
get that the superannuation granted was in the nature of a
political pension, granted by the Government who had pre-
ceeded them in office. He thought the Right Hon. Baronet
had been long enough in office to know that a gentleman of the
name of Lack had, at the termination of fifty years' service,
applied for the retired allowance, and that Mr. Lo Merchant
had been appointed to succeed him.
Mr. P. THOMSON said that as he was responsible for
the appointment alluded to, he begged leave to explain how
it was that Mr. Le Merchant came to the Board of Trade.
Mr. Stephens had received a salary of 5001. a year as Counsel
to the Board ; and when Mr. Lack, after 50 years' service,
applied for superannuation, it occurred to him (Mr. Thom-
son) that the salary received by Mr. Stephens might be saved
by appointing a member of the legal profession Under Secre-
tary to the Board. It was for this reason that Mr. Le Mar-
chant was appointed.
Mr. HUME, in answer to a question put by an Hon.
Member below him, begged to disclaim any motive of a per-
tonal nature in making Isis motion.
Strangers were then ordered to withdraw.
On returning to the gallery we found the numbers to bey
For the motion ........................... 29
Against it ............................. 202
Majority ..................... 173
Lord J. RUSSELL stated that it was his intention on
Friday next to call the attention of the House to their mo-
tion of the llth of June, 1833, and the 30th of June, 1835,
respecting the right of the Speaker to strike certain voters off
the registry.
Lord STANLEY requested that his Lordship would so
far consult the convenience of the House as to state what was
the specific nature of his motion.
Lord J. RUSSELL said that it wait his intention to pro-
pose the amendment of the resolution of 1835. It appeared
to him, and to the law officers of the Crown, that the statutes
having reference to representation in Ireland not containing
provisions similar to the English Act the House had not peace
to strike voters off; ho would, therefore, propose to make the
resolution consistent with the Act of Parliament.
BRITISH AND BELGIAN LINENS.
Mr. R. PARK E wished to ask the Right Hon. the Secre-
tary for the Board of Trade whether he had heard that it was
the intention of the French Government to admit the linens of