The Sun.
London, England, 1828-05-31 00:00:00

instance, under the present head, such a, sum as 8,0001.
10,0001. to the commissioners appointed to inquire into the
government at the Cape of Good Hope. As he had men-
tioned that vote, he could not help observing how extraor-
dinary it was that they should go on paying, money from year
to year for commissions which had hitherto done nothing.
This commission was of five years' standing, and yet the
House had seen nothing from them but a few garbled ex-
tracts from a report, which did not enable the. House to form
any opinion on the subject which they were aplointed to
investigate. In hie opinion Parliament -ought to have the
whole of these documents before them, that they might
kno/v what the opinion of the Commissioners was with re-
spect to the misgovernment of which they had heard so
many complaints. Whenever he brought that subject before
the House, he was told that when the Commissioners made
their report, then would be the time to enter into the dis-
cteseion. He was therefore anxious to know if they had
come to any decision, and if the House was to be made ac-
quainted with the result of the commission of inquiry. lie
wished also to know if the sort proposed in the estimate was
to pay all the expenses of that commission, and if Parlia-
ment was to expect any report from them at all.
The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER hoped
that he should sounite able to bring forward the report,
and to answer the questions which the Hon. Gentleman
had now pot.
Mr. HUME said, that a million of money had been paid
in the course of the last 20 years for commissions of in-
quiry, in return for which, we bad only received extracts
and abstracts, and all sorts of partial and garbled statements.
Mr. DAWSON observed, that the suggestion of the
Hon. Gentleman for separa'ing • the estimates, might form
a proper subject for the Finance Couitnittee, but could not
he entertained on a motion, or in a Committee like the
present.
Sir J. NEWPORT agreed with his Mon. Friend In
thinking that Parliament had a right:.to the whole of the
reports, and ought not to be satisfied with mere extracts.
• The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER said, the
Hon. Baronet must have misunderstood him if 'he con-
ceived him to have denied the right of Parliament to•the
whole of the Reports. He had merely alluded to a . par-
ticul ir instance, in which the Hon.
,Baronet himself had
agreed at the time. • •
Mr. GORDON maintained the right of ParliaMent to
a full and complete report of the Commissioners whom they
had appointed.
Mr. PEEL on the part of his Right ]lon. Friend, could
not mean to deny the right of the House, but to expect only
such cases of individual difference as Might not to be re-
vived unless connected with sonic question relating to the
public service. .
Mr. BARING could not agree in the distinction drawn
Lmy the Right Hon. Gentleman, for he seemed to forget that
the whole of those "questions between the colonies and their
governors were of a personal nature. All the petitioners
complained of the gross misgovernment of individual!, and
it was to be remembered that every one of our great colo-
nies had now come forward with complaints. Villas the
Gallant Officer now at the bead of that deportment could
devise some better mode of governing the cohnies thin had
hitherto been adopted, it was to be feared that great evils
would arise under the present system. If it was to be un-
derstood that every tia;ng of a personal nature was to be
struck out from these repot ts, they never cork' understand
the question between the Colonies :Mad flair governors.
The case was different in any matter of a strictly private
nature,' though even then he shoUld be sery jealous of
leaving it to the colonial department to deride what was
private and what was not.
The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER concurred
in a great part of the observations which lad fallen front
the Hon. Member ; but he wished that tht Hon. Member
would give way to the general feeling of the House, and
not force a discussion relating to private dfferences upon a
public question.
Mr: PEEL, in explanation, observed, that in what he
had said he had merely alluded to privatedfferefices, which
were known to exist at the Cape.
Mr. HUME way of opinion;* that whea a public com-
mission was appointed, it might not to be in the power of
Ministers to defer the presentation of. their report, because
it contained maths either of a privateats terssamal nature:
—As he intende!.l to take another*opportutit, yi saying a
word or two on thesereports, he wett'allesve them with-
out further remark at "present, and math" preeeecl toaretice
an item of 6,000/. charged for defraying the expellees in-
curred by the Commissioners appointed tocarry into eNet
the 4th, sth, 6tll,.and 7th Atlieles of the Treaty of Ghent,
between his Majesty and the. United: %tate. of A. 5 erica
and another item of 2,4001. charged for defraying the
penees of the Commission appointed to carry iuto effect
the Stipulations of the Convention signed at St. Peters-
burg'', in 1822, for the more effeetUal'execution of the Ist
article of the same Treaty. The Chancellor of the Ex-
chequer bad, he 'believed, been one Of those Commis-
sinners; and, if he recollected right, the commission itself
had been appointed soon after the peaCe of 1815. As it
had already c mst the country between 70,000/. and 80,006/.
he wished to know how long it was to coritinue—in what
state of progress the negociationsavere—and when the pub-
lic was likely to hear of their having been brought to a ter-
mination ?
The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER said, that
it would be in the recollection of the Committee, that it
was arranged, under the treaty of Ghent, that Commis-
sioners should be appointed to settle the boundary line be-
tween the territories of his Britannic Majesty and of the
United States. It was found that such a settlement cculd
not be made without Commissioners being present on the
spot; and in consequence two Commissions had been ap-
pointed. lie was happy to state, with regard to one of
them, that their labours were already terininated, and with
regard to the other, that their labours would terminate in
the course of the next year ; so that after that period the
committee would not be called upon to make any further
grants upon this head. With respect to the item of
2,400/, regarding which the Hon. Member had asked
for explanation, he would merely observe that it was ren-
dered necessary by the convention. which had taken place at
St. Petersburgh. The Commissioners appointed by the
two contracting parties to the treaty of Ghent had power
reserved to them to defer arty point disputed between them
to any foreign Court which was friendly to them both.—
1 disputed point had arisen, and ` the power appointed to
decide it was the Court of St. Petersburgh. • -
Mm. HUME—There is a charge of 4,000/. for the com-
mission established at Loudon acrd Madrid, fur carrying into
effect time convention concluded at Madrid in March, 1823 s
for settling time claims of British and Spanish subjects. I
wish to know whether that commission has made any and
whet progress in the execution of the task for which it was.
appointed ?
The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER.--A ne-
gotiation is at present carrying on upon that particular sob-
ject, but what may be the result of it I*cannot anticipate.
The great object of it is to be relieved from the expense of
maintaining the commission.
Mr. 111 WE said, that this commission had now twat in
etistence five years, had cost the country 20,000/., and
had effected exactly nothing. Iu the present state of Spaiu,
be thought that we ought to put a speedy termination to
thi,e posannission. If we did not, we.-should onlylme throw.
lag Owl Metal after that which we had lost already. If
the finances of Spaip shook', contrary to all expectation,
became more healthy, we mold the;} renew oar claims
with a much better chance of success. lie else wished
have some explanation of the reasuus why 5,000/. was to
be voted to the commission for inquiring into the nature
extent of the' instruction afforded by the several insti-
tutisins it:Cland established for education ; and why 1,500/.
was to be voted le flies ConAkfop fps Inquiring into the
practice of the Court of Chaneer-sa
Mr. DAWSON replied, but in so indistinct a tone that
we beard nothing, except his declaration that both these
fi.orrnissions were now extinct.
11,1/Z4 ;hen proceeded contend that'the country
was now paymg Pr its 4ii;;qlp;sti,! services than "Y
other count's, in the hordes • time charge of
226,000/. on the civil list, for diplomatic services, -there
ii' s' a charge.of 42,0001. fur the extraordinary disburse-
ments of Alia;stars of foreign courts. Ile b
Viet after the Atomise usage wu this eubjTectlaiasdt expected
tlet)ir
!Mr. Canning, win's; relletion'would lave i,eea q.age in
this hraUcl; of the expenditure.' It was a alai* IthVr6,
i'w4ja;ol9Vlot°ll.4l.l'ree 'dvuAl7el:l ?or `Tbehechtity.w'asit'unaysliil79l!g,t. geed
Aliniters refused tYra4culti ;i;ii.o;ii wg'lthl o on,
was afraid, to the end of time. Chas sorry to See
among the presents to persons of distincti;i,so6/, charged
fur a present from his Majesty to the-Brazilian Chancery,
7in fhb eachasiese of the ratiticatione of the treaty of amity
and conimergi,* slieded set ao ,iay4;fo pus
and the EMpe- tor of Bri'zit; and agai 004 charged
foss
a present flann his Majesty to the Mexican Chancery, en fa
somewhat similar occasion. Now these charge,i were novel
in nieste,elay, DO ought, ho contended, to be disallowed
in future:. He vas green to undeest4,4 Ijise 41e451q 1444
adopted' the. law of the United .&:lAti, by VlllO was
utade penal I,i• anygef the'Public servants to iseeive pre-
s!ents firom loseige ports. ' He could scarcely believe that
this expenditure conld )lave takes Rlaeet ea it was, so dia-
metrically at variance with what he understood the lay of
,Ahlico 'to be. UeshOuld ther'efoire was to know whe-
therl,oop/: had actually been paid. to the Chancery of
Alexico, and whether such payment was not in direct con-
travention of the law of that country? With respe4 to
.the presents to the Russian and French Chineery, he vould