Star.
London, England, 1823-06-10 00:00:00

SUPPLY—LevwARIt is4.43;iin.
glik, 4)1 that the Setaireit lesweleat.Cbtor,
Y roorand sail, that nowlitilt-itbe .
"Kemp eras about to proceed SD grant a salip. of a
ltfru
should avail himself of the
tight to complaingrievance; thatzrievance affected _most injuriesia
the Leeward Islands, it being boih partial and op-
pressive. It was partial and oppressive, because it
too* from these Colonies a large tribute not paid by
,
the other ancient Colonies, or the newly acquired
ones. He held in his hands the Petitions of the Co-
lonial Assemblies of Barbadoes, Antigua, Montserrat,
distress under which they laboured, arising Nevis, and Sr. Christopher, all of which specified the_
great
from the depression in the prices of colonial produce,
and all of which implored relief from that impnst
which levied four and a half per cent. on the produce
of those Colonies, for the support of certain pensioped
Ladies and Gentlemen in this country, holding no
other connection with thoseislands but in the receipt
of the profits of their pensions. When he formerly
submitted that subject to the House, it was his opi-
nion that the proceeds of that, impost should be ap-
plied to local purposes; but since he had perused the
Petition of the Colonial Assemblies, it was his de-
cided conviction that it should be abolished alto-
gether. It was utterly impossible to describe a
harder case than that of these Peritionto s. At
a moment when distress of a most aggravated
character was felt in all the branches of their in-
dustry, they were called upon to give four puncheons
and a half of every 100 pantheons of rum, four
hogsheads and a half of every hundred hogsheads of
sugar to certain pensioned Ladies and Gentlemen,
who had no other connexion with their interests.
Why, the very statement of such distresses was suffi-
cient to make those very Lady Pensioners faint away
at its recital. What pretensions had they or the
Gentlemen Pensioners to have their resources sup-
plied from such a fund? And yet these Petitioners
stated, that they had placed their unavailing ap-
plications for relief at the foot of the Throne. That
the applications were unavailing was not a matter
of wonder, when it was known that his Majesty had
been pleased to grant pensions of £l,OOO a year each
to his two sisters, the Duchess of Gloucester and the
Princess of Hesse Homburg. He mentioned those
illustrious Ladies with no feeling of disrespect, but
he did think it a severe case on the Leeward Colonies
to be called to contribute to their support, after the
country generally had amply provided for their main-
tenance and dignity; and because, if an increase was
necessary, his Majesty possessed the means out of his
own revenees, his Civil List, to provide for any addition.
What claim had the Prince of Homburg on these
distressed colonists, to have his exigencies supplied
out of their property ? It was an wow en the prin-
ciples of justice. There were also pensions of £2500
a-year to the daughters of the Duke of Clarence—
the Misses Fitzclarence. The Duke ought to main.
tain his owls children, as every other father in the
kingdom was bound to do. The country had made
an ample provision for his Royal Highness; bet if
that was not sufficient, let an application be made to
Parliament, and not to those distressed Colonies, for
a supply of the deficiency. The sisters of the Right
Hon. Gentleman, the Secretary for Foreign Affairs,
were also pensioners on the Four and a Half per Cent.
Fund. 'That arrangement was made as a compensa-
tion for the Right Hon. Gentleman, after having filled
the office of Under Secretary of State. It should be
considered as a floating pension, now that the Right
lion. Gentleman discharged the duties of his Majes-
ty's Principallecretary for Foreign Affairs. The wife
of his Right Hon. Colleague (Mr. Huskisson) had also
a pension on that Fund. As that Gentleman held now
more than one office, it should also be considered a
Beating pension. These Gentlemen at least could not
deny the existence of the West India distresses..
It was because they felt the existence of them that
they • placed a tax on the gas( India planter, and on
the consumer in this country, that amounted to a
prohibition of East India Sugars. It never occurred
to them, when they relieved theilfest India cultivator
at the expense of the East Indian, and at the expense
of the British consigner, to Much their own pen-
dons. There wits another catibUs pfo6f of the know-
ledge Which Ministers possessed of the existing dis-
tresses of the Weat India Colonists, to which he
wished the attention of the House. It did appear,
that what with the depression of prices in colonial
produce, and the very great number of claimant
pensioners, that the four and a half impost on the
*agar and Rom vat not Ittilisione to meet their de-
mands. 'At House and country *Mild hear with as-
tonishment, that the deficiency, which amounted to
£IS,OOO was supplied out of tho.Droits of the Ad-
miralty. Was that to be eudureci? The pensions of
' these persons were limited to the imposts on the Sugar
and Rum in the Leeward Islands. If that fund
failed, they should have pat up with the loss. They
had no right to go over want:other fund, and supply
their deficiencies; out of it, behind filth**, of Podia-
Ment. - He cited the fact, at prevent, as a present' the
knowledge his Majesty's Ministers had of the great dis-
tress and depression existing in the Wess /radio Colonies.
On a future occasion he should feel it his duty to call
for the production of the account of the Droits of
Admiralty, and endeavour to ascertain who had
. moved his Majesty to order such an applieation of the
Admiralty Droits. If the House of Commons. will
'patiently witness such an application of the motley
:of the people, who will then venture to detiy the ne-
cessity of Parliamentary Reform?—(Jilts, hear).
Will the Right Honourable Gentleman, the Secretary
for Foreign Affairs, under such circumstances, be
content merely to crack jokes about the Red Lion
and the King of Bohemia ? What must be the con-
viction of the country at large at such, an abandon-
ment of duty P Must it not feeli. that though nomi-
' nally designated a House of Commons, it is nothing
but a private Corporation, constituted fo.r no other
purpoor.than to supply the exigencies of themselves'
and their families, out of the property of the-people,
both abroad and at home? ' He should not trouble
dected that ancient coins of bringing forward a
42one vlicuanms,eathit:tehemrommet.nthwhe ens"aiiCsuLpplyilewabsaiciicke7l.
. He took that course, because, to its repeated exertion
1 by our ancestors, the country, since the reign of Eli-
sabeth, witamainly indebted for those public isecuri-
• tire which it enjoyed. He implored those younger
Meinben, who both in that House and without it
maenad ranch greater consideration thaat arty_ he
; could lay claim to, not tosacrifice such asegrivilegeT-
-1 a privilege, the exercise of which, Lord Coke said,