Star.
London, England, 1814-04-19 00:00:00

COLONIAL RF.SIDFYCE RILL

Tae Or.;_, of the DAy bong read for the House
v,o;ng Tian 4 Committee on the Colonial Officer% Re-
sidc.ice ;

Mr. Cit VEY hoped the House would no; stiffer
the Bill !o got to a Committee. He restated some of
former argninents against it, contending that it
:vas not clitit.cti t:i tin! countenance of the Howe, as
it was not a measure of 'At an a'.:enirt to
sanctify the :;buses of the I.lSt t tlity yeats. lie
would stake his me that this Bill ,a as only brought
in for the sake of the clause declaring th •t none of
the provisions contained ;a it should b.! con:arecd in
any way to aflcct pace') already wtiich
caote within the purview of il:e original act. —(1/w-,
hear, and laughttr.)—For this rtasol lie opposed .t,
.ind %timid divide the House on the passing of tlii-
-1111. He shouid recommend what he thought would
tae a better Cow so for the House to take"; tint of
actiis up to their former resolution—to continue the
salary of the Deputy only, where the principal was,
absent. He had another suspicion. He hoped the
period of a General Pace was at hand, when many
of our colonies would be given up to the States from
whom they had been taken. The persons holding
situations in those places, as their offices had been
called " vested rights" by a Master in Chancery,
would, when these colonies were given up, be coming
on Parliament for compensation.—(A laugh J—He
suspected this Bill was intended to protect them ; but
submitted to the House that it would be a case of
extreme hardship if, when the Officers of the Army
and Navy were obliged to retire on half-pay, these
persons were to be allowed to hold lucrative sinecures.
He moved as an Amendment to the question, 44 that
the Speaker should leave the chair," a Rest:l(l6on
declaring it to he the determination of the House to
enforce the provisions made by the 2.2 ti of the King
on this subject ; which, to prevent colonial offices
being performed by deputy, enacted that the salary
of the deputy only should be paid while the principal
was ay.

Mr. GOULDBOURN replied at some length to
the stakments of thelast speaker. He denied that
the Bill had been brought in with the feeling imput-
ed by the flon.Gentleman to his Majesty's Ministers,
but deteoded the clause on which he (Mr. Creevey)
had animadverted so severely ; winch, he observed,
was copied verbatim from an Act, of which the Ho.
nourable Gentleman himself had been formally the
advocate, and which had had the support of all those.
Hon. Gentlemen who cheered him (Mr. Creevey) so
loudly while censuring it now.
Sir J. MACKINTOSH said it was true that there
were abuses ot non residence against which it was
proper to guard, and was ot opinion that to frame
some new regulations with respect to the granting ot
Lave ot absence, would be wise. He did not agree
with his Hon. and Learned Friend (Mr. Stephen) in
the line he had taken as to the vested right" which
he supposed Colonial Officers to have in the situa.
Lions to which they were appointed during pleasure,
but at the same time he thought long established
usages ought not at once to be overthrown to the
ruin of individuals. It appeared to him that colonial
offices ntiAht have been conferred chi pet sons who
()ad formed their plans ot life on a belief that resi-
dence in the colony would not be required. They
have been ignorant of the law on this subject, or at the
time they received their appointment they were possi.
bly of an age not sufficiently mature to be aware of the
nature of the condition which accompanied it. That
sersonl thus circumstanced should lose the income
whicl; theirwhole" plan ot lite had been formed,
.vas, in his mind, inconsistent with the mazimf of
vOie and liberal Government. He concurred wit!.
t iat great man, who had by mistake been said to
--- • •

the anchor of the Act formerly passed on this subject,
in thinking that 64 tenderness to an individual cost
nothing to a State y that that which was every thing
to a man, was nothing to the resources of a nation,
so the principle complained of was adhered to no
longer." To adopt now the resolution nioved as an
amendment by the Hon. Gentleman (Mr. Creevey),
to compel those holding et•hmial offices to reside,
would he to compel the greater part of them to re-
' sign. Doing this, they would rew. r 1 the exertions
of the present Government. by thri wing into thvir
hands a great deal of pistronage, the tesuit of long
connivance of abase. Was it thought the present
Administration was so superior to the Ministers who
had preceded them, that the patronage improperly
exercised by them would be unexceptionably employ-
ed by these in rewarding that distinguished valour
which, displayed by sea and land, had placed this
country so high in the estimation of the world ? He
for his part was not disposed to pay their virtue so
high a compliment as to assume that they were so
much better than all who had gone before them.—
He could not see the wisdom of placing such bound-
less confidence in them, to the ruin of in:iny
fending persons. He apprehended the obkfction made
by the Hon. Gentleman near him might he obviated
by omitting that part of the clause he had noticed,
which provided that persons holding appointments
bctore the passing of the Bill should not be affected
by it. This provision, as he thought it unnecessary,
he could wish to see omitted.

Mr. STEPHEN thrught the Gentlemen on the
other side of the House upsnally candid, when they
had expressed their approbation of the BM on the
day that it was introduced ; but he now saw that
there was a nf mare of jealousy in their ciaiduct.
They now set their ingenuity to work, to prove that
it was not a 11of _•.. 2 "the clause which wits
objected to, as tending to destroy n only the letter,
but the spirit of the Act, cceild have no such effect ;
because, in the first place, it wits only a solving pro-
viso, and also because it was usual to introduce ana-
clauses in such Acts of Parliatrient. Yet did
the Hon. Gentleman (Mr. Creevey) by a latitudeui
construction that beggared all precedent, eadeavotit
to build his opposition- to the Bill on that clause. He
was surprised to snd an Hon. and Learned Friend
join in the criticism, or rather the. clamour, raisAl by
some Members about the phrase 66 vested interests,"
which he had used during a former debate on the
same Bill. He would like to hear the Learned Lexi.
cographet's definition of the phrase. To prove that
the Learned Matter in Chancery (as he had been
tauntingly called) was wrong in the application of a
technical term, let him say what is his intepretation
of it. It was known, that in law vested interest was
opposed to cmtill,;;ent ifeerra. But the Honourable
and Learned Gentleman seemed to have so much
iorgot his leAal knowledge in his literary pursuits,
AS to think that it was AM only necessary that an of-
nce should be held by patent in order to give the
holder a vested interest in it, but also that it should
be held in perpetuity. ‘Vould those Gentlemen who
had been s profuse of their sarcasms venture to sty
that the rights of no individual building an office
could be invaded, unless the office was held by pa•
tent ? This being admitted, those gallant officers of
the army who probably might be soon put on half-
pty, by the argument of the Hon. Gentkm
were not entitled to half-pay. Would the Hon.
Gentleman say this ? He had already said, mad he
would say again, that it was monstrous in a moral
point of view, and converting the public -spirit of re-
form into a jacobinical spirit, for the House to take
from individuals ollit.es held by such tenures as those
in question, witholut making compensation. He
wished to know how the opinions of the H cn. Gentle.
man could be reconciled with the provisions of the
Act of the NM of the King. but more especially
with the imp....rtant point of inducing respectaille per.
sons to reside in the West Ind.es. The Bid would

be most materi ally deteriorated by pruhibiting die
granting of leave of absence la t!loe conatrios to
which the pa, visions of the ail would be ex.ended,
it was known, that, 4tW:hg tr. tar notortunate circum-
stance of the inini,n,ity of the population in a State
of slavery, it was neLess4rv, in or.ler to preserve the
moral st amnia, th .t Earopeans should from time to
time return to weir native country; that, lake the giant
Antsus, they might receive new strength by touch-
ing their native earth. If the widies of the Finn.
Gentleman were complied with, this would be im-
possible. The publ c of Great Britain would not
gain a single shilling by the reform proposed by the
lion. Gentleman For his own part, he never could
be made to consent to the Bill passing in such a shape
as would compel them to violate the duty they owed
to officers who had vested rights to their offices.
Mr. CREEVEY explained. He thought that there
might be a vested right to an office which was not
held for perpetuity ; but not if that office was held
during pleasure.
Kr. P. MOOItE thought that the House should
be convinced that the Bill was necessary, and also be
furnished with information respecting the state of
Government of our different Colonies.

Sir S. ROMILLY disclaimed any feeling of per.
sonal hostility, Such as had been manifested by some
Hon. Gentlemea during the debate. He conceived
that the phrase " vested ihterert" could only be ap-
plied to property which could not legally be touched.
It appeared that the Hon. Gentleman (Mr. Stephen)
considered the term as in opposition to contingent in-
terest ; that was, in tact, calling an exittinz interne a
vested rig 3/4i. If the Hon. Gentleman meant that
offices, such as he alluded to, ought 11,4 to be a fleet--
ed by a Bill of Reform, he advanced a m rn.•-
cliievous doctrine, and the more so on 3ccoa .t
coming from a Member of such weight ui Lln: .
Mr. STEPHEN explained. He certainty ist.i
think those Offices were vested, which could not 1,.•
taken away without a violation of justice.
Mr. MAItRYAT spoke in fay.ur of the Bill, be
cause he conceived it would essentially contr.bilte t.
the prosperity of the West India Colonies. He stn.-
nuously opposed the rejection of the clause which ha.
been objected to. If it were omitted, a contingep
benefit to the public would be obtained, at the ex
pence of certain injustice and oppression to indiv
duals. He thought the introduction of the Bid r,
fleeted much honour on the Noble Lord at the he..
of the Colonial department.
Mr. WiIITBitEAD.—If any thing like a so
cairn against the Hon. Master in Chancery (Mt
itepheni bad faller. from hussy or any Member of
dis 'aide of tle_Hy_thg,_ viwltaGgLaysaigh,

41

I

would have been thrown away ; they would hay,
been mere istaellia Ida, so perfect and so undisiurbable
was the complacency of that Hon. Gentleman.--
Whatever it was that had been addressed by him to
the Hon. Gentleman, it appeared that he had brooded
upon it ever since it was said; and that he had con's
to the House warm with the design of confounding
his opponents. He could not help thinking that the
Han. Member's memory was rather infirm on the
matter in question. When the Hon. Member used
the term 44 vested interests," he conceived that he
meant " vested rights." For his own parr, his great
Authority In parliamentary matters was Mr. Fox; and
he remembered that that great Statesmen, when he
used the phrase vested interest , r vested right ((or the
terms were then considered synonymous) applied k to
that of which a person could not be deprived without a ..r
violation of law. The Hon. Gentleman, however.
has now explained what he meant ; and that it was
just this—" that Sir Evan Nepean has an office
which he has—and that Mr. King has an office which
lie has." Tee lien. Gentleman talked of Sarcasm%
:eel the taunting appellation of Master in Chancery.
For his own parr, be was net aware that there was
any thing efLre.ive in calling him so. He did not
know that there was any thing wrong in being a
Master in Chancery ; whatever there might he in the
means through which a Master in Chancery was ap.
pointed. The condition on which llir Evan Nepean
held his office in the West Indies was, so long as he
.h'mld reside there and exercise the functions of the
office. Was that any new condition They were
told of Lord Bethurst's good intentions (he believed
them to he gond) and these were to be proved by the
words of the Bill. But could any words be stronger
than those in the case of Sir Evan Nepean ? What
was his case then ? Why he had been obliged to go
eat to the West Indies to get leave of absence, and
' this enabled him to enjey comfortably the emoluments
• 1 his office, and (so palpable was the fraud) without
being obliged to go near the colony to which be wait
officiilly attached. Alter a short residence of two
Idays in tip! West Indies, he was qu ilified to enjoy
the emoluments of his office (notwithstanding the
strictness of the condition by which it was held), and
then lie had the power to return home, to use the me.
capitol- of the Hon Master in Chancery, and renew
his strength, exhausted by the two days residence—v•
touching a 5 sin his native eat th, he became a giant,
like the Honourable Gentleman and all the other
Antsei, who had held offices in our Colonies. What
had ueen said /theta ignorant violatton of the Act
was futile. Neither Sir Evan Nepean nor Mr. King
were ignorant ref the transgression of which they
were guilty. In 178'2, the tot trier Bill on the sub-
ject had been passed, and in 1759 there was a llagrant,
an undisputed violation of its provisions, which sirila7
Lion was now, forsooth, sanctioned by time and vested
rights were even taiked of. When the Hen. Gentle:
man alluded to the case of Officers on half-pay, did
he not know that the Crown might deprive an (Meer
of hall pay on account of a vote given in that House?
There was an instance of this in the case of Lord
Chatham when a Cornet if Dtagnons. lo order to
establish the .principle of the Bill, Sir E. Nepean and
the ethers should be turned out of their offices, and be
remunerated in some other way. When the Hon.
Gentleman talked of Jacobinical reform, he m 'de use
of a pm •:e now obsolete, and, to use a familiar es.
presume he would say to the Honourable Gentleman
that, when he used the term e jacobinical," he wee
a day atter the fair. Indeed it appeared to him that
the fim. Gentleman had imputed to his Hon. Friend
a speech which he had never uttered. .He sneee.esi
that the non. Gentleman, during the recess, while
indulging himself in dreams respecting the a.•proacht.
ing debate—wtule in the fervour of his imagination,
tie thought now he would attack this person—con•
found another—work this one with a legal atgumeni
—and strike down that one with a syllogism ; he must
have even anticipated the replies of his epponents,
aid had a little ago replied not to the speech of his
Honourable Friend to the House, but to that which he
had assigned to him during the workings of his fancy.
Mr. MAR RY AT explained.
Mr. WILLIAM BATHURST observed that
some Members opposed a clause in the Bill as tend-
ing to sanction that which was already illegal. 4
11111 had passed through the House some time ago,
which contained a similar clause ; and he would
therefore say, that it was already senctiolie I by pass-
ing that Bill. Nay, the Hon. Gentleman, by voting
for that Bill, had already, es lie himself expressed it,
" sanctified sins of thirty-two years standing."
Mr. GOULDBOUItN explained.
Sir FREDERICK FLOOD said he should cer-
tainly vote for the Bill, were it not on the ground
that it would be cruel and unjust to disturb ttie pos!
sessions of those persons to whom the pl..ces had been
granted, and in which they ought to be protected.—
Sir Frederick was proceeding in his remarks, when a
loud call for the question took place, and the amend.
ment was negatived without a division.
The House then went into a Committee on the
Bill, when—
Mr. A. BROWNE made some observations on
the clause which relates tie leave nf. absence, and
moved the following amendment : " That no leave of
absence be granted for a longer period th in twelve
months ; but that the sMC might be renewed ter.
twelve months more ; ani in case Cie absentee cont.:-
nned beyond two years from his post, he should for-
feit his appointment, or Cease to be a public officer
tinder it."

lati
.Yl4

•rc
•

Mr. 13ARHAN1 said, he wool(' prefer the. the re•
sponsibility which granted the lettve ..1 absence should
tO,ele it is, retbrr than have a nominal re.
He opposed vie amendrnew.
GOULDBOU RN ex ; I
p_a , that :!a• -1Ver.17,;
length ut A voyagr to Allti trim Nt•A' XV d •res
A .Is ten months, which would rei.der the y riles A'AVe
11atury. 'the Amenoni, lit v. :u the w,thdr."`"l.
Au uninteresting and desultiny ci,nversation
-led, in whicii Messrs. enta,vs:l, Goutnurttv, Man.
B.sultam, and LiltowNc, several:), spoke and
)4
te;ding the List cl4,ise, which enacts th It ho.
iing in this Act shall affect ex;stin4
Mr. LROWNErnoved that chic (lance beexp-mge.!.
On this the House divided, when tl.t stum.,t4
els', tor t.ie motet/0 9, aga•ust it :U.
treliepollrthiwtrPdaelr'ted.d t;ot7e)ugtellcelthse. jCritt:mmOtitree-•
w.
On the motion of the Cittsoilt.4.l,it of ute Lune,.
sums, the second reading 01 the 1:4-st-Iiitha shsvping

. . „
(AI M,

ROTTFRDANI, AiMll. IG.
karxing ACt...unts of what has passed at Fon-
?le c.u..tdervd as authentic, coming from
:he n' respectable Officers of the French

• of April, in the morning, Bonaparte re-
• • tn,cps Which he seemed to consider as his
Marshals and Genera 6, who hind learned
;;e papers :it, resolutions of the Senate and the
stonal Government, conversed together .n the
load enough to be heard by Napoleon, but
le appeared to pay no attention to what they said,
~r,d the review passed quietly. When it was over
'Ytirshal Fey, as had been settled, entered the Palace
wish him, and followed him into his cabinet, where he
-isked him if he was intort.,ed of the Treat revoltiti.at
that had taken place at P sets ?He replied, with all
the composure he could assume, that he knew nothing
of it, though he was doubtless well intorrurd of the
whole. The Marshal then gave him the Paris Papers,
which he seemed to read with attention, but he was
only seeking to gain time to form an answer. Mean-
t me came Marshal Lefebre, who, addressing his late
Ettperor iu a feell..'g tone:, said,=" You are undone,
you would not licten to the coon elt 6f any of your wrvants,
and now the Senate has declared that you halve fosycital the
:Anne."

These words made such an impression on him, Who
wed to consider himself above all laws, that he inane-
diately burst into a flood of tears, and After some mo-
ments reflection, wrote an act of abdicatiort in favour
of his sun.

Another officer, who was likewise a witness 'of what
passed, relates, on the Stb, about eleven o'tlotk, leve-
ral Gentlemen sent to the Duke of Bahian°, who was
mostly alone with the Emperor, to requett him to dis
Jude him from appeahng oft the parade. But he
would nut refrain frot:- it. About half-past eleven he
formed a plan, which he made the Duke of Bassano
write and sign with him, to repair with t;0,000 men
that he had still with him, to Italy, and join Prince
Eugene. Napoleon repeated several times, "If I
choose tog., there, I am certain dust all Italy Will declare
for me." On the parade lie looked horribly pale and
thoughtful, and his convulsive motions spewed his
internal struggles ; he did not stop above eight or
ten minutes. When lie got into the palace he sent
to the Duke of Reggio, and asked him "if the troops
would follow him ?" " No, Sire," answered the
Duke, ydu have abdicated." " Yes ; hut upon
certain conditions." " The soldiers," resumed the
Duke, 64 don't comprehend the difference ; they think
you have no more any right to command chem."—
" Well, then," said Napoleon, " this is no more to
be thought of; let us wait for the accounts from
Paris."
The Marshals returned is the night between twelve
and one. Marshal Ney entered first. " Well, have
nu succeeded ?" exclaimed the Emperor. 4‘ Revo-
i•azions do not turn back : this has begun its course: it
-.vas Lao late : to-morrow the Senate will recognize the
Eo,!: ).211116." ‘4 Where shall Ibe able to live with my
family i" "Where your Majesty shall please ; and for
cx.imple, in the Isle of Elba, with a teventie of six
milli.ms that is a great deal for
asoldier as I I see very well I must submit;
salute all m c companions in arms." Here Napoleon
ceased speaking.
The following circumstances may be added:—
Four days ago Napole•,n thought of passing a decree
indicting the penalty of death upon every one who
*wild be found to have a newspaper in his picket.
The evening befite his dethronement he made a.colo-
nel a present of an estate in Westphalia.
The Emperor of Russia immediately upon his ar-
rival at Paris ride on hntseback to the Thuilleries4
examined evety thing, and praised the taste with
which it was adorned.—" /hare found Paris very fine,
said his Majesty, " but l shall leave it in a much
more flourishing condition." Being sliewn the &I-
kon of Peace, he said, " What use could Bonaparte
male of this Saloon? What he came to the great Gal-
lery of the Museum he said, " Ten days are neces,
saty to see this tihe collection." Observing that some
pictures were removed, he said, " His character must
have been quite misunderstood if any fear had been
entertained for the Museum." The Emperor laughed;
though nut with bitterness, at the fear with which it
had been attempted to inspire into the Parisians.
The monument of the Place Vendome Is under the
protection of the High Allied Powers ; the statue of
Bonaparte, at the top of iy is to be replaced by that
of Peace. As the Emperor Alexander rode by it, he
said, " I should be afraid of becoming giddy it stood so
high."
Your Majesty's arrival at Paris has been long ex-
pected and desired, said somebody. " I should have
been here sooner," replied the Emperor, 44 attribute
my delay to the French valour."
His Majesty goes. every morning and evening with
some staff officers, to attend Divine worship in his
chapel ; made at the Bureau of the 'Marine.
WILLIAMSTADT, APRIL 12.
After having, been as it were tut off from the
world for four months, our unfortunate neighbours
see the near end of all their sufferings. The garrison
of Bergen-op-Zoom and Antwerp, on hearing the first
news of the great events at Paris, ceased all hostilities
against the Allies, and hoisted the white cockade, with
cries of Vi re Louis XVIII.
FRANKFORT, APRIL 6.
Letters from Geneva, of the 31st of March, contain
the following account :
" The Princess Eliza, who, •on tl'e occupat ion of
Tus;any by the Neapolitan troops, fled to Lu&a, has
been obliged to leave that place in haste, because
the English arrived only five hours after her depar-
ture. r,lie has left in her palace all the- costly furni.
titre, all her carriages, and 30 horses of great value.
'f.'i.e Princess arrived on the 19th at Turin, when hav-
ing stopped a few moments with her brother-in-law,
Prince I3orghese, she proceeded to Paris."

COMPLIMENT A LA FRANSAISE.WheII the Em-
peror of Russia (says a French Paper) visited, three
days ago, the hospital of La Salpetriere, his Majesty,
addressed words full of kindness to all those who had
the happiness to approach him. One of the Siam,
who WAS shewing this Monarch some patients, mad
through love, saiwere d, 44 Sire, there would
ere be"
many more
such ua France, you to remain h.