Star.
London, England, 1806-07-10 00:00:00

ROYAL FAMILY.

Mr. VANSITTART brought in a Bill for grant-
ing Additional Salaries to the Younger Branches of
the Royal Family, &c.
Colonel WOOD raid, he took great fhame to him-
fed that he had not, by atietiding his duty on a fist:.
ma evening, had an opportuoity of Bating his (intl.
masts upon the fubje& when it was originally brought
forward. That fuch a propofitinn fhould have been
fubmitted to Parliament under the prefent circum•
fiances of the country, and particularly by the Noble
Lord lb difiinguifhed for the profeffion of economy,
was to him, he confeffecf, no lel; a matter of regret
than of aitnnifhment. The Houfe in general, indeed,'
mnfl hate ben taken by forptife in this rine:ding,

for w thing had, he ventured to fay, ever been
'brought before Parliament in a fimilar manner. He
begged the Honfe to recolleft that the Noble Lord
had in the Brit marrow introduced this meafure to
the Houle, as a Bill merely to ratify a miftake in a
former Aft, but immediately afterwards comes a
propofition to make a confiderable inereafe in the fa-
laries allowed to the junior branches of the Royal
Family, recommended by a Meffage from his Ma-
jefi y. When the fituation of the country was taken
into view ; 'Olen it was confidertd that the income
tax was railed to ten per cent. that feveral perfons of
a certain rank in life paid feventeen and a half per
cent. and that, indeed, moll people paid not lef., in
' public contributions,than fifty percent. of their whole
revenue, the country mull be amazed to hear of this
Bill. For the illullrious perfonages who were the
objeLts of this Bill, he profeffed the utmoll refped,
and he would be very ready to pay his own propor-
tion of any contribution that might be neceraty to
the maintenance of their fplendour and happinefs.—
If the Lords and Commons were alone called upon
for a contribution of this nature, he would mat
cheerfully affent to it ; but, feeling for the people,
who were already fo borne down, he could not con-
fent to inereafe their burthens,particularly upon fuch
grounds as were ft tted by the Noble Mover of this
Bill. That Noble Lord dwelt upon the depreciation
of money, and the enhancement of provifions, which
fa much 2ff:fled other people, as a reafon for this
Bill, but he took no notice of this fat, that the
Royal Perfons to whom the Bin referred were quite
exempt from the taxes which Co materially operated
upon others, and that the amount of fuch exemption
formed a confiderable virtual addition to their [ata-
xic.; and alto, that each of them poffeffed either a
civil or military office, or both, yielding, in general,
not lefs than four or five thoufand pounds a year.—
If, therefore, the fituation of theft dillinguifbed per-
fons were compared Cu that of the Nobility of the
country, who paid taxes, how much would the reve-
nue of the former prove to be fuperior P and yet to
this revenue the Noble Lord propofed to add one-
third, which, by the by, upon further explanation,
appeared to be one-half. The Honourable Officer
expreffed his regret that the Noble Lord to whom
he alluded Should not have been prefent to hear thofe
obfervations, which a fenfe of duty urged him to
offer, and which he did not mean to addrefs with
any feeling of oppofition to the Right Honourable
Secretary, to whom he did not mean to impute the
flightell blame. For that Right Honourable Secre-
tary was doing nothing more than his duty. But,
upon the firll occalion that Should occur in the pre•
fence of the Noble Lord who moved this Bill, ht:
would enter further into the fobjeft, and folly flate
his protefl agaiolt fuch improvident walle of the pub-
lic money.
Lord TEMPLE had no doubt that the Honour.
able Gentleman ailed from his conception of public
duty ; but he could with at leaf' that the Honourable
Gentleman could have reconciled, with that concep-
tion uf duty, to poilpone his obfervations until his
Noble Friend, to whom they were mote particularly
addreffed, Should be prefent to hear them. Had the
Honourable Gentleman been in the Houle tr. hear
the arguments of his Noble Friend on a former even•
ing, moll probably the objections which he urged
this evening would never have been Darted. If, in
addition, the Honourable Gentlemanhad been aware
of that which was propofed only WI night, namely that
the ellabliffiment of tables, coals, candles, ke. here-
tofore allowed to the Princes, was to be withdrawn,
and which eftablithment was nearly equivalent to the
propofed augmentation, the Honourable Member
would have been, perhaps, Dill lefs difpolid to refill
this Bill. The Noble Lor was perfuaded, that every
jut refleSingman mull feel that an adequate inereafe
of falary Should be granted to the members of the
Royal Family, at a time when the rotaries of even
the Subordinate clerks in the public offices were gene
rally augmented in cunfequence of the depreciation
of money and the enhancement of provilions, which
formed the ground, upon which this Bill profeffed
to relt.
Colonel WOOD role to reply, but the SPEAKER
(aid he was not poffeffed of fuch a right.
Sir WILLIAM ELFORD fupported the Bill.
But he difclaimed doing to from any with to wort the
illufttious perfons to whom it referred ; not one of
whom he had the honour of knowing or of being
known to. From a fenfe, alone, of public duty, and
a with to futlain the honour of the Monarchy, was
he induced to vote for this Bill.
The motion was agreed to, and the Bill was or-
dered to be read ot fecond time to-morrow.