Star.
London, England, 1809-03-31 00:00:00

: char that may he made of emir= againd
• et
any or more of the Court of
• HOUSE OF LORDS, THURSDAY; MARCH SO, The above amendment passed in the Negative.
Tbe Royal Assent was given with the usual formalities, by .1 Whet: ballot was demanded on the original ques.
Commission, to Woe Public and Private Rills. Among the for- Lim; it was, sd Feta. 1801, lost by a majority
mer tvere, the Tobacco Importation, the Newfoundland ludica. : of 13—Y ;
Lure, British American Fisheries, Crown Office Clerks, C 411 voting for question, ag.ainst it S.W.
Impdrt Regulation, and the Spirits Wash Duty Bills.. • ..
orn i. The opinion of Counsel, declaring that it was illegal
The Lords Commissioners were, the Aecnotstior of CO. to exact an oath from the patties, was given to the
IL TEDUIY, the LORD CHANOtGLOk, and Lord WAusitacatAii.
The Flag Seed Growth Bounty, and theDever and Portsmouth , Court of Directors, preeious to the ballot being taken.
- - THE REPORT TIIEN PROCEEDS.
Wor'lcs; Bills, passed through Committees of the whole Rouse,
and wets reported witliput any amendment.
The (rib Corn and Provision, the Irish Sugar Duties, the If this House should in its wisdom adopt any le-
giskitive measures for the purpose of preventing all.
Naval Officers Widows' Pen ions, and the Eighteen-penny Official
Duty, Bills, were severally read a second time, and ordered to traffic in the disposal of offices under Government, it
will, in:the opinion of your Committee, be proper to
be committed. extend the same protection to patronage held under
The Private Bills upon the table were forwarded.
It was ordered, on the motion of the Logo Cu* notttog, the East India Company ; -but they, see no reason to
that the further consideration of the Roxburgh Peerage be re-
recommend any special or separate provisions as ap-
sumed, in the Conuui:tee of Privileges, on the first Tuesday after plicable to their case, judging that the East India
the Easter Recess. • Company. has within its own power the most effectual
Tistir Lordships then adjourned (for the Faster Rccess) until
Friday the 14th of April, means for accomplishing that end. It can never be
adviseable, without absolute necessity, to add new
offer.ces to-the long catalogue already enumerated in
the penal statutes ; nor is it wise to diminish the
sanctity of oaths by resorting to them upon all occa-
cions. Where solemn declarations have been habi-
tually disregarded, lade reliance can be placed upon
the sanction of any other species of asseveration. In.
stances occur but too frequently, where an oath
comes to be considered merely as part of the official
form by:which an appointment is conferred ; and the
human mind, fertile in self-deception, accommodates
itself ItAth wonderful facility to overcoming all
scruples, or applies a perv9rse ingenuity to evading
all restrictions which stand in the way of present in-
terest. Little fear of detection is entertained, where
transactions are in their nature private and confiden-
tial ; end the appellation of honour, most improperly
applied to negociations of this clandestine kind, at-
The Committee then proceeded to consider the
drafts of the letter to the parents, &c. a draft of a caches, by a singular perverseness, a stronger degree
of obligation to the performance of sech engage-
Report to the Court,, stating their reasons for recments, upon the very ground that they arc illegal.
mending this mode of investigation, as also the form
With a view to prevent all dealings in patronage,
of a declaration for the persons who have received
such the obvious and natural mode will be to take away
appointments. The consideration was adjourn-
all inducement to traffic in it ; and this can only be
ed to the 24th January : when a discussion ensuing attended by
thereon, and on the necessity and expediency of the making the hazard of such speculations
greater than the temptation.
mode of public investigation therein proposed ;—it The regulations of the Company are founded upon
was agreed to postpone the said Report, and to pro- this true and efficacious principle. But examples have
teed to act agreeably to the anthoiity and instruc- hitherto been wanting to demonstrate the determina-
tions already received from the Court. The Commit-
tion of the Court of Directors to enforce their orders ;
tee resolved, that, in their opinion, the parties to
no instance of purchasing or procuring by undue
whom each Director had given nominations, should means, an appointment in the civil or military service
'be called upon to state on what grounds they had re- of the East India Company, after such appointment
, ceived the same, in every case tint the Committee had actually taken place, and since -the Court's Re-
may deem it expedient so to do. solution, of the 28th of February, 1799, having been
The Committee then examined, V;174 voce, its dif- so far. established, as to enable-- the Court tp dismiss
ferent Members, as a preliminary to the proposed the party appointed. .
measure ; each Member declared upon his honour The immediate contequencb of the information con-
'that what he had stated in regard to his appointments tained in this Report must be, that a certain number
Was strictly true, and expressed-his readiness to con- of persons in the service of the Company will be in-
firm the same by his oath. scantly deprived of their employments, recalled from
2Sch January, 1800.—The Committee met to con•• India, and declared incapable of,again receiving any
skier a draft of a Report to the Court, communicat- appointment under the Company. The money
ing their proceedings, and proposing farther roeasares improperly given for procuring these situations, will
for the Court's 'adopion, as also a draft of a letter -be absolutely lost, without any possibility of recovery;
referred to in the said Report. and those who have either imprudently or corruptly
31st Janu try.—The Report of this day's date, with been concerned in obtaining what they conceived to
the letters to the parents, &c. and the declaration to be benefits for their relatives or friends, will find that
be made by them, was approvod. they have done the greatest injury to-those whom they
sth February. —The Court, after considerable dis- desired to serve, by inducing them to dedicate some
ctision of the above, confirm the same ; but resolve of the best years of their lives to an employment,
that the consideration of what is further to be done which the original defect, and corrupt practices.
on the said Report be adjourned to the 11th of Fe-1 through which it was obtained, must disqualify them
bruary ; when it was resolved, that the Committee oft from prosecuting..
Patronage be instructed to proceed-in the examina- 1 Hard as some of these easel must be, and innocent
, tion of the other Members of the Court, as they did and ignorant as many of the young men nominated,
with themselves. It was then moved, that the de- under these circumstances probably are, of the unduel
claration proposed in the Report be upon oath :—on means by which their appointments were acquired, ;
this, the motion bf adjournment was carried. your Committee are of opinion, that nothing but a i
25th February.--A Report, signed by fifteen Di- strict adherence to the rule laid down by the Court of
rectors, approves the declaration, and recommends I Directors, can put a stop to the continuance of Thesel
that the several persons to whom the same is sent be I abuses, and prevent the chance of their recurring.
requested to confirm such declaration upon oath. In the year 1779, when, in the course of 1h : inves-1
Another Report, on the same day, signed by 12 tigation already mentioned, indemi i y was offered
Directors, recommends that no further proceedings be I to all those who would make a fair and candid
had in this business, till the Ist of May. Both the disclosure of all the circumstances. through which
above Reports are approved by the Court. . their situations had been procured, .though informa-
2fith Febrnary, 1800.— I'he Right Hon. Henry tion was gained with regard to facts, no example
Dundas addressed the Cour, acknowledging the re- I could be made, in consequence of such disclosure, of
ceipt of their minute ; and stating, that he feels it a those who were found offending ; and it may be
duty that he owes both to himself and the Court, to doubted whether such practices have been less preva-
omit no means in his power for ascertaining whether I lent since that inquiry, than before. The'deficiency
any person whom he has obliged through the favour I of their power to compel persons to answer, precluded
of the Court, has pi esumed to abuse his kindness in the Court of Directors from discovering, if they pu-
so sordicrand unwarrantable a manner. nished, or from punishing, if they discovered, the
Sir Francis Baring dissents from the Resolutions to' traffic which was the subject of complaint.
call for the declaration on oath. I The oath taken by the Directors seems as effectual
The Committee of Patronage ceasing with the Di- as any thing which can be devised fur the purpos9 of
reetion in April, on the 18th ofJune, 1800,,the Court guarding against corruption, so far as the Directors
rook into consideration the propriety of re•appointing themselves are immediately concerned ; and your
the said Committee. Committee have already remarked, that no one case
It being moved, g, That a Committee of Patro- of corruption or abuse, which has been before them, .
nage be re-appointed ;" an amendment was moved, affects any Member of that Court. It is, in the pass-
to leave out all the words after the word " that," and ing through several hands, which happens
,very fre-,
to insert in their room the following, " it does-not quecstly Kith regard to the more numerous and less
appear to this Court, that any circumstance has been - valuable appointments of Cadets, that opportunities
stated to the Court, by the Committee lately appoint- • for this sort of negociation are presented, which, with-
ed for an inquiry into the disposal of Patronage, that ! out a greater degree of vigilance and strictness on the
can induce or would justify the Court in adopting the part of each Director, at the time of making such no-
illegal and novel administration ofextra-judicial oaths mination, it will be impracticable to prevent in
to a variety of persons, not directly connected with future.
the East India Company or the management of its i Your Committee may perhaps be exceeding the
affairs, and which, though it would tend to throw a limits of their province, in the further considerations
suspicion upon the Court at large, which no circum- I to which this subject leads : but as they decline re-
stances that have hitherto come to the knowledge of commending any special legislative enactment, their
the Court can induce them to suppose the Members view of the proper remedy for these abuses may be
thereof merit, would not, they conceive; be an effiec- , incomplete, unless they proceed to suggest some other
tual mode of bringing to light any such practices, observations.
even if such in any partial instance should have The unpleasant duty of increased vigilance is not '
existed." • ! likely to be performed without some incitement of
On the qudstion for the Amendment being put, the benefit or disadvantage, attendant upon the exercise
votes for and against were equal ; when the lot de- or neglect of it ; and it is equally conformable to ex-
.
cidcd for the Amendment. perience to presume, that patronage will continue to
25th June—The Chairman, Deputy Chairman, be abused, so long as no inconvenience is felt by the
and eight other Directors, • dissent from the Resolu- person primarily giving, or by the person ultimately
lion not to re-appoint the Committes of' Patronage. receiving it.
24th September—A motion was made in the Court Where strict examination is a duty, any species
of Proprietors, that the above proceedings be read ; of' negligence cannot be wholly blameless ; and it app
they were read accordingly, and notice given by the pears not unreasonable to curtail, in some degree, the
mover, of his intention of bringing the subject for- patronage of those who trave either not been suffici-
ward at a future Court. ently watchful in the disposal of it, or whose diligence
20th January, 1801-=-It was moved, That it is the has been unsuccessful in preventing the abuses which
opinion of this Court, that the Inquiry into the alledg- are complained of. As an additional check against
ed abuse of Patronage, ought to be continued." , those who are inclined to purchase such appointments,
It was moved to amend the said motion, by adding it may be expedient that a bond should be given by
thereto the following words, ~ to investigate any the parent, guardian, or friend of every person recsiv-

PA RL IA MENTIRr ..PROCEIDIVOI

-

HOUSE OF COMMONS.

The SPLAKER took the Chair soon after two o'clock. imme-
diately afterwards the Deputy Usher of the Black Rod appeared
at the Bar, and informed-the House their attendance was required
in the House of Peers.
On their return, the SPRAKER stated, that the Reyal Assent
had been given, by Commission, to several Public and Private
Bills--(for which see the Lords.)
The CIIANCELLOR of the Excel writ then moved, that the
House do at its rising adjourn to Tuesday se'nnlght; which was
agieetl to.—Adjourned.

REPORT
FROM THE COMMITTEE APPOINTED TO INQUIRE INTO TILE
EXISTENCE OF ANY ABUSES IN THE DISPOSAL OF
TIM PATRONAGE OF THE EAST INDIA COMPANY.
(Concluded from the S rn it of yesterday.)