Star.
London, England, 1822-03-15 00:00:00

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Mr. HUME said, that as it must be the wish of I
m prevent mistakes in future, he trusted both the
motions would be withdrawn, in order to the forma.
tiou of a general and ettended Committee.
the CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER said,
that as it had been conceded that the differences in
the accounts were reconciled, he bad no objection to
the whole question being postponed, to afford an op.
portunitT for the suggestion of a better plan. He
meal/ himself name a day for bringing the subject
before the House.
Mr. CALCRAFT considered that his Honourable
Irriend bad clearly established the case upon which
he set out. It was scarcely worth while to p into a
Committee for the purpose of elucidating mistakes.
Mr. MABERLY said, that as his object was sold,
to produce a remedy for the inconvenience, he should
feel pleasure in withdrawing his motion.
Both the Petitions were then withdrawn, and
The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER ins
mediately gave notice that he would bring the suba
ject before the House on the 18th of April.
RUSSIAN TARIFF.
The Marquis of LONDONDERRY, alluding to
the frequent inquiries which had been made respect-
ing a Tariff reported to have been imposed by Russia
upon British goods, he begged to inform the House
that he had received a dispatch from our Minister at
the Court of St. Petersburgh, dated so lately as tl e
18th of February, in which no mention whatever was
made of the subject. He, therefore, concluded that
there was no foundation for the report in question.
BOARD OF CONTROUL
Mr. CREEVEY began by observing, with re-
ference to die motion of which he had givelhotice
relative to the Board of Controul, that he had fre-
quently made observations in that House as to the
propriety of making some alterations in th forma.
don of that Board. He had done this witt-out suc-
cess, notwithstanding that some late changes had
offered a favourable opportunity for putting his plan
into execution. The Hon. Gentleman then ~-oceeded
to detail the different changes that had taken place
in the Board since its origin. They all knew the dif-
ference of opinion, relative to the formation of the
Board, between Mr. Fox and Mr. Pitt. It wa- in the
year 1784, in consequence of an agreement bet,veen
the East India Company and Government, that Mr.
Pitt formed the plan of the Board of Controftl.
introducing the measure for its establish me:a to t:-at
House, he declared that it was to be accompanied
with no salaries, no offices, and no patronage, a: the
same time that he himself volunteered to become the
President of it, without salary. He kept his worJ, and
for nine years he continued to hold the situation
without salary. But in 1793 the Bill fell into the
hands of Lord Melville, and then was effected tl:4
change which had ever since existed from this ro-
mantic, gratuitous management of the affairs of Ir.d;:r.
By the Act which he then obtained to be passed, sa-
laries were appended to the situations of three Com-
missioners one of whom (Lord Melville), as President,
took 2,0001. a year to himself, and gave 1.5001. to
each of the other two. Another change was shortly
after made, by which that Noble Lord's family re-
ceived pensions to the amount of 8001. a year fr.-rn
the same source. In 1811, however, the present
Lord Melville became President of this Board, and
it was his opinion that his father had been too mo-
derate in fixing the amount of salaries, and he added
6,0001. to the sum for the support of the Board,
making 5,000/. the salary for the President. Before
he left the Board he received 20,000/. inhard money
from the present Company, and this, he thought, was
a pretty tolerable specimen of an establishment which
was to be without salaries, without offices, and with-
out patronage! (Hear, hear).—ln 1813, a new agree.
ment was entered into with the East India Company,
only two years after the preceding one, by which tl:e
total sum for the support of the Board of Controul
was raised to 26,000/. In this new arrangement, it
was true, no further allowance was made to the Com-
missioners; but a scale of superannuation was intro-
duced, in favour of the Secretary, and some others
attached to the Board. Thus, then, he had shewn
how this Board had come, step by step, till it de-
scended into the situation of a regular purchase of a
family interest in that House—(Hear, hear!)—He
knew it would be said that the Board consisted of
ten persons, and that was true; but then seven of
that Board were outside passengers, the three inside
places being reserved for the family!—(A
It was a real domestic Board ; and what, he asked,
was to entitle the managers of India affairs to have
a Board to themselves ? No interlopers, no intruders,
a complete family party, with nobody but themselves,
to do as they pleased—(Laughter).—The question
was, was it a Board or not ? Supposing any one
were to wish to see this domestic Board at work—
settling the question of a Mahratta war, or discussing
some point of Indian policy for instance, could it be
seen ? And what could be more instructive than to
have an opportunity of observing the way in which
they settled the knotty point of giving the casting
vote!—(A laugh).—lt was rumoured that the Right
Hon. Gentleman opposite (Mr. Canning) was to be
sent to India. Now what would any one give to see
the instructions of this Board to this individual ?
(Laughter).—He would not venture to express an
opinion as to what the Booksellers would give for
such a thing—for such a rich article as these Com-
missioners telling the Right Hon. Gentleman how he
was to conduct himself in his situation—what to say
to such a Prince and such another—(Laughter).—He
knew the answer to all this would be, that there was
no Board ; and he should be much inclined to coin.
cide in the opinion of those who should so say. He
would tell the House why he felt so disposed.--
It happened that he had himself been Secretary, once
upon a time, to this Board—(Cheers from the Minis-
terial Benches).—He did not know what to make of
that shout of the Hon. Gentlemen opposite; but be
must state, that during the thirteen months he was
there, there was no Board at all that he ever saw.—
And as he was,Secretary to it, the House might be
disposed to concur with him in opinion, that it was
more than probable he would have kndwn of it, if
such a thing had existed—(t/ear, and laughter).--
His Right lion. Friend (Mr. Tierney) sat in one
room, himself in another, and the Gentlemen Com-
missioners in a third—(Hear hear).—He was not con.
tent, however, with his own means of observation
over a period of thirteen months on this important
point, so he asked a person in the office, whether in
the memory of man such a thing as a Board had