Star.
London, England, 1812-04-10 00:00:00

HOUSE. OF COMMONS.

Mr. Goy:Amax presented certain Papers relative to the Li-
cense Trade.—Ordered to lie on the table.
Lord Gowt It presented a Petition from the Merchants of Wal-
tham against the East-India Monopoly.
Mr. CALCRAFT presented a Petition from Henry Portman,
Esq. against the Paddington and Limehouse Canal Bill.—Order-
ed to be referred to a Committee.
Mr. MACDONALD presented an account of the permanent and
war taxes, for 1611, distinguishing each quarter.—Ordered to lie
on the table.

Mr. FULLER presented a Petition from the innkeeper: of Sus-
sex, praying for en increase of Innkeepers' allowance. After a
few words from Lord PALMUS rote and Sir C. BURRELL it was
ordered to be brought up.
Mr. LYTTL!TON postponed his motion relative to the amend.
ment of the 22d of Geo. 111. to the Gth of May.
Lord A. HAMILTON gave notice of his Intention on a near day
to move, that during the continuance of the Gold Coin Bill, the
Directors of the Bank of England should not make any larger
payment of dividends than they do at present.
Mr. P. Moose presented three Petitions La favour of the Sea-
water Baths Bill, one from the City of Loudon, another front the
City of Westminster, and the third front the College of l'hysi-
chins. Mr. Moo R e then moved the second reading of the £IIL
it was opposed by Admiral HARVEY and Lord HLNNIKER, aud
supported by Mr. Hume and Mr. Cue wex.—The House divi-
ded, and it was lost by 3 majority of 12; the numbers being 17
for, and 29 against it.

EXPORTATION OF RIC&
Mr..LYTTLETON asked the Right Honourable
Gentleman (the Chancellor of the Exchequer) if it
was true, that ships laden with rice were in the river
ready to sail under the authority of licenses ? In the
present scarcity of grain, he thought an answer to
this question cz•tremely necessary.
The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER not appearing
inclined to rise,

Mr. WHITBREAD pressed the question. He
observed, that in the present scarcity of provision
throughout the Empire, the exportation of rice to
the enemy's country was a subject of the utmost im-
portance._.

- The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER
said, that if licenses were to be panted at all, he
knew no particular law against the exportation of
rice. It might be a very serious question, whether
the importation of rice might not be prevented, and
its price, therefore, raised, by not suffering it to be
exported.
Mr. WHITBREAD was not satisfied with this
explanation.
The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER
said farther, that the word rice" was omitted lately
in the licenses, on account of some representations
to the Board of Trade.

Some few observations more were made by Mr.
WHITBREAD, the CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER, and
Mr. LYTTLE•TON, and the conversation dropped.

MARTINIQUE SUGARS.

Sir JOHN NEWPORT called the attention of the
House to the system of conducting the Finan:ial
Affairs of Ireland. He complained that the collec-
tion of the revenue there was not intrusted to a re.
sponsible Board, and that a higher duty was charged
on imported Martinique sugars than was allowed by
law on colonial produce introduced into England.--
There were sore papers before the House from which
this latter fact was evident ; and he should therefore
move a resolution, which would be nothing more
than embodying in a contracted form the substance
of these papers.—Having moved his resolution,
Mr. W. POLE briefly defended the Board of Cus-
toms and the Treasury Board in Ireland.

- -
Mr. PARNELL condemned generally the policy
on which the financial concerns of Ireland were con-
ducted.

The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER
said this was the most extraordinary motion he had
ever known to be attempted `..0 be brought before the
House. No ground had been laid before them, no
character had been given to the resolutions either of
praise or blame ; and as so much of the time of the
House had been already taken up to no purpose, he
felt it his duty to move the previous question.
Sir JOHN NEWPORT insisted that a character
had been given to the Resolutions. One of them
particularly complained that the regulation of the
duties on excise and customs had been assumed and
acted on by the,Executive Power, without any appli-
cation to thg Board ofTreasury, to which department
they belonged. That when he shewed this to the
late Chancellor of the Irish Exchequer (Mr. Foster),
he was absolutely amazed at the transaction, and
could scarcely bring himself to credit it : but the fact
was, that of which another of the resolutions com-
plained, viz, that the Right Honourable Secretary
had a preponderating influence in Ireland—that he
was the sole organ of Government, and no other
person had any will under it. The Right Honour.
able Gentleman himself had frequently proclaimed it
to the House, and it was now fully evinced. He wit
therefore surprised the Right Hon. Gentleman should
have stept in with the previous question.
After a few words from Mr. POLR, the CHART.
CFL;,OR of the ficurouEn, and Sir JOHN NEWPORT,
in explanation,
A division took place on the original question—
For the Resolutions 11—Against them 36.

BOARD OF CONTROL.
Mr. CREEVEYrose to make the motion of which
he had giien notice. He said; that when the Board
of Control was first instituted in 1784., it was held
out to the House and the country, that the offices of
President and Vice-President were always to be tilled
by those who held other high and lucrative offices of
State, and who would therefore dischirge the duties
of Pres!dm; and Vice.Preident of the Board of Con•
4;01 without any salary: The late Lord Melville hada

however, brought in a bill to provide a salary of
£9OOO a-year for the President, and had received it
for some years, though he possessed the sinecure place
of Privy Seal for Scotland. The present Lord Mel-
vine had, last Session, brought in a bill to increase
the salary of the President to £5OOO a-year. He,
(Mr. Creevey) had opposed that Bill on the ground
above alluded to, that it was' originally held out to
the public, that the office of President was to be dis- '
charged by whoever held it without any salary. The
bill, however, passed, and the Noble Lord had ever
since received the salary of £5OOO a-year, though he
had since been appointed to the sinecure, held by his
deceased father, of Privy Seal for Scotland, which
amounted to £9500 a-year. The Earl of Bucking-
' hamshire had lately been appointed by the Prince
I Regent to the office of President of the Board of
Controul. That Noble Earl held a sinecure office in
Ireland of £ll,OOO ayear, though he had never been
in any higher situation in that country than Chief
I Secretary. He had also a pension granted by the
East-India Company of£lsoo ; and the £5OOO
a-year as President, would alit:Tether amount to
£17,000 a-year. He thought it his duty, therefore,
to move for the papers which he now did, for the pur-
pose of ascertaining this, in order to ground on them
a future motion on this subject, and would therefore
move for “Copies of all Warrants under the King's
Sign Manual, directing the amount of the salaries of
Lord Melville as President of the Board of Controul,
and of Lord Buckinghamshire to the same office."
The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER
said, the objections of the Hon. Gentleman to the
, increase of the salary of the President to £5,000 a.
I year had been over-ruled by Parliament. Since then,l
it was true, the Noble Lord (Melville) had been lap-
pointed Privy Seal for Scotland ; but the appoint-
ment was only temporary, and the Noble Lord had
never received a shilling of the salary. The Earl of
Buckinghamshire had also, since his appointment to
be President, intimated to the East India Company
that he would not receive the salary.
Mr. WHITBREAD said, that he understood the
pension to the Earl of Buckinghamshire ceased with
the Company's charter; and he thought it was rather
extraordinary he should be placed at the head of the
Board of Control, at a time when the question of
O• renewal of that Charter was about to be brought
forward, in which he must of course be eventually
interested.

The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER
said, he thought that when the character of the Earl
of Buckinghamshire was considered, the objection
just mentioned by the Hon. Gentleman could be of,
no avail, unless it constituted a legal objection.
Mr. WH ITBR E AD said, whether the Noble Lord
was properly or improperly rewarded, was not the
question—he was not speaking of the Earl of Buck-
inghamshire, but of men—and the true question was,
whether the man who is President of the Board of
Control, is not interested in the renewal of the Com-
pany's Charter t and he supposed that interested mo-1
tives firmed the strongest ground-work even of legal
objection.—The motion was then agreed to.