Star.
London, England, 1814-05-07 00:00:00

their approbation of it.- Sir trusted, *afore,. that
the House would feel every .disposition to concur
with him in proposing st furthrr reward to Captain
Manby--(licar, heat.) it would be rewarding an
invention which not only saved the lives of British
seamen, but the lives of serimemallOvst.r. the world ;
,r it-had now become so simple ised so easy, that it
only required to be known in order -to bogenerally
adapted.. Captain Manby had invented three ,mor-
tars of different sizes: the largest would carry a ball
with a ropi attached to it a quarter of a Mile—the
second would carry it three hundred yards—and the
Smallest, one hundred yards. It' was. lege,. indeed,
that wrecks did not always take :place so near the
'coast as a quarter of a mile ; 'hut when it Was consi
dered how large a proportion of them- happened
much within that distance, the practical utility of the
scheme would be equally obvious. -.The largest of.
the mortars might be carried by two men in a hand-
barrow, the .second more easily, •and.the third might
be transported. on- a man's back. • The facility of
conveyance, thereforerrendeted it. easy to have-them
applied on whatever part of the toast it-might be ne-
cessary. Captain Manby, however;d4,not stop here.
it had been found difficult some times to, fire the
mortars, tin account df the hea'vy surf. • This:he .had
reMedied by a very simple process. lje had alsb id-
'vented a ladder, whicP' Oeoulddso greatly.facilitate
the saving of persons whin. the wreck. happened neail
the shore, that he would • take upon hini,self to say,;
that if those ladders had been known wheis the Hales-~
well was lost, instead of the 150 who thih.Periated.,
not one 'would havi been drowned.—(Heirii•- Cip-1
tain-Manby had spent a great deal-of •tiissi ittidPro-
perty in bringing these discoveries to 'perfectiOn, and
he thought him a fit object for Parliamentary re-
ward.—(Hear.) lie should therefore move, that the
Papers laid on the table relating to Captain Manby,
be referred ton Select Committee to report therecin,
with observations. •
• Sir FRANCIS BU RDET r hoped that ;lie claims
of another individual,i Mr. Mallison, the inventor of
the life-preservers,) would not be neglected.
Mr. PETER MOORE said, he had.been reques-
ted to lay in a claim for a Mr. Bell, of whose inven-
tion_ he had been authOrized, by a Gentleman who
had called him out for the purpose, to term Captain
Manby's system.a species of piracy.
Mr. ROSE, in reply, read a passage from the Re-
port of the Committee on Captain Manby's Inven-
tion, in which notice was taken of the invention of
Mr. Bell, which was stated to be very ingenious, but
not at all applicable to the purposes which Captain
Manby's went to attain.
_ _ _____

Mr: WYNNE wished this useful invention* to be
taken up by the Public, and asked the .R.ght Hon.
Gentleman opposite how that could best he done ?
Mr. ROSE said, that Government had h4d this
in contew.plation. It wasfotted, that at an expense
of about £2Q,'X)O, 2.50 of these mortars could be
placed-at different stationsround the coast.
Mr. WILBEREORCE declared, that many lives
bad been saved on the north.eist coast of Yorkshire
by Captain Manhy's inveloon.
Mr..WHITBREAD bore high testimony to Cap-.
tarn Manbe:s merits. That Gentleman had devoted
the whole of his time and fortune to this truly useful.
invention. It was with concern he added, that he.
had alschendangered his life, for he was at tliatitime
in extreme ill health, in conseq4enc.o .of his perseve.
ring exertions .03).0e-subject. .With respect to Mr.'
klailison's.inveniion of the tife-preses-ver, it was cer-.
tainly an excellent eine, ana.ought tube adopted (as
it
.had' bcei recommended to be by the Committee.
appointed to investigate its merits), but U it Wert's*,
it could not sopersede thtst..of Captain .ganbz:s.
LACON 'lid, .that the crew,-o(..theiliennal,
wrecked last summer at Yarmouth, eoosisttng.laf
seven men, owed tilt :r lives entirely to Capt. Manby's
invention.
The motion was then agreed to, and a rommiitee
appointed accordingly.
COL',NIAL orricss Btu.; • •
Mr. GOULDBURN moved the think reading of
the Colonial Offices Bill.
Mr. BA LAKES, in a. speech of considerable length
stated his objections to the Measure, instead of being
an original proposition, it Was foiinded on a bad mo,
&id the Act of I Yid i.tan Act which, from its very
•Opitientioa, could not do atherwise than that vrJaiesi
it liad done, namely, coasting fail. The tramersof
they. resent bill, however, lalcied they had discOtered
• the cause why the Act of l7B9.lladmit been operative
in teniov;ng the abuses complained of, viz. the Mode
in which leave of absence was granted to the. Cover:
nortlatvd-Lieutenar.t.Goiernors, and to' reMedsg this
' evil they pioposed, that notification of such leave.
ihmild be sent to the klectetarY of State—that was,
to the identical office from which most cf the appoint-
ments in viestion emanated. Offences against the
Act were to be visited by a paltry penalty 'of £lOO,
.1 k was supposed that perstins would, be found to'
nem .sainst such offences; when in fatt,,indivi:
du its in possession- of 'data for such informations,
c ,be loivid only in a class in which it was not
prism likely than desirable they 'should be found. ":tf
drew odium should be submitted to that lionse,;the
egell.known lenity of that House would, in all pre.
directly or indirectly, let the offehder escaPi.,
with impunity ; and atter a single example of this
kind, the Bill in progress would become just as futile
as the Act of 1782 had proved: Instead of these halt
measures, from which no real velem of abuses could
be expected, let his principle be adopted, v hick was
• not to permit the emoluments of any publiq situation
tote so enormous as to afford the meansi the hol-
der offiving handsomely himself,. and of
,making a
handsome allowance to 'a deputy.' Whenever this
was done, an office would inevitably degenerate into
fa'ainecure, and he was persuaded that there was no.
effectise mode of remedying abuses of this kind, eitler
e •
in the Colonies or elsewhere, drab by the method'
Which
.he 'had described, .
Mr. BATHIJR.ST said, the measure of abolition'
of an offices in the Bill would be as open alter the•
passing it'as at present. If there was no other re-.
usedy but the subititution of a. depot y to the princi-
pal, the' retiedy Might at any future fiance be aid re.
cursed to,' question now was. *DO ibej' ren.
der the existing law more easiest time Whoa at pow
seat? -The elfetl.uf the Dill sOotlld be.tdiptilatote the
'Widest* elicsnore reipectible 'whits peitgation. btt
Our NV* lodf s. a than there witat present, 'Were the
nalades, be wcald aak,' mdre than' wet sitaalattl:
'Man lag the dudes of do* wi
.. •
!, •

deputy,, in so unhealthy-a climate? In his opWft the
salary ought not only to enable them jo lime while
there comfortably, but also to 'Save such a sum as
'Might make the remainder of theii.lives comfortable
in this country.
Mr. CREEVEY said, the question was, first, who.
they any Act ought to be passed to tarry the rld of
the King into execution? and then, whether the pre-
sent bill was a proper measure for that purpose ? For
his part, he contended that it, was not. They were'
now legislating on a leave of absence, the nature of
which was unknown to them. He had moved for a
Return of the Leaves of Absence, but the Govern.
went Offices knew nothing concerning them. And
yet they were called upon to state in this Bill, that
the provisions of it should not apply to any leaves
of absence granted before the passing of the Act.—
They were professing to carry the 22d ot the King,
into execution, Whio said, that patentees should re-
side where their offices were—and yet they were de-
claring that the present bill should not apply to leaves
,of absence granted ,to these patentees, of such a her
cure as to amount nearly to a total absence from the
Colonies. If this bill passed, he should be tempteas
to apply to it a saymg, not less recent titan the time
of Solon—that law was a cobweb, which caught the{,
smaller flies, while the greater .ones broke' through.
If the Bill passed, he. should move that the title of it
should be—A Bill to
,dispense with the 22d of the.
King, a$ far as related to 'Sir "Evan Nepean ana •J.
Dean, Esq. to &peese with the patents grinted Under'
those Acts, abd toconfinst the.leaves ofeabience•which-1
had been granted in contravention of.it.
Mr. P. MOORE said, that on a. former niglil/4,
whenhe had inquired whether Mr. Gore bad not been
recalled from the Government of Upper, Canada for,
misdemeanour, he had been answered with warmth
that he had not. He was now prepared to shew 'bathe:
either was recalled, or ought to have been recalled.
Mr. M. then read an address of thanks from the inha-
bitants of Upper Canada, for the recal of Mr: Germ'
and was proceeding to state the offer of a Mr. Jed-
son to prove the misconduct of Mr. Gore in hit.p.
vernment, when he was called to order*O• -
Mr.
W. DUNDAS, who thought the subject quite
foreign to the discussion before the House.
Mr. P. MOORE desisted from proceeding fartheir'
in his statement, which he did with a view to preriun
the necessity of bringing the subject substantifeat
before the ficuse.
Mr. A. BROWN dished to know whether it was
the intention of the Noble Lord at the head of die Ca
lonial Department, to continue Mr. Le Merchant in
his situation of Secretary' at Antigua ? He understood
that this Gentleman had formerly been dismissed from
the Paymastership of a depot (an inferior station et)
that which he now held) for misconduct.
Mr. GOULDBURN stated, that Mr. Le Mai-
chant had been appointed from the recommeralatinn
very respectable Gentlemen,. some of whom were
in the habit of opposing the 'measures cf ,Goverise,
meat, on the statement that he had a large family,
and Was the brother of the gallant General of th.t
same name, who had lately
„fallen. and that froth
him he had derived his principal means of subsist-
ence.. It was tree that he had been Paymaster of a de-
pot, from w hick he had retired. After his retirement
he was found to be indebted to the public, and had
given security for the rc payment of the suns, which.
.had only been prevented from being repaid by a legal
Pending the present legal enquiry. the
HOWE would see how impropid Imes for shim to ex.;
press any opinion as to the future conduct of the Nn-
ble Secretary ot State. They would also see how im-
proper it would be for to answer the Hon. Gen-
tleman on the flour (Mr. P. Moore.) As to the bill,
there 'was, he thought, in it sufficient security for re-
sidence, as persons would be justified in withholding.
lees iron) those who were absent without legal leave.
He should propose, On the third reading, an amend-
ment to a clause of the bill to secure against its effects
those persons who at present held commissions. which
would cease, on. the demise of the Crown,in the event
of their bei-ng renewed'to the same persons.
Mr. WHITBREAD contended, that whatevei.
;decision the Noble Earl at the head of the Colonial
`Department might come to respecting Mr. Le Mar-
'chant, he was as well qualified to come to it at pre.i
sent as when the trials which had been alluded to.
had been determined; because the whole Cise, as far,
'As regarded Mr. Le Marcliant, was before the public:
who had promised for a certain sum to disclose or
conceal certain facts. Certain it was, that Mr. Le
Maichart had been suspended from the paymaster-
ship which he once held, as would be seen by a letter,
in the proper office, dated 12th April, 1812. The
'case respecting this peyinastership, even as stated by
the Hon. Gentleman (Mr.Gctuldburn), was unfa-
vourable to Mr. Le Merchant. As to Governor
Gore, he understood that many persons had been
accused and sent home by that Gentleman, • who,
, when examined by the Secretary of State, had been
;held compkely blameless. Yet when they requested
a copy of the accusation against them, they were re-
t:used, and were also refused leave to return to their
appointments. Some of them however were appoint-
,toad. to other situations of equal value ; among others,
Chief Justice Thorpe. This he thought a grave
reharge upon his Majesty's Ministers—that they had.
,essf used these persons, who had been found to be per-
fectly innocent, a 'copy of the accusation against
them, and had suffered some to languish in want
niter having dismissed them from their office's with.
out cause. As to the Bill, be thought the drift might
be perceived from the Amendment, of which notice
'lied been given, which would protect those who
otherwise would be obliged to reside on the Colonies.
Mr. GOULDBURN thought it unfair the Hon.
Gentleman would charge him for not being able to
give an answer respecting circumstances which hap-
pened in 1809.
Mr. WHITBREAD had expected no answer.
Mr. STEPHEN observed, that in many colonies
'there were . disputes between the Governors and the
other Officers, and that often the removal' of one or
other party was the• only method to restore peace.
The Hon. Member (Mr. Stephen) was sure that the
House would not, be- inclined to lay down such' a
rule as must at all times- came colonial residence.
If they were to do so, he was afiaid the effect would,
be that the offices would fall into the vilest hands.l
The Bill, as far as it went, in his opinion, was a
,great improvement on the colosiial system. :• •
• The House then diiided Mithe question, that del
Dill be now read a third time.,—Ayee, 484 Noes, 8.
Majority in favoneof•the 1301, 4Q The Dill was
theartied~Adjouritede • • •* •
•