Star.
London, England, 1815-04-11 00:00:00

such a sum across the table. If the House did not
I,el that it was necessary to require a Committee up
stairs, to enquire into the enormous expellee With
which the war had been conducted, it Wits clear that
they cared nothing about the matter. A detAiled re.
mart wai necessary to enable them to know What pu-
r
sl 'w ent should be inflicted nu those who had thus
diupiJated the public money. He did in his-con-
sci nce believe that the scenes of peculation that had
Likai place were greater than any that had ever hap.
lien& in the world. It was 1 IdiClllOUB to be objecting
across the table to miserable items, and finding tat&
with individual officers for having got a few hundreds
of pounds too much, whdo so many
muitons were
over in silence.
XING thought the Committee would see
nquiry ought to be made: otherwise Gen-
.!, :!.a.t have made up their minds to see hen-
ii,inds squandered away without the least
;„,, ,a what had become of them. II a Com-
"nee were appointed, it would be seen that a great
rATt of de money had been expended in the most
*Wed-system of Commissariat that had ever been
iktipietbince the commencement of the world. No-
thing c std exceed its absurdity i and he thought,
alter what he should state, that it would be quite im-
possme te:r'lhe motion for the Committee to be re.
jecte,l. U der this general system thirty or forty mil.
h,„is th,. public money had been expended in the
WAS a .subjeot that called loudly
tr investigation. The contracts for provisions were,
311Atk tlic n; low and ignorant persons in
Spain, and they pA.,I them for their goods and mules
in bits of f yet., 4,1 which they could make no use,
bug tie:es fawn the Deputy-Commissaries to the
Coneni.saiy General at Lisbon. These drafts were
passed tram one hand to another till they came to
Persona who were commissioned to buy thein up. He
w,:uld bring persons before the Committee, if it should
br aereed to, who would prove that they had made
5.. to 61 per cent. by this traffic. Even petsons
scsidiag in London were engaged in buying up this
I per. *Dos it would be seen that the muleteer got
seal crly more than a goat ter of his due. Never in
any pat of the would was paper at such a discount.
litre a .11.1n...tiny was created, which caused a scar-
ci v or spec,. ; wbde, it some exertions had been made
ac the beginniae, the country would have saved one
elitJ of the whole expense. This system had given
r 5V to the grnssest peculation that could be imagined,
a : 'mous for.uues had been made by individuals
c: alto bought up-this paper, while Govern.
n hat to pay for all its depreciation. Now when
v.e were in danger of going into a new war, and this
Sy; c.n; were to be continued, the House must not be
stirpr sed if the Minister gets twenty.one millions
retry rim, that a quarter of that sum would be suf..
Lie:it. He hoped a Cote nittee would be appointed.
The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER
ealar,d, that if he thought a Committee tip stairs
%triad completely unrav:i the business of the CUM.
Ili;Sidriin, it should have his hearty support —but he
C. tad 11.4 tt.iuk it would be so eff:ctual, as the Com-
t.ittee which was already on the spot for this very
pose. The Honour able Gentleman must be
atea that these would be no end to the itiqunce and
dvi.ty of sending for witnesses Hum Spain and Por-
ei.eal. He would be glad to have any information
which the Honourable G.:nth:man could
. give on the
I.l,ject. in order that the persons, if amenable to die
lt,vs, might be brought to punishment. H: wished,
t:, tt whatever proofs might exist of such mal.prac-
t;ots might be furnished to the COMMISIIOIICIS sitting
a: Lisbon.

Mr. BA RING replied, that the Right Hon. Gen-
t: : had misunderstood him. He had nothing to
t!..•0 as to the peculation of any particular individual
easing to Gortrautent but had only complained
ni the s! stem which had been pursued under the sane-
-41 a Garernment ; for any Gentleman who chose
tr.t ,streit his nriney to Lisbon for the purpose
u€ hp these b lls, and there was no law to
clew. The object of a. r arli.imentary enquiry
~,nl,l to stop such an egregious waste of public
.9:ivy te.r the future. While he was on this subject
1. t.:. al.l add, that he bvlicved the Right lion. Gen-
Lueell not state that any. of the Spanish ae-
c•-;:at from the beginning of the last year had been
114;51.01

The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER
thiAed the lionoierab:c Gentlediarilor explaining
014 it WAS not by any connivance between the Cum-
u.ibs.trivs that any sum of money had been lost to the
puo,ic. lit: was aware of the fact that much loss
1:..d bzen sustained by the depreciation of the
p ;per, and he did not wish to disguise it. The
1"Is' however, must bo paid at the value for
t:1:1 were pivot, otherwise it would be a tom-
rt,!n)ery. R•:spectink the concluding remark
' 4 t..e ii.ai.niraLle Gentleman, he apprehended that
1i:•e 10 the oiits:aoJ►ng debts had been verified,
;:a.y tally tem:tined u• be paid. From the inter.
r. pt ~n of ot:r cunt:Hes-Oat intereoerse with the Cm-
t!..•::,t, at the time of the Peninsular war, we had nut

I: • meal's t f pa)ito.: for w!).tt was required by the
adl.isariat in tirotlty. Rut be trusted that them
pn.s, e tot ow ever bin; ag i.t excluded
j: foreign but that Itt the unfortunate
k•L,. of any riLw war, we should be able to exert all
" t.s tam's to t' e bust pt.ss.ble advantage.
commtnuetl upon the abuses ex-
by Mr. 13aring. He adAled, that the fwch-
1. •y price of a mule in Spain was not. more than a
..,r. lle adverted to ttie enortnot4.4 expences of
I:). weir :Lit had jti•i closet!, and obierved,. that if it
" the or..;ect of Minitleri to plunge us into a new
'••••., toe txpense of 40 millisns a year, would be
*•••'.1,11 to bbia the invot belligerent appetite: he
‘t vela ills protest'against such a war; for hio'
4 pirt, wt.a4l not waste single life, or ruse
• :;i•,a?►,:.tgl,n• the purpose of motoring the Bogy-
.— :.• .hen alluded to the great sums paid to our
• it.sadois, to the Allied Sovereigns duraig the last
lieginning with Lord Aberdeen, who had re.
civi:J A 25,000 fin his particular services. Alluding
to L. 14: sums remitted for the payment of the army in
till tin, he &dated he had no doubt but that General
l'irtittingliam'a corps, which had been paid by us,
L i been the means of reinstating the present Usur.
p:r on the Spanish throne.—(Thar, hear, kar )—Hc
tcyietted the condition of the people of Spanish
A !,erica, who had looked up to us for assistance. He
wistad to know what had become of the £lO,OOO re-
hrized to Lid W. Bentinck, on account of Sicily,
✓el),,cting our conduct towards the Sovereigns of
1...11 there were known some very extraordinary