Star.
London, England, 1831-07-12 00:00:00

SIN A. B. KING'S PATENT.

* Mr. S. RICI;;;;IT;reTiO1;tiOn, that 15 7981. for retired i
allowances to persons formerly employed in certain public
departments.
Mr. 0. DAWSON rose, for the purpose of bringing for- !
ward the cue of Sir A. B. King, which intention was
greeted with cries of " no ; go on ; not to night, &c." He
observed, that if he did not bring it forward to night, he
knew not when it could be brought forward—(Go on.) The
Iron. member proceeded. He expressed the hope that the
case would not suffer from being brought forward by an op-
ponent of the government. He briefly stated the case. The
patent had been enjoyed by Sir A. B. King's family since
1790. He admitted the length of time might not make much
in air A. B. King's favour. The possession of the patent
to serve all the Government offices in Ireland with station-
ary was admitted, and that no case of delinquency had
been made out. The patent, he admitted, was granted to
be possessed " during pleasure"— (hear) and therefore was
retocable by the Crown. (Hear.) It was heretofore felt
that it might be beneficial to the public service to procure
the surrender of the patent ; and to accomplish that object
a negotiation was opened with Sir A. King. A long cor-
respondence enructl—and the case was eventually referred
to arbitration, to ascertain what would be an equivalent
for the surrender of the profits of the office. The arbitra-
tors agreed that 2.5001. per annum would be an adequate
ren!urteration. being 13; per cent. profit on the goods
supplied. The award was made after the late Ministers had
gee ted effice ; had they continued in office, be had no he-
sitation in saying that the award would have been confirmed
by a Treasury minute. He had expected that the present
Irin lawn would have pursued that course, as Sir A. King
bad received one year's allowance. The patent might be
r. yoked ; but It would be unprecedented to do it without
compensation. He then mentioned forty patent offices that
had been abolished ; but for all of which compensation had
been made. Why should a different course be adopted on
the present occasion ?
Lend ALTHORP said the Committee who bad inquired
into the matter were not aware that Sir Abraham Bradley
King's patent, was a patent held during pleasure. (Hear,
hear.) When he became aware of that fact, and also that
there was a saving of 10.0001. a-year on a supply of sta.
tionary, amounting to 4'3,0001. a-year, by taking it from Sir
A. B. King, he thought the person who had long made such
unsmtons profits, was not entitled to compensation for life
when his patent was resumed, and that 25001. a-year was a
sufficient compensation. (Hear, hear.) With respect to the
compensation given to the Duke of Muchester in that case
the Noble Duke had surrendered a patent for life for another
patent ; and it was therefore thought right to give compen-
sation when that patent was resumed. With respect to the
nether cases quoted by the right honourable gentleman, he
should only say that be did not approve of them. (Hear,
hear.) He meant to say nothing against Sir A. B. King, but
merely that he did not think his case entitled him to further
compensation than he had received. (Hear.)
Colonel Sll.ll HORP thought an agreement had been en.
tired into with Sir Abraham Bradley King.—(No. no.) He
elan& it was a direct rubbery on Sir Abraham Bradley King.
—(oh ! oh !)
51r. GORDON said he had been • constant attendant
on tire Committee, and could say that there was not a
Member of it that vas not impressed with the opinion
that S:r Abraham Bradley King's patent was for
His Right Honourable Friend called Sir Abraham Bradley
King a meritorious officer. He would let the House a
lit:le into his merits. The annual vote for station.
try for Ireland was now 12,0001. in Sir Abraham Bradley
King's time it was always 22,0001. or 23,0001. One of his
charges was 3,3001. for stationery for the Lord Lieutenant's
househeld. The Committee Inquired into the charge, and

it was found that all the Lord Lieutenant's servants not
only received as much stationery as they chose, ants not
money. (Hear, hear.) The Lord Lieutenant a madman,
201 ; the butler, 161; the grooms, 101 ; the prdeners. 101.
(Hear, hear.) His right boo. friend was right, not to delay
bringing forward such a claim, for certainly it would never
be listened to in a reformed parliament. (Hear, bat'
Mr. O'CONNELL agreed with the hon. gentlemen. that
a reformed parliament would do justice—that they would not
violate compacts. The hon. gentleman said the committee
considered the patent for life—so did Sir Abraham Bradley
King, and the government on that understanding entered
!ism a contract with him for the surrender of his patent—he
did surrender it ; and government now refused to perform
their part of the agreement. Sir A. B. King had no con-
troul over the abominable practice that existed in Ireland of
paying the Castle streams. He could not prevent it —they
went to his office for the money, and he was bound to pay it.
Was his family, after ro long living in a highly respectable
s'ation, now to be reduced to mendicity by violation of a
compact on the part of the government ? He hoped it
was impossible. (Hear. hear.) He could not be accused
of acting on party feeling, for Sir A. B. King was al-
ways his zealous opponent, but he wished him to receive
justice. (Hear, hear.)
Mr. HUNlwas satisfied the house would come to the
decision without passion. He should not now resort to
charges proved against Sir Abraham Bradley King in 1822,
when. if government had done its duty, the patent would be
withdrawn. The case now was, that Sir Abraham King
had a patent revocable at pleasure, by which he was pocket-
ing upwards of 10,0001 a year of the public money. He
ought to be too hippy at having been allowed to retain his
patent so long—instead of getting compensation, be ought to
be called on to refund. (Hear, and a laugh.) It was proved
t: at he charged a profit of 100 or 150 per cent. on many arti-
clts. Had the patent been for life, it would have been
held void in any court of justice for abuse. (Hear) The
late Charceliors of the Exchequer had allowed 100.0001. of
the public money .o be wasted by that patent, and the
members of that Government should not now come for-
ward to continue such abuse. The country had now a
Chancellor of the Exchequer that would not lend himself
to such extravagance as had hitherto pervaded every part of
the public service, and on the part of the people he thanked
the Noble Lord for his determination not to permit such
waste of public money—(Hear).
Mr. FERGUSON thought the case of Sir A. B King
was one of justice and feeling. The Government had en-
tered ir.to a compact with him, which would be conclusive
it§ any court; it would be a most dangerous precedent for
one Government to refuse to confirm the act of a former
Government ; in all contracts they should be considered as
one Government.—(Rear). After the award had been made
neither party bad a right to retract, and the Government
was as much bound as Sir A. B. King.
Mr. Sergeant WILDE said, if Sir A. B. King had no
claim in justice, the present state of the country would not
allow hon. gentlemen to consult their feelings. The grant to
Sir A. B. King was a grant during pleasure, and if a former
Government had not done its duty in withdrawing the patent,
that was no reason that the house should now squander the
public money. It had been truly said by the hon. member
for Middlesex, that if the conduct of Sir A. B. King, in the
exercise of his patent, had been !nought before any clout of
justice, no jury would have hesitated to declare that the patent
was void by abuse;; and noAttorney-General would have done
his duty who would not have pursued such a course, who
knew that money had been given instead of goods. (Hear.)
He was at a loss to reconcile, with a sense of duty, the con.
duct of those who knew that the patent was during pleasure,
that it existed so much to the public injury, and yet did not
put an end to it, instead of allowing it to continue for years,
and then propose to give a large compensation. An arbitra-
tion had taken place, but not on the right that was assumed
—it was now discovered that he had no right—that the bar-
gain was made by the negligence of those who ought to have
taken better care of the public money (hear, hear.) Sir
A. B. King had surrendered no right, and he had no claim
on the public for a benevolence : (hear, beer.)
Mr. GOULBURN thought it was not just to refuse Sir
A. B. King compensation after it had been promised to him.
The Committee divided—
Ayes ....
Noes ....

•••• 103

Majority against the amendment 58
The original motion was then agreed to.
The Lunatic Asylum Regulation Bill was read a third
time and passed.
The other orders of the day were then disposed of, and
the House adjourned at HALT.PAIIT Two o'clock.

FOREIGN INTELLIGENCE.
PARIS, JULY 10.
TO THE EDITOR OF THE STAR.
SIR—You will see by a paragraph in the mi•
nisterial journal, La France Nouvelle, that what 1
wrote you yesterday, respecting the two contend-
ing parties in the elections, was correct; each
claims the victory, and each pretends to be satisfied
with the result. Any thing emanating from the
New Journal of Paris must be looked upon sus-
piciously ; as it is one of the paid supporters of
the government ; and from a very insignificant sale
it now averages upwards of three thousand
daily ; two thousand of which are despatched
into the departments, and paid for by the Ministry.
This is a tacit acknowledgment by the Ministers of
the power of the press ; but at the same time, it
is a very base and injurious abuse of it, as the
Journal du Paris, and all the other paid journals
of the French Government, are obliged to praise
acts against their judgment, and flatter men who
have not at heart the welfare of the country.
Le Tenips, which was one of the staunch sup-
porters of the present men and the present sys-
tem, dared to express itself rather too freely, and
received a notice, that its services were no more re-
quired; and, as the saying is, " no longer pipe, no
longer dance." Le Temps, being 25,000 francs a
month out of pocket, has reduced the fair propor-
tions of its sheet one-half; and from being a warm
supporter of every thing emanating from the Ca-
binet of the Palais Royal, is now an open and de-
clared enemy.
General Pajol has by a letter to Gen. D'Arriale
been endeavouring to soften down the harsh ex.
pressions in the order of the day, which I sent
you yesterday, and which had created a most
painful sensation in all classes. The Carlist plots
begin to take some form. The proclamation which
I send you has been distributed very extensively
in La Vendee; and it is stated that great military
preparations are making in Spain to act against
Franco, and that the intriguing French emigrants
in Catalonia are in great activity, with their bro-
thers, the Carlists, in France, and making every
effort to excite desertion in the French troops.
The programme of the fetes to be held on the
three great days, have been published in the Moni-
teur. The first is to be a day of mourning ; the
second a repetition of the fête of St. Philip ; and
the third is to be devoted to a review of all the
troops. Very few of those to whom the decoration
of July was decreed, have taken the oath. Rather
an affecting scene took place at the Mairie the
other day : Theodore Paris presented himself to
take the required oath, at the opening of the first
Chamber. The President told him to raise his
hand ; Paris raised his left hand ; the President
told him to raise his right hand ; but poor Paris
had left his right hand upon the Place de Greve,
and he raised the mutilated stump! which created
great sympathy amongst those who were present to
witness the ceremony.
I remain, yours obediently,

J. L.