Star.
London, England, 1822-06-25 00:00:00

Mist be Mustered, he thought they (Rd not savour
much of that ruinous influence of the Crown which
was represented as bearing down all before it. He
was ready to admit that constitutional jealousy might
very Properly be entertained towards a number
of persons acting together, who were very likely
to be actuated by a strong feeling in favour of the
course of politics pursued by each other—We/O.—
He had never complained of such a jealousy being
felt, but he complained that the Hnn. and Learned
Gentleman should argue that everything in the House,
except the Officers of the Crown, was deserving of !
the utmost stretch of confidence. He complained of
the assumption, though perhaps the Hon. and Learned
Gentleman did not claim that for himself, of exclu,
sive purity in the Hon. Members on the other side of
the House. But as the Hon. and Learned Gentleman

had made such attacks upon Parliament, the best way
would be to look at the conduct of Parliament from
thevery time which he chose as his period for com-
parison—the year 1780. LOoking at that conduct,
he asked, whether it had not been actuated by a prin-
ciple to restrain the influence of the Crown in every
point which could be construed as capable of corrupt
influence, and of placing the influence of the Crown
upon a narrower footing evenin Parliament itself?—
The Noble Marquis proceeded to take a review of
the different Acts for the abridgment of the influence
of the Crown since the year 1780. He directed the
attention of the House to the exertions of Mr. Pitt in
making the loans for Government subjects of open
competition. In the giving up much powerful meadsof rewarding his own creatures, the Minister of that
day could scarcely be supposed to have been actu-
ated by any desire of patronage--Weary—That, as
well as other instances, furnished proofs of large 4Q4
signal restrictions of the influence on the Crown
imposed by the Parliament, so much the object of the
Hon. and Learned Gentleman's revilings—(Hertr).-La:
The Hon. and Learned Gentleman had mistated thel
late Mr. Rose, is making him say thit Ms. Pitt had.
reduced four or five hundred offices, and created,
fifteen hundred. He said no such thing ; bat, on the
contrary, that 4.80 had been reduced, and 200 odd
created. Mr. Pitt, in 1804, abolished 196 offices,
amounting to 42,0001. a year, all of which teing sine-
cures of three, four, and five hundred pounds a year,
were those which a Minister desirous of retaining
patronage would be most loth to part with. Thus
the Hon. and Learned Gentleman had alleged that
the increase of offices was proportionate with the in-
crease in the Revenue; but it was found not to be so.
He had made similar mistakes in the other parts of
his statement; but looking at what he had stated,
and at the conduct of Government since the Peace,
he thought there would be found a sufficient answer
to that part of the Hon. and Learned Gentleman's
argument, which was intended to prove that Parlia-
ment was disqualified from the discharge of its func-
tions. He had not yet shewn to the House in one
point of view 'all the reductions which had been
made in offices since the Peace. He had, early in the
Session, shewn that a saving of 150,0001. had been
made in such reductions, inconsequence of the Ad-
dress to the Crown at the end of the last &scion.—

But exclusive of that, between the closing of the last
war and the Address of last year, without any call
from the House, Government had made an investiga-
tion into the different departments of the State, the
result of which' was, that 1699 Officers had been re-
duced, and offices suppressed, cleating a saving of
360,0001. (Hear, hear I)—ex ctu si ve of the 150,0001.
before stated. By the Bill of the Hon. Member for
Corfe Castle (Mr. Bankes), with those already stated,
2012 persons had been dismissed, making a saving
of 730,0001. exclusive of that last year. This shewed
that there had been no indisposition on the part of
his Majesty's Government to push the principle of re-
duction of the influence of the Crown to every coin-
mendable extent. And at this period an inquiry was
going on into every department of ptiblic service, with
a view to reduction, by Commissioners appointed by
Parliament. Having, therefore, shewn that every step
had been taken that could consistently be taken, and
that the principle was still in progress.to diminish the
extent of Government patronage, unless it was the in•
tention of the Hon. and Learned Gentleman to con-
tend that the patronage of the Public Offices should
be taken out of the hands of Government, and vested
in some other quarter, he thought he had no founda-
tion on which to rest his motion. But the Honour-
able and Learned Gentleman had not directed his
shafts against Government alone; he had reviled
the Parliament, and that Parliament which had
saved, not this country alone, but the world, was
now to be degraded, by the House coming to such
a vote as he had proposed to them —(H ear, hear).—
If he had no better means of attacking the conduct
of Parliament than by alleging that it one night
agreed to a Bill for the repeal of the Malt Tax, and
next night rejected it, he had better leave it alone.
For unless he meant to say, that a full House was to
be subordinate and of less importance than a thin
one, and that all the apparatus of passing a Bill in
that House, the different stages of which were in-
tended to guard against surprise, management, and
neglect or ignorance, had better be dispensed with,
his argument was good for nothing.- The Hon. and
Learned Gentleman said it was odd that that House
should alWays support the Minister of .the. day. If
the Hon. and Learned Gentleman would shew them
how a Minister was to go on witkout the support of
the House, he would assist him in return toa solu-
tion of the enigma of a House of Comments always
supporting the Ministers:- It was that Parliamerft
had always opposed -itself to those revolutionary
principles which were aimed to sweep all the institu-
tions of the earth before them, and cause universal
dis Union of the interests and elements of society. It
had saved this country from a- foreign enemy, and
protected it against an infatuated party at home.—
Throughout the whole of the late eventful reign; in
which was involved all that was dear to the liberties
of this country and of the world, it had maintained
one steady march. The Parliament had supported*
the Crown in all it had done, and was not the
gloomy forebodings of the Hon. Gentlema. it, nor his
open and indirect efforts, that had been able to irtest
its progress in its wit, and magnanimous course. Yet
notwithstanding thit it had conducted them through
a time of eventful lid Unexampled pen% the Hbn.
and Learned Gentleman stated that it was not qua-
lified to conduct the affairs of the nation. It had
saved the character of the cduntry, and he would
never stand by mid See. it 4eliade itself by Such a
TOW as that proposed by the 40a. aad Learned Gen-
t