Star.
London, England, 1828-05-31 00:00:00

IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT.

HOUSE OF COMMONS MAT 30.
Mr. 11. CLA RKR, from the East India Company, presented an
Annual Return.
Mr. Alderman WOOD presented a Petition from the Master
and Wardens of the London Lighterman's Company, against cer-
tain parts of the London Docks Bill, and praying to be heard by
Counsel against the same.— Referred to the Committee on the Bill.
new WRITS.

-Mr. PLANTA moved that the Speaker should issue his warrant
to the Clerk of the Crown, to issue a new Writ for the County of
Perth to elect a Representative to serve in the present Parliament,
Sir George Murray ham* accepted the office of one of his Ma-
jesty's Chief Secretaries of State (the Colonial Department) since
his election for that County.
Mr. HUME said, he was aware that that House was
not competent to interfere with any of the arrange-
ments that his Majesty might think fit to make as to
the persons who should fill the ministerial offices. But
still he felt himself justified. ash Member of that House,
in offering his opinion with respect to the changes in
the Ministry which were about to take place, or rather
had taken place. lie certainly had trusted that a new
system was about to be pursued to our Colonies, and a
system, too, which would, as far as practicable, remedy
the evils which had arisen out of the old one. The
Colonies required some relief, and when he loooked at
their condition, and at the condition of the Canadas
especially, he felt considerable alarm. He regretted the
change Khich had taken place in the person who was to
fill that office in the Ministry, the particular duty of
which was to administer the affairs of the Colonies. He
did not wish to dett act from the merits of Sir G. Mur-
ray as a military Officer. From all he had ever heard
of that gallant Officer, he beliesed him to be most able
in his profession. He believed that he was perfectly
obedient to command, and that he had always evinced
great anxiety to execute the orders he received ; still he
could not but look upon the appointment as dangerous,
when he remembered that he had heard the Gallant
General, in his place in that House, declare he knew
the British soldiers perfectly well, and that they would
like no system of discipline so well as that of flogging.
He feared that Sir G. Murray might adopt a similar
notion with respect to the Colonies. He (Mr. Hume)
had ever deprecated the system of coercion adopted by
Earl Bathurst, and he had hoped for a beneficial change
under the direction of the Right Hon. Gentleman who
had lately presided in the Colonial Department.—
(Hear). Those being his opinions, he thought it his
duty to take the earliest opportunity he could of pro-
testing against the renewal of the system of coercion
towards our Colonies, and to express his apprehension
at the evils to be expected from the appointment of the
new Chief Secretary. He protested against the system
of a military domination, which led to extravagance
and maladministration beyond all precedent. The state
of the country and the wishes of the people called for
a very different course, and he strongly objeCted to
military men holding a great number of those official
situations which, with a very few exceptions, ought to
be filled by persons of a purely civil character—(Hear).
Colonel LINDSAY—Sir, I find it impossible to listen
to the oh,ervations made by the Honourable Member.
for Montrose, without feeling desirous to say a few
words in answer to the observations he has made upon
the appointment of my Hon. and Gallant Friend. And
first, Sir, I will ask, whether it follows, that because a
man has botne arms, be is, therefore, unfit to hold a
civil appointment ?—(Hear, hear) Is a man, because he
has been brought up in the school of integrity and
honour, the less fit to devote himself to the service of
his country in a civil capacity?—(Hear, hear). Sir, I
cannot help observing, that, under all the circumstances,
I consider the observations of the Honourable Member
for Aberdeen, to say the least of them, a little prema-
ture and uncalled tor. As to the Gallant Officer, w hose
recent appointment has been made the subject of those
Asservations, I must state that I know no man more
competent to fill it. He had been long stationed as a
Military Officer abroad ; and had an opportunity of
making himself acquainted with our Colonies ; and par-
ticularly in that Colony to which the Honourable
Member for Aberdeen had alluded—l mean the Canadas.
For he was specially deputed to that Colony by Go.
vernment, for the purpose of making a Report upon
its internal institutions and regulations—a duty which
he discharged with credit to himself and advantage to
the country.
Sir GEORGE WAR RENDER—Sir, I can bear tes-
timony to the high character and excellent military
talents of my Gallant Friend (Sir George Murray), and
feel sorry that any personal allusion should have been
made respecting him. That Gallant Officer has, upon
every occasion, discharged his military duties in a man-
ner alike honourable to himself and advantageous to the
interests of the country—(Hear, hear). But I cannot
help taking the earliest opportunity of expressing my
regret, I will add, my dismay, at witnessing the fre-
quency with which our Administrations have, in suc-
cession, been broken up by private dissensions and in•
ternal quarrels. I confess that I, in common with

the country at large, feel alarm at these sudden and
frequent changes. I should look upon these changes
with distrust at any period, but they are peculiarly to
be dreaded when coupled with the state of the country,
the state of our foreign relations, and the state of our
Colonial possessions. There are great public questions
shortly to be agitated, as well in this as in the other
House of Parliament, which must depend mainly upon
the character and principles of the Cabinet; and I hold
iu
i to he a heavy responsibility on the part of those
bo. create disunion and distrust, where union and
' ...Operation ought to prevail.—(Hear, hear, hear).—
ch a course of proceeding must of necessity create a
*ant of confidence in this House and in the country,
and without confidence it is impossible that public busi- i
ness can proceed. In justice to myself, I feel bound to
acknowledge the eminent services rendered to this
country by the Noble Duke now at the head of his
Majesty's Councils, in his military character; but I en-
tertain apprehensions of the - continuance of his civil
career. I trust in GOD, that the military glory which
he has achieved may not be eclipsed by the misfortunes
of his civil appointments. I feel that we have a right
to call, in a plain straight-forward manner, for such
explanations as will remove the doubts now generally
existing ; for if the rumours abroad are at all to be cre-
dited, the slightest difference would again be sufficient
to dissolve the Cabinet so recently called together. As
other opportunities of delivering my opinions upon this
subject will no doubt present themselves, I shall not
detain the House further at present ; 'nor should I now
have trespassed upon it, but that I am apprehensive of
a continuance of disunion in a quarter where confidence
and cordiality are so necessary.
. Si! A. HOPE—Sir, I cannot help expressing my
iur.prise aethe objections urge's' against the appointment
of military men to civil offices. The House has now
before it the manner in which civil appointmeitts have
Been ffischarged; and !tont that specimen you may judge
of tbe .general Atuess oT military men fbr such appoint-
ments. Sir, I maintain that, geneisilly ape:king, they
have been the 'most fit and competent persons to hold
them. If yob maintain that a military education dis-
qualifies a man for a civil appointment, then you have a

right to say that it disqualifies him for
.a teat in this
House; nay, the argument will carry you the'length
that it disqualifies him for the ssession of every right
of a free citizen—(Hear, hear I) It should be remem-
bered, that the period was- not far back when every
aGremnstlti.mi
defence
thought
icoceof ihitsdcisho
t,onotroyu,raanbe dithniostbteoinhgavue blecoarsnee,
that professiontieno of h
cannotia beitis tight looked upon
a pos a citizen. n assuizfficientto
deprive My
Right Hon. Friend, who has lately filled this appoint-
ment, would, if present himself, bear testimony to the
talents and abilities of my Gallant Friend, and would,
lam sure, express satisfaction at his appointment. Sir
George Murray highly distinguished himself as Ad-
jutant General in the West Indies, and also in the
Canadas, at a most delicate and trying moment.
The question was again put from the Chair,
Mr. HORHOUSE.—Sir, although I was not in the
House when the Honourable Member made the motion
called for by the recent Colonial appointment, I teel it
necessary to say a few words upon it. If all I have
heard since I entered the Howse be correct, I think the
appointment of the Gallant Officer in question as good
as any which it is in his Majesty's power to make. But
I do hope and trust that at one time or another we shall
have an assurance that the Administration is perma-
nently settled; for I think it would be better that we
should go on acting upon a system in some degree de-
tective, than that our whole policy should be in a con-
tinual state of vacillation and change. lam sure that
all who have witnessed what has taken place in this
country within the last twelve or thirteen months, must
see the necessity of coming to some fixed determination
with respect to the Administration. Within the short
period to which I have alluded, we have had no less
than four Colonial Secretaries, not to allude to the other
equally numerous changes of place. Under these
circumstances, how can we hope for any perfect'
system of Colonial Legitlation ? but that we must
shortly adopt one, the present delicate situation
of our West India Islands renders perfectly evident.
Sir, when we look around us—when we see the state of
Europe, as well as of our trans-atlantic possessions—we
must feel convinced, that if we are not to have one set
of individuals, we ought at least act upon one fixed and
determinate system. In some of our Colonies, it has
for some time been unknown who was Colonial Secre-
tary. We scarcely sent them out the name of one indi-
vidual, than they were informed that that individual
had been displaced. Under such a system of change,
how can any efficient Colonial measure be expected ?
Let us turn our eyes which way we will, we feel con-
vinced of the neeirssity of having a fixed and permanent
Administration, that will have the confidence of the
House and of the country. As to myself,l beg to state,
that I am perfectly ready to give my humble support
to any Ministry formed on sound Constitutional princi-
ples, without caring from what party, or set of men,
from whom they may be chosen. And lam sure that
Ministers have had no occasion to complain of the sup-
port they have received from the Honourable Members
who sit around me during the last thirteen months. I
dont ask for this or that Ministry; but I say, that the
time is at length arrived, when Honourable Members
have a right to withhold their confidence, until they
see a peimanent Administration formed, instead of
going on like children from day to day, without know-
ing who is in office, anti who is not.
' Lord NORMANBY—I do not rise, Sir, to prolong
the discussion on the present occasion, as other oppor-
tunities of expressing my opinions on the subject will
doubtless present themselves, and the continuance of the
discussion is not very desirable or expedient during the
absence of his M.,jesty's Ministers. lam only anxious
to observe, that I am glad, in the present preponderance
of military promotion, to see the Gallant Officers, in the
absence of Ministers, lead up the advance guard of the
Ministerial phalanx so courageously—(a laugh).
• Sir A HOPE—There appears to be an insinuation
contained in what has fallen from the Noble Lord,
which I am anxious to rebut. If the Noble Lord means
to insinuate, by leading the advanced guard of the
Ministerial phalanx, that I am going to take office, he is
mistaken.
Lord NORM ANBY—I assure the Gallant Officer that I meant
nothing disrespectful by what. I said.
Sir A. HOPE was about to proceed, when be was interrupted
by cries of " spoke."
The motion was then carried.
NSW WARM •

New Writs were then ordered for Saint Ives, in the rem of the
Right Honourable C. Arbuthnot, who, since his Election, has
accepted the Chancellorship of the Duchy of Lancaster; for the
County of Westmoreland, in the room of Lord Viscount Lowther,
who, since his Election., has accepted the office of Commissioner of
Woods and Forests, and:Receiver 4,1 his Majesty's Land Revenue ;
for Durbain, in the room of Sir H. Ilardinge, who, since his
Election, has accepted the office of Secretary at War ; for Totness,
in the room of T. Courteuay, who, since his Election, has ac-
cepted the office of Vie 2-President ut the Board of Trade; and fur
Plymouth, in the room of Sir W. Congreve, deceased.

Sir J. NEWPORT gave notice that he chould, on Tuesday
nest, introduce a motion to prevent the appointment of any addi-
tional Commissioner of the Navy until time was given to consoli-
date and regulate the oCice. •
Alr. W. PEEL accounted for the absence of a Right Hen. re-
lative of his (Mr. Secretary Peel) by stating, that he was attending
a Cabinet Council.