Star.
London, England, 1821-06-28 00:00:00

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Paarstrr . PR 0 CE ED ING S.
HaUfS OF LORDS, JUNE 27.
•".. .Earl TarigkLortNjeutenant of Ireland, took the oaths
asendhis seat.
The Navy Property Bill, the Sheerness Lands Bill, the Jer-
sey and Guernsey Trade Bill, the Prisoners' Rescue Bill, and
the Irish Revenue Inquiry Bill, were brought up from the
House of Commons.
On the second reading of the Wool Stamping Bill,
The Earl of HAREWOOD opposed the principle of the
Measure, on the ground, that it would materially affect the com-
'ntercial and agricultural interests of the country.
This-Scotch Malt Duties Drawback Bill, the Scotch Distil-
' leries the Irish Stock Transfer Bills the Customs Du-
ties Bill, were committed, and reported.
The Marquis of LA NSDOWN said he held in his band a Peti-
tion from a Gentleman of the name of Gurney, residing in the
King's County In Ireland, stating that he had formed a plan for
the. beneficial employment of the poor; and praying that the
House might adopt the same. The Noble Marquis observed
that, for his own part, he could say nothing respecting the merits
. of the plan.—The Petition was ordered to lie on dip table.
The London Wharfs' Bill went through a Committee, and
was reported.
A Person from the Commissioners of Margate Harbour pre-
•ented certain Accounts.—Adjourned.
HOUSE OF COMMONS.
•
The Coasting Trade Bill was read a third time, and passed.
The Warehousing of Goods Bill was reported, and ordered to
be read a third time to-morrow.
The Collectors of Customs (Ireland) Bill went through a
Committeerand was ordered tobe read a third time to-morrow.
The Sheerness Lands Bill, and the Navy Property Bill, were
read a third time, and passed.
The Acetous Acid, and Draining Tiles Bills, went through a
Committee, and were ordered to be read a third time to-morrow.
The Hops Exportation Drawback Bill was committed, and
ordered to be reported to-morrow.
The Report of the Mohair Bounties Bill was brought up and
agreed to, and the Bill ordered robe read a third time to-morrow.
The Greenwich Hospital Bill was committed, and ordered
to be read a third time to-morrow.
Lord MILTON gave notice that on the third reading of the
Husbandry Horse Duty Repeal Bill, he would move a clause
to prevent the surcharging of persons who occasionally let out
horses, which they kept for purposes of husbandry, on hire for
drawing coals.
The Report on the Lagan Spirits Duty Bill was brought up
and agreed to, and the Bill was ordered to be read a third time
to-morrow.
The Report on the Prison Laws Consolidation Bill was
brought up and agreed to; the Bill was ordered to be read a
second time this day three months, and to be printed.
Mr. HUME presented a Petition from several Market Gar-
deners in Kensington and Fulharti, praying that the benefit of
the repeal of the Tax on Husbandry Horses might be extended
to then[.—Laid on the table.
. Mr. H. G. BENNETT presented a Petition from certain
Protestant Dissenters of the County of Nortlitanberland, pray-
ing that the same privileges may be conceded to them with
respect to the celebration of the Marriage Rites, which were en-
joyed by the RUman Catholics in Ireland, and the Jews and
Quakers; and that the celebration of that ceremony by Ministers
of their own persuasion might be legalised.
Dr. PHILLI MORE said that the Petition contained a
mistake as to the Roman Catholics; for, in this country, the
" marriages of such persons were not valid, unless they were cele-
brated according to the rites of the Church of England.
Mr. 11. G. BENNETT said that fiat: certainly was a mistake ;
it appeared that the Petitioners spoke of the law as it should be,
;let as it :vas—thinking that a greater degree of liberality existed
in the cot:eery than, to its disgrace, was to be found in it.---The
P.:66mi was laid on the tahle.
Mr. CA Lynn' presented a Petition from George White,
who was formerly a cenfidential Messenger of Mr. Pitt ; and, for
1:: ..... rte. en year:, a Collector of Taxes. The Petitioner stated,
that he had given certain information relative to abuses existing
in the col;ection of the Taxes, which was taken in a wrong light,
and he was in consequence dismissed from his situation. He
prayed the [Louse to investigate his case.—The Petition was
ordered to he printed.
The Prisoners' Rescue Bill was read a third time and passed.
The Stock Cancelling Bill was committed, and ordered to be
reported to-morrow.
Mr. S. RICE moved for Copies of all Letters addressed to
the Irish Government by the Barons of the Exchequer in Ire-
land, relative to the Report of the Commissioners of Inquiry
into the Courts of Justice in Ireland.—Ordered.
The East India Private Trade Bill was committed, and the
Report ordered to be brought up to-morrow.
The third reading of the Husbandry Horse Tax Repeal Bill
was postponed till to-morrow.
NEW STAMP OFFICE, EDINBURGH.
Mr. HUME rose to bring forward a motion, of
which he had given notice, respecting the purchase
of a new Stamp Office at Edinburgh. He said that
his object in this proceeding was to lay before the
House an instance, in his opinion a glaring one, of
the manner in which the Government allowed its
patronage to be perverted, in direct opposition to the
public interests. He held in his hand a set of papers,
furnished by order of the House, and it was from
those that he collected the materials upon which his
motion was grounded. He might here remind the
House that the Hon. Secretary for the Treasury jus-
tified the increased amount of salaries, so conspi-
cuous in that department, by alleging that the busi-
ness had been multiplied of late years, particularly
by a variety of correspondence in which it was forced
to engage. Let the House now judge of the nature
of that increased duty from the specimens before
them on this occasion, for here were forty folio pages
of correspondence carried on by the Treasury, with
respect to a matter totally unconnected with them.
Upon this subject he would not enter further, but
would proceed to state the facts of the case which
he had thought it his duty to lay before the House.
It appeared, that for the greater convenience of busi-
ressy a new Stamp Office was wanted at Edinburgh,
and the fact being regularly stated to the Treasury,
they directed a proper person, Mr. Sedgwick, to look
out for a place in that city. This Gentleman, after
some inquiry, fixed on a house in every way, ac-
cording to his opinion, suited to the purposes of
a Stamp Office, and possessing the additional recom-
mendation that immediate possession would be given.
The house was called Dumbreck's Hotel, St. An-
drew's-square, near the Excise Office. The purchase-
money was settled to be £8,400. The Commis-
sioners approved of the purchase, but had reason to
fear this economical and convenient arrangement
would be obstructed by private influence at the Trea-
sury. Their fears, unhappily, were realized. The
Treasury could not approve of the purchase, but were
induced, by private influence, to sanction the pur-
chase of a scite on what was called the Regent's-
bridge, at Edinburgh, for the erection of a new
building altogether. The House would find that this
was one of the grossest jobs that ever came before
them. The Honourable Baronet (Sir J. Marjori-
banks) the active patron of this work, in the first in-
stance, caused Mr. Lorimer, a builder, in Edinburgh,
to send in a proposal for building a new Office on
the Regent's-bridge, and the Honourable Baronet
accompanied this proposal by a statement of his own,
.describing the advantages of the situation, and re-
• constnending the plan to the attention of the Trea-
sury. The Board of Commissioners objected to the
plan altogether, and preferred the original choice.
They saw that the Honourable Baronet's selection
Would not only heap a great expense on the Public,

bat also that the building, when completed, would be
far from being so eligible as that originally pointed
ont. In fact, so inferior was the plan altogether,
that, out of all the Honourable Baronet's friends in
'Edinburgh, there was but one man, a Mr. Johnston,
a grocer, who had ventured to express his approba-
tion of it. Under these circumstances the Treasury
refer the matter to the Board of Works: they refuse,
and properly refuse, to give any opinion. What did
the Treasury do then? In defiance of the opposi-,
rion of the Commissioners of Stamps, and whilst the
Board of Works refuse to express any opinion upon
the subject, the Treasury, approve of Mr. Lorimer s
plan, and order him to proceed with the building—
and all this before any contract was completed. But
this was not all. Mr. Reid, the King's Surveyor,
applied to have the superintendence of the works;
this was refused, and a Mr. Elliott was appointed, on
the recommendation of Mr. Lorimer. The work
went on, however. The Honourable Baronet, anxious
that the Treasury should be satisfied of the propriety
of the arrangement (for it was not to be concealed
'that the site belonged to him, Sir J. Marjeribanks),
sent up a statement of the opinions which he could
collect from time CO time, in favour of the eligibility
of the site. These opinions were, however, but few;
and from men whose authority on architectural mat-
ters did not deserve much attention. In cases of law,
one would think that the best authorities were law-
yers ; but here was a case, perhaps, of difficulty,
upon a point with respect to which architectural men
alone were entitled to form an opinion, resolved by
Lord Melville and the Lord Advocate: so that it ap-
peared the Honourable Baronet opposite and Mr.
Lorimer could find no other authorities in their fa-
vour except Lord Melville, the Lord Advocate, and
Mr. Johnston, the grocer. It appeared from these
papers that the Honourable Baronet complained that
no instalments were paid to Mr. Lorimer; but he
had no right to complain, for Mr. Rennie wrote to
him originally to state hat if he prosecuted the
building he did it at his own risk. The House
might judge from this and the following instance of
the power of the private influence of the Honourable
Baronet (Sir J. Marjoribanks) at- the Treasury.—,
The Revenue of Scotlandlsay three millions a-year)
was remitted to the Treasury by a private banking-
house, and they were allowed forty days for the pur-
pose. A proposal was sent in to the Treasury from
another qulrter, offering to do it in twenty days, but
it was not attended to. The securities were unex-
ceptionable. The House would be enabled to account
fur the inattention of the Treasury in this instance,
when they were informed of the fact, that the Hon.
Baronet had a considerable interest in the banking-
house that had possession of the contract. The effect
of the adoption of the new proposal would be a saving
of £17,000 a-year. The only consequence of the ap-
plication was, that the Chancellor of the Exchequer
was satisfied that the Ilon. Baronet's friends should
retain the commission, on their undertaking to ac-
complish the remittance in thirty days instead of
forty. The lion. Member proceeded to explain the
superiority of the house which had been originally
fixed upon over the new building, in point of conve-
nience and economy. Behind the former was a space
of a hundred feet, which might be used for additional
buildings ; but there was no space behind the new
building, except a very small one of nineteen feet
only, which the Hon. Baronet pledged himself to
procure for the suns of £2OO ; that, in addition to
the other benefits arising from this job, the House
was to learn, that this spot would not be sold for less
than a thousand guineas: that sum was actually paid.
The Chancellor of the Exchequer, in his good-na-
tured way, relieving the Hon. Baronet-from this part
of his contract, and transferring the expense to the.
Public. In order that the House might see the ad-
vantages of this transaction, he would state the corn-
parattve expense of the two arrangements. Had
Dumbreck's Hotel been purchased, it would have
cost the Public 428400; out of which a sum of £6OO
was to be deducted, being the probable amount of
some valuables in it, leaving a charge of £7BOO only.
There was the additional recommendation in this
case, that immediate possession would be given. In
the other instance, the amount of expense might be
estimated thus :—The contracted price of the build-
ing was £9100; additional charges, £llOl ; Mr. El-
liott's charge, £3OO or £lOO, the charge for interest
on instalments which had not been paid up ; and the
last item was 1000 guineas, being the amount of the
purchase-money paid fer nineteen feet of ground be-
hind the new building : the total amount of expense,
therefore, was £12,000; and this was paid, as the
House would see, for that which might have been
procured at £7BOO, with additional conveniences.—
The Hon Member moved the following Resolution :
" That it appears, from papers laid before the !louse respect-
ing the purchase of ground for building a new Stamp Office at
Edinburgh, that much irregularity has taken place in that trans-
action, particularly in the selection of a situation on the Regent's
liridgc, in the appointment of Mr. Elliott as Superintendant of
the Works, in proceeding with the work contrary to the opi-
nion of the Commissioners of Stamps, and without any contract
being signed ; and, lastly, In releasing Sir J. Marjoribanks from
an agreement, by which he was pledged to purchase a space of
ground for £2OO, for which the sum of .000 guineas was paid,
highly injurious to the public interest."
The Resolution having been put from the Chair.
Sir J. MARJORIBANKS said, he was incapable of
any of the dirty work alluded to by the Honourable
Gentleman. He should mention the way in which he
became engaged in the Stamp-office at Rtlinburgh.
The ground on which the new one was built was cer-
tainly his property. He got an eminent Surveyor to
look at the property ; and, on his report, he gave him
a credit of £lO,OOO to purchase the ground, which he
did. There the Regent's-bridge was built, to make
a handsome approach to Edinburgh. He defied any
man, let him sit on which side of the House he would,
to go less to the Treasury than he did, or to want less of
it. But it was proposed to erect a Stamp-office on the
ground, which, in his opinion, was nearly as central
as Dumbreck's Hotel. The new building was one-
half larger, and laid out for the express purpose.—
Dumbreck's Hotel was to have cost £9900, and the
new house was built for £9lOO. He certainly did
chew the plans of the place to the Chancellor of the
Exchequer. He had been kept a month after his fa-
mily in town, merely to wait for the Hon. Member's
Motion ; and, when he had got this public building
erected in three years, though it might have taken
thirteen years but for him,' he thought it strange to
be censured for it. He should as soon expect to be
taken by a watchman, when going home that night,
for picking pockets! This was more extraordinary to
him than his being once pressed at Dover by a set of