Star.
London, England, 1810-03-24 00:00:00

sword ►n a military 'despotisms let the utmost Cau-
tion and conciliation be used towards It. If the di-
lectors of the press were sought to be degraded, they
wonid naturally become dissatisfied with the esta-
blished order of things ; and there was no foreseeing
what the consequences might be of offending men in
the possession of such a poweria instrument.
Sir JOHN ANSTRUTHE,R was also a Bencher
in Lincoln's Inn, but reprobated the present law ;
he could not sufficiently admire the manly and in-
'dependent speech of the Learned Gentleman who had
just sat down, and whose example was such as to
render all argument unnecessary. After what had
passed, -he was convinced the law would be immedi-
ately rescinded ; it was, indeed, most obnoxious, whe-
ther he considered the object it had in, view, or the
description of men whose exertions it went to impede
—men among whom Addison and Steele had acted
in their aay. Obnoxious as the law was, however, it
was a curious fact that it proceeded from two men
who had particularly boasted their friendship for the
press—Mr. Henry Clifford was its father, and Lord
Erskine its godfather I
The• SOLICITOR GENERAL thought an ap-
plication ought to be made to the Judges in the first •
instance, who had power to rescind the bye-law.
Mr. CROKER highly disapproved of tha bye-law,,
and hoped it would be rescinded ; he had no doubt,'
indeed, that this would be the case, provided the •
Right Hon. Gentleman's motion was withdrawn,"
which he did not think so shaped as to meet its object. I
Mr. SHERIDAN in reply, declared, that any
person who supposed he sought popularity on this
occasion had been completely mistaken : his only ob-
ject was so redress injustice. The law of which he
complained had been enacted two years ago, and the
Gentlemen of Lincoln's Inn.did not want time, how-'
ever they might have been deficient in inclination, to
rescind it. An application to the Judges might have
the effect of redressing individual injury ; but no
body, except Parliament and the Benchers themselves,
had the power of totally annulling the law itself. He
was content, however, to withdraw his present mo-
tion, on the assurances which had been given him,
that the law should be rescinded. He had attained
his object ; he had drawn from all sides of the House
a reprobation of the principle upon which this Law
was first established.
The motion was then withdrawn, on the under-
standing that the obnoxious Resolution should be re-
scinded.—Strangers were then re-admitted.
ARMY ESTIMATES.
Lord PALMERSTONE moved the order of the
day for the House going into a Committee for the
purpose of re-committing the Army Estimates.
Sir T. TURTON considered that it would be
quite a delusion on the public to go again into a
Committee for the paltry saving which was now pro-
posed. The country had a right to expect much
more important retrenchments. He could not bear
to hear a system of 30 years war announced ; and he
would much prefer that peace should resume its for-
mer current than that torrents of blood should conti-
nue to flow. He-considered that the great army, for
which such large estimates were voted, existed, in a
great measure, on paper ; and that we had not an
efficient force like that which the House was led to
suppose. '
The House then resolved itself into the Committee.

Lord PALMERSTONE rose to explain the fur-
ther reductions which were prepared to be made on
the Staff. In the eastern district it was proposed to
make a reduction of one Lieutenant-General, which
would still leave 8 Generals to command a force of!
20,000 men. In the Severn district there would be a
reduction of one Lieutenant-General. In the home dis-
trict there would be a reduction of one Major-General,
(Hear, hear, from the Ofzltotition), and then there would
be five Generals to command 10,000 men. In North
Britain there would be a reduction of one Lieutenant-
General, and one Major-General, leaving still seven
Generals over 11,000 men, a number greater in pro-
portion than in other districts, as was necessary from
the troops being scattered over more ground. He
then shewed, that there had been a regular diminu-1
tion of the proportion of the Staff Officers to-the
army for many years past. He concluded by moving
his first resolution--,, That a sum of £457, 724, be
granted for the expence of the Staff and Garrisons."
Sir GEORGE WA R RENDE R said, that he prin-
cipally found fault with the manner in which those
Staff Officers were proportioned to the different dis-
tricts. While. ten Generals had been appointed for
11,000 men in Scotland, there were only eight to
command 21,000 men in the Eastern district. There
was no greater number in the Kent or Sussex districts,
although of the utmost importante. On the home
Staffthere had been hardly any rettench-ment,although
this was the department most objectionable. Officers
were often put on the Staff who were completely inef-
ficient, and held the station as sinecures. It was often
supposed, that instead of selecting Generals for dis-
tricts, the districts were appointed for the convenience
of favourite Generals, whose head-quarters were at
the places they wished to live at.
Mr. CALCRAFT thought that on the home dis-
trict there should have been a saving much more COID
siderable than in the reduction of one Major-General.
He was afraid that the Right Honourable Gentleman
(Mr. Perceval) found. something in that Staff which
he had not power to remove. There were two full
Generals attached to it withoutany apparent necessity.
Mr. WARDLE said, that in considering this ex-
penditure, he by no means meant to blame particu-
larly the present Administration, as the same profu-
sion prevailed under the last, and he was afraid would
continue as long as a system of corruption was acted
upon. When the enormous. estimates for barracks
had been formerly voted (which had altogether cost
the country near thirteen millions) it was said that
they would cause a diminution, in the expellee of the
Staff. This diminution, however, had not taken place.
It was also said that the Barrack establishment would
provide for Many half-pay Officer, but instead of
that, the appointments were given to the favourite ser-
vants of those in power. He did not conceive the pre-
sent was a fair estimate, as it did not notice either the
Volunteer Staff or the Ordnance Staff. The Staff ex-
pence for the home service was now nearly as great
at when we had a great part of our population under
arms, and our armies at home. The House seemed
now aware of what he had been called a Jacobin
last year for stating, that every economy should be
practised, that did not interfere with the efficiency of
the army. • He should ask, why these very lucrative
'situations were to be heaped on one individual (Ge-