Star.
London, England, 1818-05-23 00:00:00

MEDICAL STAFF.

Mr. BENNET, seeing a Noble Lord (Palmerston)
in his place, wished to obtain some information from
him relative to what he considered a case of peculiar
hardship. The persons who had suffered that hard-
ship were the Medical Officers employed in the army
at the battle of Waterloo. By old established prac-
tice, the Medical Officers shared in all the prize-
money taken by the army with which they served.
By some extraordinary regulation, however, which
bad lately been made, the Officers of the Medical
Staff, employed at Brussels, who had received not
only the whole of the sick of our own army engaged
in the battle of Waterloo, but also the sick of the
army of our allies, who had been engaged in the dis-
charge of the most laboriisus duties, and who had
seat, during the first six weeks after the battle, no
fewer than 50J0 wounded soldiers back to their regi-
ments, had been deprived of sharing in the prize-
money which had been distributed not only among
those who were actually engaged in the battle of
Waterloo and preceding engagements, but all those
who joined the army at and previous to the occupa-
tion of Paris. By this means many persons had
slowed General Officers prize money, scho had never
mole their appearance at the army in the field—who
had never seen a shot fired, or been once in the face
of an enemy—who had in fact traversed France at
their ease in their post-chaises, and entered Pails to
amuse themselves at its theatres, and kip in its other
amusements. Many persons of this description had
shared considerable stuns, whereas the Officers of the
Medical Staff, who had had the most painful duties
to-discharge for rshmths and months, by this regula-
tion which was perfectly new, had been totally de-
prived of all share in the Prize-money.
Lord PALMERSTON said, the Medical Officers
attached to that part of the Army which was engaged
jr. the Battle of Waterloo, were entitled to Ps sae-
money, which they shared according to their rank.
The Honourable Gentleman was under a mistake in
supposing that the Medical Officers attached to that
Army did not share Prize-money according to their
rank. But the right to Prize-money belonged only
to these Medical Officers who were attached to the
troops engaged in the battles of the 16th, 17th, and
18th June, and those who were with the troops en-
gaged in the different blockades and sieges in France,
up to the occupation of Paris. But those Medical
Officers who were stationed at Brussels, were pre-
chided from any participation in the Prize-money.
The Honourable Gentleman was quite mistaken, if
he supposed that this was a new regulation. If he
would refer to the distributions of Prize-money con-
nected with the operations of the Peninsula, he would
see that the Prize-money had always been confined
to that part of the army which happened to be ac-
tively engaged, where such Prize-money was obtain-,
ed. Here the Noble Lord instanced the distribution
of the Prize-money at the taking of Ciudad Rodrigo;
and on other occasions in the Peninsula. Many
wounded men were sent home from the Peninsula, to
the Hospitah at Plymouth, and other places in this
country ; alit upon the principles of the Honourable
tie:Woman, the Medical Officers at Plymouth would

~'~ - . ..

have been entitled to claim Prize-money obtained in
the Peninsula. Though, in point of fact, the progress
of the army through France, after the battle of Wa-
terloo, had been so triumphant, as it was described
by the Honourable Gentleman, and the advance to
Paris was made by many Officers very much at their
ease ; but it was to be considered that there might
have been a severe conflict before the occupation of
Paris, and therefore it was thought but just that those
who joined the army before the occupation of Paris,
should share in the Prise-money, as if they had been
in a severe engagement.
Mr. BENNET said he believed the Noble Lord
was under a complete mistake in supposing that there
was any analogy between the manner in which the
Prize-money in the case of Waterloo, and the Prize-
money obtained at different times in the Peninsula
had been distributed. He was aware that Medical
Officers stationed on the coast of Catalonia, for in-
stance. did not share in the Prize-money given to
the army serving in any part of Portugal ; but that
was quite a different case from the one• to which he
had called the attention of the House. Here a Me-
dical Staff in the immediate neighbourhood of Wa-
terloo, who had been dressing the wounds of that
very army which was engaged in that battle, were
precluded from sharing in its Prize-money. He
maintained that the Medical Staff engaged in Brussels
had a right to share in the Prize-money distributed
to the troops engaged in the battle of Waterloo.—
There would not be time in the present.Seision to
allow him to bring this subject forward ; but he
should, at an early period of next Session, call the
attention of the House to this most glarillg act of in-
justice—(hear, hear.)

POOR LAWS.
Mr. BROUGHAM wished shortly to call the at-
tention of the House to the subject of the Poor Laws.
He understood that all the measures which the Com-
mittee on the Poor Laws had it in contemplation to
propose were now introduced, namely the Select
Vestry Bill, the Poor Laws Amendment Bill, and
that which it was proposed to postpone to another
Session, the Parish Settlement Bill. Understanding
that it was not the intention of the Committee to go
farther than these three measures, he could not help
saying, that he felt considerable disappointment at
their not taking a more extensive view of this great
and important evil, and of the remedies which were
adequate to meet that evil, than they appeared to
have done in these three measures. He was sensible
of the great labours of the Committee, and of the im-
portance of the body of evidence which they had
collected on the subject. 'That evidence was indeed
highly valuable ; and whatever still remained to be
done might well be done on that foundation—(heer.)
But seeing that the attempts of the Committee were
limited to these three measures, he wished to give this
notice, that if the labours of another inquiry would
allow him to apply his attention to the subject, he
should this Session—at any rate if he had a seat in
the House, he should in the course of another Ses-
sion—lay before the House the result of the consi-
deration which he had given to this subject. His
first plan would have for its object the limitation of
the progress of the burden, that is, the affixing, if pos-
sible, some limits to the progress of the burden. His
next plan was for gradually narrowing these limits.
His next plan would have for object the discovery of
such means as might enable the Legislature to equa-
lize the burden, so that it might not be thrown, as at
present, on the land-owner only, but might affect, in
something like an equal degree, the other classes of
society—(Rear, hear). These were the three mea-
sures to which he should call the attention of the
House ; and he should bring the subject before the
House either in the form of Resolutions, or in that of
Bills, to lie over till next Session. If, however, as he
had already said, the other inquiry in which he was
engaged, should not allow him to do this this Session,
he should do so at an early period of next Session.
Mr. HUSKISSON said, the House and the Coun-
try Would be under great obligations to the Honour-
able and Learned Gentleman if he introduced any
practical measures to meet the evils which had grown
out of the Poor Laws. Nu subject could be more
difficult of attainment than this, from the progress
which the evil had already made. It was certainly
highly. desirable that some means for gradually re-
ducing the rates from their present amount could be
discovered. This subje;t had engaged a great deal
of the attention of the Committee up stairs. The
Honourable and Learned Gentleman was under a
mistake if he thought that the Committee had no
measures to submit but the three Bills before the
House. The Committee had not yet seen their way
in this most difficult subject as the Honourable and
Learned Gentleman seemed to have done ; but it was
the sense of that Committee that other measures were
necessary to prevent the evil from overwhelming the
country. All he wished to state now, was the pro-
testing against its being supposed the sense of the
Committee, that nothing ought to be deae but those
measures which they had already introduced. If the
Honourable and Learned Gentleman would assist
them with his suggestions, it might materially assist
them in their present difficulties ; for, as the Honour-
able and Learned Gentleman knew, the subject was
attended with very great difficulties.
Mr. BROUGHAM said, he had been mistaken'.
with regard to the intentions of the Committee. As
they had been sitting two Sessions, he had hoped that
whatever measures they might think it necessary to
suggest would have been proposed this Session; and
he had, therefore, deferred coming forward till this
late period of the Session, when no prospect re-
mained of having. any other measures front them.
He was glad, however, to find that the Committee
had not made up their minds that no other measures
were advisable—that they were 1., it for shutting the
door to any other measures. With respect to any
views entertained by him of what was necessary for
arresting the progress cf the evil, he did not mean
to say that steps should be taken for fixing a peculiar
limit to the amount of the Rates. His object was, to
look to more remote means of operation on the sys-
tem, by which, in time, the same extension of relief
as existed at present would no longer be necessary. I
He did not contemplate the laying down a maximum,
as from the progress of the Rates that would not be
an easy matter.

MtSCELLANEOVS SERVICES.

The House having gone into a Committee of Supply,
Mr. ARBUTHNOT proposed the following grants
for Miscellaneous Services :—.14,2.46/. 12s. to defray
the expense of sundry works proposed to Se done at

Holyhead ; 3,500/. to complete the repair of the Cobb
at Lyme Regis.
Mr. GORDON objected to this grant.
After some observations from Mr. AutturnNot and
Mr. BAN Es, the Resolution was withdrawn. _

15,000/. for the purchase of Land on Hounslow
Heath, for the exercise of Cavalry.
Mr. WARRE said, before acceding to this grant,
it ought to be made out that there was no waste
ground elsewhere.
Mr. ARBUTHNOT said, there was no other place
where cavalry coulti be exercised except on the ground
which had been purchased at Hounslow. Wimbledon
Common and Wormwood Scrubs could net be de-
pended on. It was thought necessary that Govern-
:nent should possess a spot of ground available for
the assembling of cavalry, to be exercised on at all
times. The price was very moderate for land in that
part of the country.
Mr. C. CALVERT knew not whether the ground
was necessary, but the terms at which it was pur-
chased were reasonable.

Mr. CALCRAFF said the necessity had not been
made out for a piece of grnurd in that precise spot.
Why might not a brigade of cavalry be colleeted in
some other spot where ground for exercising was at
hand ?

Colonel WOOD said, the neighbourhood a/Houn-
slow was almost the only spot in the kingdom where
a brigade of cavalry could be placed in cantonments.
The purchase of this place would thus save the ex-
pense of building barracks in time of war.
After a few words from Mr. CALceitre, the Cqpi-
ir.ittee divided: For the grant, 65—Against it, 23
Majority, 32.
A grant of 50,0001. was proposed for the Caledo-
nian Canal.

Mr. BROUGHAM said, the sums which had been
expended on this work. the utility of which was so
doubtful, might be a warning to the House to avoid
rashly embarking in similar undertakings. Thou-
sands upon thousands had been laid out, and it seemed
now pretty generally acknowledged, that but for the
invention of steam-boat—an Invention which had
not been contemplated when the work commenced,
no general benefit would have been derived from it.
Lord BINNING said, that though there had been
much difference of opinion among the engineers,
those who were best acquainted with the nature of
the navigation anticipated favourable results from it.
Mr. BROUGHAM wished to know how much
had been expended on this Canal
Mr. ARBUTHNOT answered 700.000/.—(hear,
hear). About 40,0001. remained to be voted after
the present sum.
After a few words from Messrs. W. SMITH and
C. GRANT, jun. the vote was agreed to.
A Vote of 2597/. was proposed as retired allow-
ances to the Officers employed on the Military !toads
in the Highlands.
Mr. F. DOUGLAS wished to know how it hap-
pened that these compensations were now tor the first
time granted, though those Officers had been dismis-
sed for three or four years. He did not know whether
it was connected with the fact, that the name of a
gentleman was to be found among them who had
lately succeeded to a property that was commonly
supposed to influence the Fife district of Burghs, for
which the House was indebted to a Noble Lord, the
representative of Scots Law.
Mr. ARBUTHNOT denied that the grants had at
all been influenced by the name ofColonel Anstruther,
which was to be found among the persons to whom
the compensation` were to be granted. It was only
delayed because the Government was anxious to learn
the justice of the claim.
The grant was, after a few word from Mr. DOUGLAS,
agreed to.

120,000/. Contingencies of the Civil List.
45,5001. to make up deficiencies of the Fee Funds.
26,0001. for the Expenses of the Treasury.
5,500/. for the Expenses of the Exchequer.
11,500/. for the Expenses of the Houses of Parliament.

23,5001. for the Saliry and Allowances of ditto.
57,000!. for repairing Public Buildings.
10,000!. for altering the Road between Bangor and Crick.
15,000/. to the British Museum.
5,650!. for Improvements in Westminster.
40,000/. for a Chain Bridge near Bangor Ferry.
1,000!. to the Veterinary College.
' • 75,058!. to Sandhurst Military College.
100,0001. to Queen Anne's Bounty for the Augmentation of
Poor Livings.
Mr. W. SMITH gave his negative to this Vote, as
he could not consent to vote sums to the augmenta-
tion of the Church Livings, without an inquiry into
the means of the Church.
10,0001. for the Augmentation of small Scots Livings.
13,0951. to make np thieDeGliency of Exchequer Fees.

fe5.:),686/. to make up the Deficiency of Grants of 11117.
18,000.000/. to pay off I'xchequer }EPA.

Mr. ARBUTHNOT took this opportunity to men-
tion, that the further expense of the repairs of henry
the Seventh's Chapel would be about 9,000/.
Mr. TIERNEY wished to know whether provision
was made for the repayment of the three millions
which the Bank had give notice that it should de-
mand the repayment uf ?
Mr. LUSIIINGTON said, the repayment of that
sum would be delayed, until arrangements could be
made in the Exchequer for appropnating the balances
as they accumulated, to the public serv►ce. Difficulty
had been found in making this arrangement; and it
would not be submitted to Parliament. Meantime
the Chancellor of the Exchequer would negotiate
with the Bank to obtain some advantage to the public
for the continuance of the balances with them till the
next Session.

A short conversation took place between Mr. I !US-
KISSON and Mr. TIERNEY, and Sir J. NEW PO/Ir, in
which the latter Gentlemen contended, that the Bank
would have an advantage in this negotiation, by its
being deferred till the separation of Parliament. As
a law was necessary to enable the Chancellor of the
Exchequer to take the balances out of their hands,
they Might impose on him what terms they pleased.
Mr. HUSKISSON said, that the difficulties which
had arisen did not originate with the Bank.
850/. was voted for the purchase of a piece of ground
adjoining to the Military Asylum at Southampton.