Star.
London, England, 1817-02-08 00:00:00

the sincere deiiiiitinatioti of rightfainithe isurthens'
of their fellow countrymen ; this would satisfy the
nation. Let every thing be done honestly, and he.
confidently believed that wheteier might be the re-
sult, the effects upon the pnblie mind would be gra,
Rhine and propitiois: It was not merely the re
duction of money expenditure that was requisite to,
the content and prosperity of the kingdom ; the hi-
!Nenee cf. the Crown should be brought beck to its
constitutional limits; the power which had progres-
sively grown to such a miithiefrous extent, aiding
the 'themes of profligacy and eittrevagance, would
fall into its proper magnitude by the reduction of
places not requited by the service of the country in
her peace establishment. Oa this account he should
be glad to see one of the Paymasters reduced, though
the othec should receive the four thousand pounds
now enjoyed between them both. (Hear, hear!)—
He was desirous of being informed whether the Civil
)List was to be submitted to the Coninkluee, ape-
sally the 4th class of it, in which the Prince Regent
has thou personal interest. —(Theribasr.) Were two
Courts, one' at Windsor and the other an London,
still to be kept up ? he could not see that the comfort
of the Sovereign required it, and there would be suf-
ficient splendour in the Royal establishment, and
more satisfaction among the people, if one were re-
duced. But even if it should be found expedient to
continue both, it then became a question, whether so
many officers of the Crown should hold seats in that
House ? Why, the fact was, that 60 persons holding
direct places from the Crown were Members of the
House of Commons.--(Herr, Lear, haw.) He did
not say that they became necessarily corrupt, or that,
their votes were less independent than those of other
Gentlemen, but it was a symptom not very favoura-
ble to the Nation's hopes of impartiality and inte-
grity--(llsar, kw.) Let this number be taken from
the division upon - questions, and the votes would
speak the sentiments of the country with much less
doubt and suspicion. If a Committee were to ex-
amine into the manner in which the influence of the
Crown extended in that House, it would shew many
of the Minister's majorities to be mere mockeries.
Last year the Hoise refused a Committee oo Income
and Expenditure, and he could not help thinking the
House bad deeply disgraced itself. This year they
agree to vote one. but then if it were not separated in
the objects to which it was to be applied, it would be
little better than useless and nugatory. He had at-
ready stated the kind of Committees which he thought
1 necessary, he called upon the 'Noble Lord to support
`him when he brought forward the measure, if he was
Lanxious to meet the expectations and the wants of the
country—(Neer. hear.)
The CHANCELI.OR out the EXCHEQUER
slid, it was impossible to dispense with official men
in the Committee, especially no Colonial affairs ; but
it was unnecessary for him .to trouble the House on
that subject now, as be should, have an opportunity
of going more at large into the subject, when the
fight Hon. Gentleman brought forward his promis-
vii motion. With respect to the tardy measures of
retrenchment proposed by his Royal Highness the
Prince Regent, as therhad been styled, be could
enure the Right Hon. Gentleman and the Hemet
that, till last year, the Civil List was not adequate
to.the demands on it, and that his Royal Highs's"
bad embraced the fitst °pretest, of Would" teati
that be 1r to empowered to take the lead in that
'Met of retreuchment which it was hoped would be
followed up by others.—(Crier ( Honesdale: krigh-
iq.)—He satertained no doubt but that' the Gentle-
men in offices would readily join in those sacrifices
which his Majesty's Ministers were prepared•to make.
The Right Hon. Gentleman had formed such an
estimate of the income and expenditure of the coun-
try as was in many respects deserving of great praise;
that though his account of income was accurate
in the main, he certainly had mistaken some of
the charges on it, especially in relation to the Irish
revenue, which made a difference of three millions.
It should also be recollected, that the expenditure of
last year included a deficit in the navy estimates to
the amount of a million. He would take the failure
of 10 per cent. as the average failure of the public
audit for the preceding year ; but then die House
must take into its consideration the badness of the
harvest, as bad seasons had always more or less af-
fected the state of the public revenue. With respect
to the third branch, it must be a great satisfaction to
reflect, that notwithstanding the anticipation of taxes
by Exchequer Bills, a large reduction bad taken
place in the public debt, tri the amount of 20 mil,
lions in the last twelve meths. The unfunded debt
of Great Britain had not increased, but the unfunded
debt of Ireland bad increased three millions • but.
upon the whole. our unfunded debt had decreased
10 millions. Here, then, was a ground for public
hope, which the House had some reason to rejoice in,
after all the difficulties they had surmounted, while
future opportunities would occur for probing the sys-
tem, if it were radically bad.
Mr. GRENFELL wanted to know whether there
existed any Sinking Fund this year except by money
borrowed by the. State ?
The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER
said that be eipected and hoped a considerable sum
would bevaid off on the actual debt. He took our
income at £12,080.000, which would exceed our
expenditure by £1,400,000.
Mr. SHAW wished to know from the Right Ho-
nourable Gentleman whether the Home was to us-
derstand that the Sinking Raid was to go to the ex-
penses of the country, or be still applicable to the ex-
tinction of the 'Milk debt ?
The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER
said he should repeat what he bad frequently said,
that the*Sioking Fund should be applied to the par.
pose for which it had been originally intended.
Sir CHARLES MONCK observed, that the Chan.
celloruf the Exchequer seemed to represent the Sink-
ing Fund as applicable to the service of the year, for
die purpose of shewing that there was an excess of in-
ane. amounting to more than £1,400,000.
Mr. BRAND said. no man could lament mere
than be did the turbulence that had lately manifessed
itself in the country; but whether it was likely tube
speedily appeased, past greatly, depend on the mea-
ner to which the plan now proposed by the Noble
Lord was carried into eff.ct. He strongly objected
to the mode in which the Committee was intended to
be appointed. He thought that no Member holding
a sinecure of an offi •W under the Crown. should
be a member Of it. If the plan of the Noble Lord
were submitted to a •fair, Committee; impartially