Star.
London, England, 1820-05-06 00:00:00

the word in an inleidious sense. But it must be the
Base, so long as these fundscontinued to be uncon-
traded by Parliament the suspicion would be kept
alive, that means were in existence of supporting a
bad influence in that House. If, indeed, these pen-
sions were to be granted to Earl St. Vincent, to the
relations of Lord Nelson, or those of Lord Hutchin-
son, the Minister would not have hesitated to come
down and ask the consent of Parliament, because he
knew full well that the proposition would be met
with unanimous approbation. But it struck them
very properly, that the same approbation would not
be extended to a proposal of pensions to those who
neither fought in Egypt, nor yet at Trafalgar, and
who, in short, could boast no other claim to their
consideration than being favourites of their Sove-
reign. It was by no means self-evi,lent that any of
.those Gentlemen—for instance the Right Honourable
Gentleman (a Scotch pensioner) opposite, or any other
of the numerous pensioners that be could name—
Lord Grenville for instance—it was very convenient,
by the bye, that he could name two pensioners con-
fleeted with different sides of the House ; but it was
by no means self-evident that any of these Gentle-
men would have obtained their pensions with any-
thing like the unanimity that could be expected in
the case of Lord St. Vincent. But that there might
be an abuse in the management of these revenues, he
,should shew, by citing the case of Sir Home Pop-
' ham. He would take the circumstances of this gal-
lant Officer's history from himself. At the end of
a long war, when 3 continued peace was apprehend-
ed by most of the military functionaries of that
time, this gallant Officer, disdaining a life of inglo-
-1 ions quiet—anxious also to seek the haunts of his
former exploits--impatient of that repose to which
he was unaccustomed, and burning to augment the
glary which he had so often acquired on the watery
element—giving way to all these ennobling emotions,
he engaged in transactions for smuggling—(Loud
laughing).—Thus it was with the world—there were
various pursuits by various paths. One man sought
glory in the field, and found it in death—another
sought it in smuggling, and found it in capture—
(Much laughing).— Having invested his capital in a
consignment, he embarked on a voyage to the West
Indies, taking upon him the name and character of
his purser. He there fell in with a Captain Robin-
son, afterwards Admiral Robinson, who was quite
as anxious for the good of country as the gallant
Officer, though not quite so disposed to engage in
smuggling transactions. The Captain, however,
seized upon the gallant contrabandist—the vessel
was condemned and became a droit of die Crown.

nstead, however, of,the proceeds, or any portion of
them being given to the Captain, £2.5,000 were made
ever to comfort the gallant Officer who engaged in
smuggling for the good of his country ! But it was
a question indeed, whether or not, Sir Home had
smuggled homewards also?—(Laughing).—As the
man oho was foremost in battle, was generally dis-
tinguished fur the cultivation of the domestic virtues,
so did the gallant smuggler unite the character of
the hero and the man of sentiment. " GOD forbid,"
said be, " that I who am so forward in battle, should
ever be wanting in •my duty to ray family. No, I
will leave the ship, and join my wife and family on
the shore." In fact, he left the Etrusco to join his
wife in a small boat, but by an odd accident the
boat, the endearing little boat, " which sped the soft
intercourse" between them, was observed ‘ci go back
and forward during the night between the shore and
the ship—(Much latighler). It form/ out, however,
that Sir Home did not own the cargo; and the ves-
sel and cargo belonged to Messrs. Charnock, of
Ostend. Now the gilt to Sir Home might be right
or wrong, but this was certain, that it was given
secretly, and out of the Droits, without the consent
of the House. The Hon. Member then proceeded
to argue, that the Droits ought not to continue, on
the ground that they furnished a temptation to the
Government of this country to engage in war, with-
out the usual Proclamation—(Hear, hear, hear).—
On those funds ought to be written, in indelible,
characters (lie feared it was already written in cha-
racters of blood on the pages of our history), " These
funds are the purchase-money of the honour, the
rood faith, the pure arid unsullied good name of
•:agland f'—(Hear, hear!)—lf he wanted a proof
that they were so, he had only to refer to the Dutch
war in the time of Charles 11. That war was under-
taken for the purpose of seizing the Smyrna fleet—
for which perfidious action PaosinexcE punished
that Monarch, by overwhelming him and his Minis.
tens in discomfiture and disgrace. But, to come to
later times, what did they think of the Dutch—
what of the Spanish prizes ?—( Hear, hear I J—Two
million two hundred thousand pounds were acquired
by attacking unarmed, defenceless men—(Hear,
hear!)—men who knew of no reason for such a pro-
ceeding, except that they had dollars on board their
ships. He vowed to GOD, he had never yet talked
to a British Officer on the subject—he had never
spoken of it to a gallant Officer with whom he had
tht honour of being connected, and who had the mis-
fortune of taking a part in the transaction, but the
events of that day were described as *sufficient to
make an English seaman hang his head with shame
—(Hear, hear !)—lt was, however, enough for his
argument to shew, that a fund of this kind was a fer-
tile source of temptation. Charles 11. had yielded to
that temptation, and other Monarchs might here-
after pursue the same course. The Hon. Gentleman
next applied himself to the consideration of the Four
and a half per Cent. West India Duties. It was
a revenue that was just usurped by the Parliament
from the Legislature of Barbadoes, and after having
been treated in several reigns as among those reve-
nues of the Crown over which Parliament had con-,

troul, it was, upon representation of the Authorities
of I3arbadoes, surrendered by Queen Anne. It was
somewhat curious, that after Queen Anne's acknow-
ledgment that it was not het's, that it belonged to
the Colonies, and that Parliament had the controul
of it, it should neither go to the use of the Colonies,
nor fall under the inspection of Parliament, but make
a dead stop, and become the property of the Crown.
So it was, but the cause and history of the fact were

buried is obscurity ; all that was known was, that it
was the fund for obscure pensioners of all descrip-
rions—(lfear, hear).—He regretted that he had de-
tained the House so long : all that he begged of the
House was, to consider that the arguments adduced
by the other side of the House, when he last brought
this motion forward, aid not now apply: it was now
a new reign ; and if now, in opposition to the clear