Star.
London, England, 1817-05-09 00:00:00

~A,ed in its present state, though he did not go so
lar to disapprove of the principle.
N: r. M. SUTTON said, though he saw no reason
to i cApoue the second reading of the Bill, yet if on
c;:t.ting the n.sse of Members on the subject there
s:cof: ish for further delay, he should not press it.
exreNTs IN AID.
1.1;, nal r DAVIS presented a Petition from
t.tin merchants, creditors of a bank-
opt dlere, coati lainiag of the operation of Extents
i, by v.hich they had beer, prevented from re
co,o.:ie. :heir debts.
io.,e CHANCELLOR of the EICHEQUER.
teat Ihottgtl de measure respecting Extents in
hf.l been delayed by an nolortonaut event, he
t00i..11 w be able in a few days to submit a Bill to
on the subjvet•
gr• SMITH said, from one cause or other,
nonce i.ad been dune to bring forward this most
le,ir,t;:e measure from the Bth of February to the/10
of,:r. II some step were not speedily taken,such
b!.; stow of the importance of the subject, from
*ated commilnicttions which he had received
1,„0, ad qtrattcrs, that if the measure were not soon
he should move for leave to bring in the
yiu himself.
Mr. THOMSON said, under the colour of the law
teirecting Extents, as it now stood, the most scanda-
lous acts of injustice were perpetrated. In Newcastle
sod its eighbourhood one hundred Extents, he had
ben informed, tad been issued in one day, in t':e
itrehension that some legislative measure would be
istroducel
Mr. LOC KHA RT mentioned a case in Berkshire,
in which, by tvio Extents in Aid, and an Extent in
Nei, the whole of a bankrupt's estate to the amount
of C 20,000 had been swept away, and not a farthing
fuj been left to the other creditors. Such a system
yrs destru:tive to trade, and induced the people to
think that the law was intended for their oppression,
ird not for their protection.

dill. ES' APPOINTMENT.

Mr. DENNET, in rising to bring under the notice
ti the House the Half-pay which Ministers had
thought fit to bestow on the late Commissary in Chief,
it.t it hardly necessary to say that he was led to it
o:tly by motives of a public nature, as he had not
t':elixiour of any acquaintance with the gentleman
►:.ou name was connected with the motion. It
ktmeti that Mr. Herries entered the public service in
INS as a Clef It•ot the Treasury, and in that situa-
lA, awl as Secretary to the Chancellor of the Ex-
he continued till 1811. In July. 1811, he
raa sppointed Curoptroller of Public Accounts, and
October following he left that office for that of
Cummissary in Chief. It was necessary to state
myect;ng this last office, that from 1793 to 1809 it
been conducted in a manner which was conside-

ted to be prejudicial to the public service, and on
complaint made by Sir John Moore and Sir Arthur
Wellesley (now Duke of Wellington) it was wished
io put the office on a new footing'. Colonel Gordon,
ma Sir Wm. Gordon. was consulted, and he under-
took to remedel the office, which duty he•performed
in a manner which was as creditable to himself as it
was advantageous to,„the public. Though the Chan-
cellor of the Exchequer, on a former night, had at-
tempted to give to Mr. I-terries a share of the merit
seiicli was due to Colour! G&don only, the exertions
of this officer had been borne testimony to by the
Commaudel. in Chief and the Commission of In-
quiry. From 1809 to 1811, Colonel Gordon per-
formed the business of the office, and iu the latter
fear, wheel Mr. Berries was appointed, he found, the
machine• in operation With such regularity,
that it might be compared to those engines io which
the purserf a giant is directed by an ir,tant's arm.
tat merit of Mr. limits consisted fully in keeping
it at work. What was the manner it) which these
gentlemen had been remunerated ? Sir W. Gordon,
who had established the system of Commissariat, had
quitted the office of Commissary in Chief, and the
Miry of £2,555 a year, fur that of Quarter
of
General, a most laborious office, at a salary of £2OOO
sow reduced to aelBoo a year. Mt. Herries, on the
cater hand, had half.pay, 5e1355, superadded to an
office of £l5OO a year—the Auditraship of the Civil
List. He did not, however, in fact, receive more
ttan iet7oo a year. Thus for five years service in
the Commissariat, and thirteen years service as a
Clerk, this Gentleman had £!700 a year, £l3OO for
Wine nothing, and the rest for doing little more than
"tkii,g. Now it was contended that the office of
Commissary in Chief was- a civil .
appointment, and
taerefore entitled to compensation. He did not wish
to try the case on the precedents of extravagance,
*tech had been inherited b; lineal descent from Trea-
eiry to Treasury; unlertunately there were too many
maances of a lavish expendituie of the public money.
But he wished it to be caatidered as 'the individual
merits of the officer—but lie could prove that the of-
u:c %vas not a civil, 'bet a military office. On the
cotnnesion of military inquiry, as appeared by the
v'uctice, this officer being asked whether lis office
'""t civil or military ? replied, that it was military.—
rhe commission was issued from the War Office, the
d?Pointment was gazetted among the Staff. The
Commissary was etijo:ned 'to obey orders from the
ding and Commander in Chief ; and lastly, he was
subject to the Mutiny Act—(!liar, hear.) if it was
a military office, it would entitle the holder to half
PltI! But what was the hall-pay of Commissaries-
General M Chief—as Mr. Bergman, and Sir R.. Ken-
nedy. These gentlemen, who had served in foreign
pare and the most unhealthy climates, who had shared
the fatigues and dangers of the army, for the substs-
ten of which they provided by their activity, had
sir hundred pounds a year ; while this Gentleman,
rho had been seated snugly at home, on the very
threshold of favour and promotion, had £1350.-
10 the Minute of the Treasury fixing the remunera-
I'm to Mr. Herries, on relinquishing the office of
Cononissary-in.Chief, at £1350, it was said, that if
Ile accepted any other office, he should only receive
10 much of that allowance as would make the whole
amount to £2700. -This was spoken of as if the at).-
Pmntment to another office were contemplated as a
distant, contingency ; but on the very same day, this
rientleman was appointed Auditor of the Civil List,
7.," which he received £1,600 a-year. In that office
"c.e. was little to be done, and persons with all se-
:mines as to character and talents would be found
,e,ady to perform it at £5OO a-year—(Hoer, hear).—
ne hoped to hear sonic opinion froln the Committee
of Finance on this office. As INs had shewn that the
',Volumene of Commissarpin•Chiet was military, it