Star.
London, England, 1821-04-07 00:00:00

Mr, 110BHOUSE seconded the Amendment. He while he was in office; not a ward was spoken by him]
feared very much that what had been stated by his to that effect, until he found himself in the situation
in
cable Friend, who had just sat down; would which he now was, and in which he (Lord Castill-
o amird the same pleasantry out of doors as in reagh) trusted he would long remain!—(thar; hear).
that House. He feared that matters, which some He had not thought it necessary to offer any opinion'
Geolemen on the other side were dispmed to laugh upon the last proposition, because he entertained no
, would give but little cause for mirth to the great hope that he could make any approach to the views;
''.l of the People—(Hear, hear).—He thought that of the Honourable Member. They both moved ial
iFiAanourable Friend was well warranted in bring- Isuch different orbits, that he supposed it would be;
;.„isavard his Amendment. It would not be ne- • difficult to expect a coincidence between them ; and'
wa for hint to go farther back for arguments as the Honourable Member elongated more and more
•in of it than the commencement of the reign from his course every day, he feared that the diffi-
dgaPcrlres 1.• when Sir Thomas Wentworth, after- cu)ty which opposed their meeting became still more
wards the well-known Earl of Strafford, moved a insuperable. The Honourable Member ought, how-
sadmaaa la Parliament, that supply and grievances ever, to recollect, that his plans of retrenchment and
ibosta.go hand in hand. It would be recollected reform had already lost much of their novelty. He
ate there bad been, in that reign, a Parliament feared that it was owing to a similar cause—that of
oiled the " Patient F'arliament," and the Speaker, their moving in such different orbits—that he found
Omagh no gnat friend to liberty, nor by any means his own opinions also differing so widely from those
war* to oppose the influence of the Crown where of the Honourable Member for Westminster. That
it not too bare-faced, complained of a sum of Honourable Member certainly always delivered his
000 having been voted by the House within sentiments in that House with talent and ability; but
taeaty-fottr bours—( Hear, hear, hear).--But he (Mr. when he (Lord Castlereagh) looked at the great line
Hobhouse) had lately seen a sum of twenty-four bun- of separation which lay between himself and that Ho.
(lied thousand pounds voted away within the same nourable Member, he felt discouraged to draw any
shaft period—(Near, hear).—The most enlightened comparison between their respective opinions. Not-
ere in the country. were decidedly opposed to this withstanding the extent of preparation which that
vinous system of expenditure. in the year 1816, Honourable Gentleman had shewn, he begged to as-
lard Grenville said, that if Parliament continued to sure him, that no information which he (Mr. Hob-
vote large sums in time of peace, he should not mix house) had given to the House would induce him to
in debates which were nothing but a farce! The Par.. appear on the stage. He had been called upon by 1
Raman to which he had referred, posted twenty-four Honourable Member for Wareham to explain why it 1
Members for having received money from the Crown; was that the Earl of Fife had been removed from his
sod it appeared that a Nit. Burton had gone about office? Now he conceived he was no more bound to '
distributing it among them. This was a circumstance enter into any explanation why an individual was re-
to excite the indignation of a Parliament in the time moved from his office, than why an individual was ap-
of Charles I.—but he (Mr. Hobhouse) had seen no pointed to an office—(Hear, hear).—He apprehended
less than forty-seven Members walk out of the doors that it was exclusively the prerogative of the Crown
dew H ,use, each of whom was immediately de- to appoiat its servants, and it was equally its prero-
pendant on the Crown. In speaking of the corrup- gative to dismiss them. He did not, therefore, feel
Olin of Parliament in the time of Charles, Andrew that he owed it either to the Honourable Member
Marvel said, it was surprising that only twenty-four who spoke last, or to the Honourable Member for
Members had taken money, and he congratulated, Westminster, to give any explanations upon this point;
the country on the majority having been so pure, else and, indeed, he was surprised that the Honourable
the cause of liberty might have been utterly lost. In Member for Wareham particularly should ask for any
the Bill of Rights there was a clause prohibiting the explanation of such a circumstance as the removal of
freedom of speech in Parliament from being ques- an individual from office, since he might have recol-
tamed out of Parliament ; and surely, if the freedom lected that the country had been deprived of the ser-
dspech was not to be questioned beyond the walls vices of that Honourable Member's friends, because
ofthat House, much less ought any vote to be brought they had refused to come into office unless they had
into dispute or made matter of charge against a Mem- the appointment of every office in the State, even
her? Yet, contrarY to this enactment, it seemed that to the offices in the King's Household !—(Hear,
Lord Fife had lost his place for a vote he had given hear, h ear).—Nay, they required to have the corn-
on a preceding night. In the beginning of the reign plete nomination to the offices next his Majesty's per-
of Williara 111. a Bill had been brought in for pro- son, to such an extent as not to allow the feelings of
testing the freedom of Parliament, and'after it passed the Crown to stand between them and their appoint-
Loth Hbuses, the King was induced to put his veto ments!—(Hear, hear).—However, he had no hesita-
epon it. But what had the Parliament done upon tion in saying, that he held it to be necessary. that all
that occasion? It voted a Resolution, stating, that those who were joined together in the service of the
those who advised the King not to give his assent to Crown should think alike upon general p• rioeiPles—
the Bill, were enemies of his Majesty and the Coun- (Hear, hear).—At thi.siime time, no partkulat ground,
try. The Honourable Member then adverted to the he believed, was stated for the removal of the Earl of
corruption that had taken place in the sixth Perlis- Fife, nor was any other intimation given him than
man of William, when a sum of £200,000 was dis- that his services were, not any longer required—
tributed among tea Members, and called forth the (Hear, hear).—But Lord Fife himself had hypothe-
pamphlet on " Hush Money," written by the cele- cated a reason for his removal, and he 'went into an
brated Mr. Locke. But if the sum of 1:200,000, not explanation of the situation-hi which he stood as a
given in perpetuity, but for one occasion, was consi- Member of Parliament, things avith which he (Lord
dared an enormous bribe in those days, what could Castlereagh) had nothing whatever to do. .He felt
be said of the present time, wbeh £160,008 a-year himself bound to give no explanation of his removal
was divided among persons who had seats in that from his office; yet he had no hesitation in asserting
House? It was quite impossible, that those who that the Crown, in the legitimate possession and
shared that money must not have an undue bias upon exercise of its prerogative, was not unjustifiable in
their minds. The House ought to see that the Public requiring that all those who served it, and were
•wee satitfied that none of their money went into the united with its Ministers in office, should concur with
pockets of any of the Members—(Near, ireal.—lt them on measures of vital importance--(Hear, heat).
• -appeared that some Gentlemen entertained an utter He would say, that the individual who voted against
semempt for public opinion. This,miglit be clearly the Malt Taz, after the Government had declared
•iefatred from what had.been said on a toupee night that -they had placed their' existence upon the cond.
by a Right Hon. Gentleman (Hr. Feel), when speak- nuance of that Tax, and thit they could-not carry on
ing-on the Catholic Claims. The Right Hon. Gen- the administration of .the country unless. Parliament
tleman assured the House, that whatever might be supplied them with the means to do. so, did, in effect,
Ilie clamour put of doors, it should pot have the ef- vote for the diSinissal of the present Ministry. He
•4ect of making him alter the opinions he had formed said thus much in justification of the Circumstance in
on the subject. This, indeed, was a singular sort of question, though, be would repeat, he owed to Ho-
..4flectation ; and it reminded him of the language of nourable Members no explanation concerning it.
age Chambermaid—" The more you call me the more . Mr. CALCRAFT, in explanation, admitted the
'1 vein% come!" The Hon. Member dwelt upon this power of the Crown, in the fullest sense, to appoint
-point in some fun titer observations, and deprecated any to, and remove from Offices. All that he contended
'night offered to the general sentiments of the people. for was, that if a Member of Parliament was dis-
' •13efore the Amendment was read from the Chair, missed from any Office he might hold, on account of
strangers were ordered to withdraw, but no division any vote he gave in that House, it was highly un-
took place; and, on being re-admitted, constitutional—(Hear, hear).
'Mr. CALCRAFT was ou his legs, supporting the Mr. TIERNEY was never more surprised than
Resolution. He observed, that no stronger proof when he heard the present Resolution submitted to
could be adduced of the influence of the Crown in the House—(Hear, hear). He thought when he came
that House, than that a Member had been dismissed down to the Housethat night, that they were going
• from office because he had voted against the Minister. at once lute the consideration of the Estimates. He
Nothing like economy had ever been considered, and had thought so, because the industry of an Honour-
the numerous petitions demanding it were despised able Friend of his had brought such details before the
and neglected. The establishments now kept up House, that it would be enabled to go into those Esti-
vrere entirely on too large a scale, and not to be war- mates with greater facility than it had ever done
ranted by reference to any former occasion. It also before. Instead of which, he found a motion em-
appeared to him that the degree of influence used by bracing a variety of topics, upon which he was called
the Crown was dangerous to the freedom of Parlia- upon to vote, without the least consideration. He
anent, aid-ought to be restrained--(Cheers).—With might not possibly object to the contents of that Re-
these sentiments, he concurred in the first part of his, solution in detail; but to be called upon to vote for
• Honourable Friend's proposition; but as to the Exe- it altogether, under such circumstances, was more
. . cadet Offices.of State, he wished to see them repre- than he deemed consistent with his duty—(Hear,
• - seated in that Home. Those pffices were not over- hear).—ln the first part of the Resolution, he could
paid ; and if his Honourable Friends Resolution did have no difficulty to join. He was always ready to
not include these•offiees, he would assent to it. But agree to any motion for reasonable economy. In-
there were other offices which he thought were too deed, lie was afraid be might be charged with lend-
' highly paid, and might be dispensed with. That part fug his support to plans which were almost unreason-
of his Honourable Friend's proposition which re- able in the extent •to which they would carry that
spected the Earl of Fife, deserved, he thought, the object. But the question respecting Lord Fife, was
. most serious attention ; and he called upon the Noble an insuperable objection to his voting for the Resolu-
Lord opposite (Castlereagh) to give the House some hon. One Honourable Member said, that certain
explanation of the dismissal of that Noble Earl from words had been spoken by the Noble Lord, and an-
his office—(Hear). other said they had not been spoken. These werds•
• LordCASTLEREAGH said, that theHonourable had not been taken down on the Journals, and-be
• Member who had proposed this Resolution had only could not, of course, proceed without havingsobtained
acted in his usual vocation. He was the Protester- further information. If 1,.0rd Fife came there to com-
Goteral and Libeikr-liexerni of Parliament--(Hear, plain that his Office had been taken from him, for the,
heart and soros cries of Order!)—and only pursued reason ascribed by some, then he had no doubt that
• • his common course, by speaking a kind of prologue Ministers would be impeached. With respect to the
to the elaborate piece which was to, be performed demand made by his friends of appointing the House-
by the Honourable Member for Aberdeen by and bye hold of the King, it was well known that there were-
-(Hear! and &uighter).—lt was rather a curious cir- two jarring interests in that House, which rendered
. -;.eiunstance, however, that the Honourable Member it necessary that the same party who were in poWer
•-• far Appleby did not think it necessary to make any should also be about the King's person—(Hear,hear).
complaint of the kind with which he now came fen But such a demand was very different fiorn removing
lard. when he ..had formerly held a, distinguished of- a person from his office in consequence of a vote
_acs is the Board al Coottnnit—iilear, aear,hear).— given in that House. He certainly advised his Hon.
;ha ao complaints were heard 'ruin. the Honour- Friend to withdraw his Resolutions or he should be
abk ilembet. So gtdoctions were proposed by him_ .ibli&esi to give his t use against it. If its cOntents
.
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