The Statesman.
London, England, 1819-07-03 00:00:00

THE STATESMAN

Mr. HUME said, that had the Right Honourable
Gentlemen bees aware of the mode is which he (Mr.
Hume) should have concluded his sentence, he world
not have complained that it was irrelevant to ailed*
to the events at Gibraltar.
Mr. CANNING added, that be objected tea se.
fereoce to she mutiny.
Mr. HUME Continued. He had only mentioned
the mutiny with a view to remove an resting pre-
judice. He was elution. to assure the Hoses that •
very erroneous+ impression bad been made on the
public Wed, as to the nature sad Mut of that
trammed°. ; sad be was union to Teresa the che-
wier of the Duke from the most undeserved censer,
which had been cast upon it by that transaction.—
The mutiny did take Oro in December, 1801, bet
was instantanenesly quelled ; and the garrison in es.
cense order when be left it, la May following. The
state of drunkenness of that garrison was so noto-
rious, and so mischievos' to the health and disci.
Mine of the troops, that the most particular orders
were gives to the Duke of Kent to correct both,
which he did in • most remarkable degree, as was
manifested le the state of the sick and the number
of deaths, which were less by ene.half than for the
same period before or after his Government. And
let the House only observe, that by the suppressing'
of the peblic.hoesrs, to repress the drunkenness,
he reduced the fees of she Governor from 60001. to
20001. alter. Ha bad been promised by the No.
ble Lord at the bead of the Government. before he
left England, that any sacrifice of emotement that
the Duke might make, to accomplish she di.cipline
and sobriety of the garrison, should be made up to
him. Bat that bad
the recal of the Duke from Gibraltar was injerines
to him, oa such alleged grounds, he had reason to
complain, and he had not been willingly absent from
that Government.—Bet in the pecuniary allowances
from Gibraltar also, she Duke bed been used more
amiably, may, he meat add, more unjustly treated
by his Majesty's Ministers than any other Gramme
of any foreign garrison, and that formed a strong
claim en the pert of the Duke for remuneration.—
As the Government had themselves laid down a rale
for the division of fees of absent Go 00000 rs,
why have they acted differently with the Duke
of Keel ? In the instance of Sir James Cockhern,
Govereer of Carnes, who was absent from his
command, where General Lylyard was his Deputy,
his Majesty's Ministers determined that the ab.
sent Governor should receive • 11.1 f, and the Deputy
on she spot the other half of the fees end emoluments
of office. During the trine years previous to, end in.
cledieg the year the Duke of Kent commanded at
Gibraltar, the avenge fees received were 7,0001. •
year, sad tee Duke, whilst absent, was fairly .nsi.
tied to nee half, or 3,5001. a year for sistron years
pest. Bet he had not got one pound, although his
share amounted (taking the terse proportims) to
56,0001. He would ask, wh.t had become of that
money—of those fees since the Duke's dewier, ?
Let his Majesty's Ministers inform the [loose. The
Deputy Governor had received his half, or 3,5001.
a year, mid the other half, with additions. bad
been regularly remitted, perhaps to the Pal)
Peru, or to another high Peesonage.—lie
avoid only inform the House, that be had ex-
amined very narrowly all the items and brads of pub.
tic revenue, and could assure them that so credit ap.
peered to be given any where for that sew. Was it
isereatesable for the DA. of Kent to ask from this
fend, be had almost said his ewe fend, to be pieced
on the same fooling as other Governors had been,
lead were placed? It is not an easy work to reduce
a heavy debt, and his Royal Highness, although from
the year 1807 be bad set said. a considerable portion
of his allowance, yet having always the hopes that
justice would be done to him, and :hat both the ar-
rears of his Parliamentary allowance sod his allow.
ease from Gibraltar would be paid, he continued to
ergo his claims to Government, bat without success.
—Up to the year 1806, every one of the Royal
Dukes bad a table for them in St. James's Pa.
late, which was equivalent to sic thousand pounds
a year ; but she Duke of Kent, from his absence,
never received one year of such table, as his other
Royal Brothers did. Nothing was more distant
from his intention, then to make invidious compari•
sons of the Duke of Kent's situation with any other
of his Boys! Brothers, bat be could not captain the
Duke's claims, or tire motives which bad induced
him to cure before this Hasse without mentioning
them. The late Mr. Pitt bad promised, and, if he had
lived, be bad little doubt would have taken the claims
of the Deke iota consideration, bet his death and the
indisposition of his Majesty prevented any thing
being done. In 1813, the Duke surd his claims
for the arrears of his Parliamentary allowance and
fees from Gibraltar to his Majesty's Ministers, bat
without success ; and seeir.g no lopes of any aid bet
from his owe resources, did then nobly, and be
should always contend most honourably end 0111411.
plery, resolved by economy to pay off his debts...—
Of the allowances of every kind which he received,
as shown by the returns ea the sable of the Hoes., he
gave 17,0001. a year so pay his debts. and lived on
70001. a year for the three years that followed and on.
01 his marriage, which altered his establishment. The
aeliety the Doke felt to discharge his debts, iodat-
ed him to submit to privations, and to make es.
*diens which few men of his rank, or of any rank,
are ready to do ; and he melt always do credit to his
head and his heart for so doing. If the Duke of
Kent now were placed on the same fooling as to
Parliamentary allowance es his brother the Duke of
Clarence, elder only by two years, he would have to
receive 96,0001. or 12,0001. for eight years, from the
age of 24 to 32, when 'redid not receive any. If he
were placed on a footing with the Doke of Sasses,
the least turreted as to allowasee of any of the
Royal Family, who received his Parliamentary al.
lowaore at twenty-nine years of ego, he would re-
ceive 29,0001. ; and in his repeated applications to
Governmeat the Duke of Kent requested be
might have either on* or other, bet neither was
granted. As all these had failed, his own retrench.
meet had extinguished half of his debt ; but beiag
maeried he could not live on the same reduced rate.
blishateot u he did before, and it was that considers•
lion alone which induced him to come before the
Howe at pant. Hubei conveyed t• trustees the
holm and crusade of Castlebar.hill, valued at a sum
equal to all his remaining debts, he was anxious to
have that property sold for the balk of kis bro.

Atom; esd as the trustees had not beets able to sell
It at a fele valuation is the ordinary way of sale, be
4.4 116•• serenely advised to dispose of it by Lot.
tin; sever livelong that the Hesse wound refuse to
hits abet It had granted to others for like purposes.
TM Doke had received '20,0001. from the Dreits of the
Admiralty, at the time his Rbyal Brothers received the
same sum, and he had devoted it to pay his creditors.
He does sot wish to receive one pound of the money
himself, and he was sorry to observe the feeling in
the Home spina the request. The private charac-
ter of the Duke of Kent did nut require any thing he
could say to make it known—his acts were the best
proofs of the goodness of his heart, and these were
as generally known us his besevolent exertions were
useful. Ile did not approve of Lotteries which pro.
meted vice and immorality, and should preys his
opinion no that subject by the votes he should give as
long as be should have the bottoor of a seat in this
House; bet he considered the presto plan, although
by Lottery, us free from almost all the mils incum-
bent on mosey prises. Ile could assure the Home
that the strong sense he bad of the peaty of the too.
lives of the Doke of Kent On the prevent and other
orra-inn', and that his claims were fairly entitled
to like favourable consideration of the House, in es
far as his debts had been interred by losses in the
public service, and by the withholding from him the
ellowsores he ought to have received, seethe reales
why be had occupied so mach of the time of the Homo.
Lord CASTLEREAGH concurred with the lion.
Member that he would not refuse so act of justice
to a Prince of the Blood; bet if this were en act
of jystice, it certainly was one of the last to which
he could assent. The lion. Alderman had alled•
ed to the general respect esterteitted for the Disko
of Kent, in consequence of the many benfits he bad
conferred; and no man could more admire the
mede in which his Royal Highness had dispensed
his charities than he (Lend Castlereagh); but surely
this was net precisely the mode its which they ought
to he compensated. His Lordship most sincerely
lamented that the Hon. Gentleman had gone into the
review he bad taken ; nor did he know whence he
obtained some of the feels he had advanced, •hich
conveyed, chat the Home could not bear without
strong emotion. a sort of parental reproach—a sug-
gestion, than width there was nothing less in unison
with the general feeling, that the King had acted to-
wards his children with sedge partiality.—(Coos•
finned ckeers.)—lie pretested against this Bill
the mre strongly, beaten?, not in Mr. Pict's Ad-
mietttretion, bat not even in Lord Grenville's
had the Duke of Kent brought forward his tocs-
inr claims, when the junior branch,' of the Royal
Family were before Parliament.--An opportu-
nity had been twice afforded, and twice neglected ;
and the last time only lest year. when his marriage
was ultder consideration. The Duke of Citruses was
the individual placed is centrist ; but if he hod re.
' (rived Perlistnentary aid sootier, the Duke of lost
had possessei professionel 6(1,66014es whisk the
Duke of Clarence bad never enjoyed. The Duke
of Kent had received large emolemeets, stated at
70001. per annum, from Gibraltar ; and at this so.
es-at his Royal Highness actually had an income, as
'pistoled by returns on the table, of between 30,0001.
end 32,0001., considerably beyond the income of his
elder brother.
Mr. HUM E explained, and denied that be intend-
ed to drew any comparison between the Dukes of
Kent and Clarence: he had contrasted the Duke of
Kent more penitently with the Duke or Sussex.—
As to the charge of parental partiality, the Noble
Lord had completely misunderstood him. lie would
stele, without fear of contradiction, that it was the
intention of the King, before bis illness, to make an
allowance is the Duke of Kest.
Mr. FORBES, with the greatest pleasure, sup-
ported the motion for bringing ie the Bill. In the
feeling the Home had displayed, it bad not evinced
a disposition either jest or generous ; and if no the
present occasion the lion. Mover were not semen-
fel, he hoped in the nest Session that the claims of
the Royal Duke would be brought forward in some
other shape. He maintained that she Duke of Kent
bad not been treated like his brothers, and be should
bete no objection to rest the fact out the verdict of
twelve sworn jurymen.
Sir CHARLES BURRELL rase merely to afford
the Una. Member of Aberdeen en opportunity of
correcting his statement. The Hen. Member bud
stated, that the Duke of Kent had set sport 17,0001.
a year for the liquidation of his debts, retaining only
70001 a year for his own use. Now as it 'moored
that his Roysl highness had 18,0001. a year from the
Consolidated Fend, as well as his Royal Brothers,
together with little less then 70001. from the Ge.
moment of Gibraltar, 60001. en his late marriage,
the r f the Coinnelcy of the Scots Royals,
with the usual profit on the allowance for clothing
that regiment, in all above 31,0001. a year. The
Hon. Gentleman's statement appeared lobe incorrect.
Mr. HUME said, that his statement referred to
lute revenue of the Royal Duke when he set apart
17,0001. a year for the lipuidetiou of his debts, and
his tinsel Highness's so was then only shoat
11,0001. a.year. The grant sport his Royal High.
wess's marriage was made, it would be recollected,
only with the last year.
Lord LOW rH ER expressed a wish that the Hon.
Member wound consent to withdraw bis motion, as
the discussion of such a motion could only serve to
cast discredit span the Royal Family. As to the
statement of the lion. Member for Aberdeen, re-
specting the losses of the Doke of Kent, it would be
recollected, that in the year 1606, 20,0031 were
granted out of the Droits of Admiralty to his Royal
Highness, which grunt he understood to be a compass*.
lion for these losses.—[No, no! said Mr. Hume, for
the same sum was granted to every one of his Royal
Brothers.]
Mr. Alderman WOOD disclaimed the idea of
bringing forward this measure with any sock view as
that ,'apposed by the Noble Lord en the T
Bench—liamely, that of rewording the Duke of Kent
for his maims, in the came of public cherity.
FOr these 'unions indeed his Royal Highness was
entitled for a higher and more dignified reward.—
But his (Loyal Highness himself had in feet no con-
cern whatever in bringing forward this measure, for
it was peened upon him (Alderman W.) by others,
namely- by the Trustees for liquidating the Duke's
debts.—[Some corghing.)—Tbo Worthy Aldermen
hire mooned lbe llosso to farm Mm with a littl!

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