The Statesman.
London, England, 1821-06-28 00:00:00

others upon other Hoimp
Were concerned, they gave him a great deal of trouble.
They always paid ill oniploiind notes,*aud were in the
habit of giving liglit coinage, and of pitting into
practice every sort of dishonourable trick and shuffle
in the coarse of business. The Hon. Member was pro-

cording, when
The Marquess of LONDONDERRY suggested that
the Honourable Gentlemau was departing from the
question before the House. The question he appre-
hended was not whether this or that was the cheapest
mode of transmitting the Revenue of Scotland, or as to
what were the practices of certain Scotch Bankers.
Mr. MABKRLY said, he bad nut thrust himself
upon the House on this occasion, and he thought it
contrary to the usual custom or justice of the House to
refuse to hear an explanation [tom a Member when he
had been personally alluded to on all sides. As he was,
however, the last man that n•ished to occupy the atten-
tion of the House about his own concerns he should

say no more.
Mr. HUME shortly replied. No answer bad been
made to his statement, because none could. All that
had fallen from the Hon. Baronet supported and coo-
firmed what he (Mr. Hume) said. He should let the
facts speak for themselves, and they would clearly pro-
claim the whole business a job.
After a few words from Sir J. MaJoatnaNas, Sir 0.
ewes, and Mr. Hume, the motion was put and nega-
tived without a division.
On the motion of Mr. HOME, a copy of all the
Correspondence between the Board of Stamps and the
Treasury relative to the suspension and restoration of
Mr. Bremner, was ordered to be laid on the table of
the House.

it caws .. Dispatch in queettess
the House and in the bands of the Hon. Gentleman
'opposite (Air. Bennet ;) but the case of Mr. Hook
contained more in itself than the Dispatch could-elncl-

date. When the accounts, tbrougli which the defi-
ciency had since been discovered, first came into his
office, they were in that state of confusion that all it
was in his power to do was to refer them to the Office
for the Audit of Colonial Accounts. Being usage,
from the intricacy of the accounts, to arrive at an ac-
curate knowledge of the extent of the mischief, the
Noble Lord at the head of the Colonial Department
contented himself with removing Mr. Hook from the
situation which he held, and leaving the affair to be
placed in a clear light by the Auditors. Shortly after
the receipt of the dispatch of Governor Hall, Mr. Hook
arrived in this country as a prisoner. A question was
submitted to the Law Officers of the Crown, as to the

propriety or legality of detaining him, and also whether
there was evidence enough to substitute a criminal
process against him. The Law Officers decided both
these questions in the negative, and Government had
no resource hut to leave the accounts in a state of in-
vestigation, and to collect evidence to establish the
criminality of Mr. Hook. Since that period he knew
, that the examination of the Accuunts had gone on.

Mu. Hook had frequently been called before the
Examinants, to give information on varions points,
and at the present moment a case was before the Crown
Lawyers, upon which they were to decide, whether a
Criminal charge could be sustained, or whether it
would be adviseable to adopt a different course. If legal
steps were to be taken against him, the House be was
sure would agree with him in thinking they ought to
abstain from interfering in the manner proposed by
this motion.—(Hear.) If it should be otherwise, lie
should have no longer any objections to the production
of the paper in question. He owed it to his Majesty's
Government to stale, that the moment it appeared that
Mr. Houk was a defaulter, every thing belonging to
him ou the island was seized.—(lleart)
Mr. BENNET said, that after what had falic3 from

the Right Hon. Gentleman, lie should not of course
press his inoti)n, which he begged leave to withdraw.
He wished however to be informed whether Mr. Hook
had given any security upon his appointment?
Mr. GOULI%URN stated that no security bad been
taken in Mr. Hook's case, but means bad been taken
to prevent the recurrence of such an omission.
With the permission of the House the motion was
then withdrawn.
PUBLIC EXPENDITURE.

Mr. HUME prefaced the motion, relative to the
Expenditure of the Nation, of which he had given no-
tice, by adverting to the distress which prevailed
amongst the agricultural, manufacturing, and com-
usercial classes of the country. Relief was demanded
from all qusrters, and none, he was confident, could
be given Lut by reducing the expenditure of the coun-
try. The calls of the country had not been listened
to by that House or it would not have been his task
to come forward vitls that motion at this period of the
Session. Such was the state of the public accounts
that two individuals makiug a statement on the same
subject could not arrive at the same conclusion. In
this manner of conducting public business he begged
of the House to look at the state the country was in in
the sixth year of peace. Ibe charge of the pu..lic debt
mid nut been reduced one farthing, but had actually
been increased 180,001. He therefore thought a re.l
duction ought to be matte, and might be made, of four
millions annually, without touching any resources
which ought to be considered as sacred.- He was in a
condition to chew the error of the statement made by
the Chancellor of the Exchequer, that a million had
had beet saved. The supposed reduction took place
in the Miscellaneous Estimates, and the reduction was
merely nominal. In 1917, ttirteen millions were
voted ; iu 1818, 1819, and 1929, upwards of 141
; and this year, 14,353,0091. The increase,
had heen progressive: anal the votes of the present
year were therefore considerably worse than those of
1817. The Army Extraordinaries could not be cal-
culated exactly; but calculating from the votes,
they were more than those of any of the last
four years. The public had a right to look
for a considerable reduction in these depall-
talents. In 1792 the expense was two mil-
lions ; in this year, 9,900,009 f. An increase
nearly in the same proportion, had taken place in the
Navy. The whole charge in 1792 for Army, Navy.'
and Ordnance together, was four millions ; and this
ve-r it was 14 millions. The debt had increased so
lunch, as to require an inual payment of 32 milli ins
instead of 12 millions, which was the interest in 1792.
Hon. Members had declined voting with him, one, be-
cause he said the statements were matter of opinion; and
another, because lie said they were matter of fact. The
Chancellor of the Exchequer, however, could not get
over 6,snres ; and upon them lie (Mr. H.) would rely.
The Noble Marquess had, however, invariably pro-
mised that if a reasonable reduction were proposed, it
should be adopted. Now it appeared that in 1817,
the total expenditure was 67 millions; 1818, 88 ; in
1919, 68 ; in 1829, 69 ; and this year 70 millions.
He had this year occupied a considerable porti as of the
time of the House. He was not ashamed to confess it;
bat he had dope so to accommodate the Noble Marquess
—(A laugh:)—who in a former Session had called for
.pecifie statements. In talking of reduction, the Right
Hon. Gentleman opposite hail taken credit ler sums
which never had been considered permanent. It was,
easy to chew a nominal saving, by leaving out sums
which could be postponed another year. He (Mr. H.)
had therefore taken the expense at an average of four
yearns which he conceived to be the fair way of taking
it. When the Right Hon. Gentleman did not call for
extraordinary votes, he called it a saving. This was
not the kind of way, of saving he (Mr. Hume) wanted.
He wanted a saving in the expense of general Establish-
ments. They were masked, and he was sletertniased to
unmask them. Large sums bad been paid to the Com-
missioners of Woods and Forests to pay for improve-
ments, and of these sums no account had been rendered.
Similar payments had been made to the Bank of Eng-
land, the Goismissiosers of Queen Anne's Bounty, and
other public bodies. The accounts of these papers were
huddled up together so that no idea could be formed of
their propriety. He thought, however, that the whole
of them might be saved without any detriment to public
interest. 'the Hon. Member then enumerated the earl-
ous branches of the Army, regular and irregular, which,
an the ag to, be sioatiended had increased. Those
for paradeg and shome purposesnight he thought be re
dared; and this argument would apply to civil caw,

T E STArj-. *AV, .1,"
he *sew not srls right Let &Pisa ball state tof the balance due by him to the 11 who
to illterfore ylthishat. 1110 iertOnly minds Iltestecti T*a y that Colony." Mu'
tletnen pay tbeit noted. 'tit they did' so by issul;tt .1/4r. OULISURN said, he could have have no ob- foe"
others upon other Howe, ko,Ssutlaotl. As far as they Oction to the Dispatch is (pestles 'mint laht before •ni