The Statesman.
London, England, 1814-04-19 00:00:00

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Gedtlemin (MneSfepheyYsvould contend that there
was a vested tight in a lease of absence, as well as
in an office held or pleasore.—[4 laugh.] The lion.
Gentleman then read n Copy of a Commission by
which the Office of Receiver at Berbice was granted
to •he Hon..G. Capell, who is also a Commissioner
of Land 'Fax in the county of itaffotd. He contend-
ed that this Commission having, like all others, a
declaration that the office was only holden during
the King's pleasure, it could not surely be necessary
to pass a law to compel residence. The advocates of
this Bill (said-the ilon. Gentleman) are sespicious
reformers : for in the first place it is they who have
sinned.—r No! from the Ministerial Dench.]-0n
looking over the list of place-holders in question,
the names of Lord Hobart and Lord Castlereagh
look occurred several. times. Indeed the m hole an-
:slimy for the pcsetttiltill arose from one little,pas-
sage, tie. " And .1w it tur4her enacted, that nothing
it, this Act sholl,be'conetrued to extend to any exist.
. in appointment, or leave of absence granted before."
laugh, and /gear Ii—By this pretty desire
was intended to support the leave of absence, which
the proposers of the Hill well knew.to be too rotten
to 'support themselves. if the Hill was pressed, he
should divide the Mato on It, and propose what he
thongbt.utould he a much better measere—a Resolu-
Oen that the law had been violated in the letter, in the
case of the holders of Colonial offices by patent ; and
in the spit it and effect by the holders of those offices
by commissions. lie thought an attention to this sub-
ject was particularly called for at the present tithe,
from the near prospect we now had of peace, when a
number of most meritorious persons, in consequence
of the diminution of our naval and military establish.
meats, would be reduced to a scanty half-pay. It,
was not surely at such a time as this that those places,
which might •be conferred as an honourable reward
en the services of our gallant countrymen, should be
disposed of to increase Miiisterial patronage. The
Hon. Member concluded with moving, as an Amend-
ment, instead of the mortis " that the Silicaker do
leave the Chair," tile following Resolution :

" hat it appears to this House, that its theft! ofthe King.
on rer•ot,, holding Colonial appointments are permitted to re.
side in this country. that nevertoeless ninny peruse holding suds
nim..iniments by patent, do reside in this country. contrary to
the expo .14 liner .1f the Art. and many other., not holding them
pnlott, conlr/ry to its evicht.t meaning and spirit ; that this
in sufabow and itiolatiuu of iht law calling loudly fat enquiry
allorrretiott.:,

Mr. WIitTBREAI) seconded the Amendment.
Mr. GOOLBURN, in reply, stated, that when
he first brought in this Bill not a murmur of opposi-
tion hail been raised against it, except by the Hon.
Gentleman (Mr. cteevey), and that now it seemed
the objert,to get rid of it altogether. This Bill was
vitot!meant to sanction abuses, but to be beneficial to'
3 de Colonies. And *it was at least some presumption
' in is favour that it Wll6 the very identical Bill which
tied; been brought In in 1782, and which was so
litothapplauded by the Hoe. Gentleman. It was, 116 V•
Liner, oljected to at that tittle, u if- it was meant to
,littroduce a general plan of reform in our colonial
establishments, and, therefore, the provisions of the
' Bill had been uspresslv restricted to patent places.—
' The same clause had also been introduced on that oc-
casion as at present, to prevent its trenching on any
existing, interest.
. .

Sir .FAMES MACKINTOSH thought the regale-
'tines relating to leave of abseutas wise and salutary.
Ile could not certainly. agree with, his. lion. and
Learned Friend (Mr. Stephen), with regard to the
principle of any Dee baling a " vested right" in a ,
place held during pleasure. Be besides the inviolable
regard which ought to be had to legal property, even
those claims and expectations which were founded
only on custom and the established practice of the I
Legislature, were entitled to extreme indulgence and
tetteerne:•:. Hi agreed with a went and wise man
(Mr. Burke), from whom he wished to borrow all his
plans and all his ideas of reform, that in all such pro-
posed remedies of existing abuses time, with respect
'to the individual. was every thing, and to the public
was as nothing. Those reforms were, therefore, in his
opinion, best which did not interfere with any imme-
diate interest. and which had only a prospective
operation. lie could not, however, approve the pre-
sent bill, as certainly the appointments which had
Aiken place since 17iit were a series of abuses and of
eiasions of the law ; and to throw a • large mass of '
patronage into the hands of Ministers, which would
be the effect of the present Bill, would be to reward
them for the delinquencies of their predecessors.
Mr. .T KPH EN observed, that the Ron. Gentle-
men on the other side Were unusually fair and can-
did upon the former discussion of the measure be-
fore the (louse, and that it was a pity, for their own
sakes, they should have changed their tones. Upon
the former occasion they were loud io cheering the
proposition, as a measure of reform, whereas it now
provoked their opposition. Thus it appeared, that
netwiths,anding the professed anxiety of these Gen-
tlemen for reform, they were rather jealous as to the
quarter with which it originated—that they were
net to be contented with any measure of reform
coming from the side of the house to which he be-
lohged. As to the objection against the saving
clause, with regard to existing offices, he could not
help expressing his surprise at the inconsistency of
those by whom it was urged, while they avowed their
admiration of the original Act from which this very
saving clause was copied. The Learned Gentleman'
remarked upon the animadversions which had been
made respecting his use, in a former debate, of the
phrase 44 vested interests," and said, he was sorry
that his Learned Friend who had just spoken was
lost present when he used that phrase, in order that
he might have saved his friends from a blondes' who
had thought proper to bring forward so much com.,
rnent, or rather clamour, against his (Mr. S.'s) mode
of applying the phrase, for nothing could be more ex-
travagant cr' shocking is ordinary conception, than
the manner in which his application of this phrase
had been interpreted. Really, those Gentlemen, and
particularly an Hon. Gent. (who was generally pretty
prompt in his repartee and sarcasm) seemed to think
that 64 vested interests" could only apply to patella
places. Although the description was indisputably
applicable to many places not appointed by patent,
and to disregard the rights belonging to persons hold-
ing -.such places in any Legislative arrangement,
would, in his judgment, be highly unjust. To put
down existing rights would indeed he to convert
ptiblic-spirited rational reform into jacobinical re-