The Statesman.
London, England, 1809-11-04 00:00:00

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availed themselves of it by prosecuting the offen-
ders, charging the offence as one calculated to
lift and degrade the Goverutnent, and to bring it
into contempt. The Honourable Gent a said,
borrowing the expression of Mr. Percerat or Mr,
Canning, that Mr. Wardle wished to reduce the
exponditare by eeditcing the army. This was Isst
the cue—he wished to do so by reducing only watt
avas useless and unprofitable. He Recollected,
that in the latter end of the Administration of Lewd
Nnrth, when he could no longer stand against
the opposition by which ho was assailed, that a
Committee of Accounts was appointed ; afterwardsi
in the year 1797, a Finance Committee was sp.• •
pointed, and many reports were made; but to what
good end ? Commissioners were also appointed
(.r ezamining the stemmas in the West 'lndies.
Scree minium were thou ootiotatitling, and yet
the salaries to the persons employed have hitherto
weeded the advantage derived by the public from
their labours. Ile (Mr. Waithuian) had looked
Into these accounts, which were as voluminous
as Rapin's ilaitury of England ; and it wata
true, as Mr. Windham bad said, we weft
corrupt from top to bottom, and could ne..
ver expert to do •good, till things were essat.
pletcly changed. In the War Oilke there was
a yearly allowance for salaries to the amount
of yet this sum remained at the disposal
of tele Secretary to this Treasury, and was, no doubt,
given away in pensions, &c. for here the wear
of accounts was esplained ova the ground that
there was nut a sufficient number of clerks, or that
they were not qualified for the duty. They wore,
no doubt, in many instances, young gentlemen,
who, with notions tooexalted for a mercantile life,
watt set down there to spend their forenoons in
amusiag themselves with Anti-Jacobin newspapers
and magazines, as a fit peeparatiop for the r
public sphere in which they were afterwards
tined to more. He proceeded to mention a Mai,
Hamilton, who, with a salary of 1401. per annum
in the War Office, was also secretary to Mr. W.
Dundas, with a salary of 1001. per annum ; Bar.
rack Master fur thu Tower of London, with a
house, coals, and candles, of the value of 4001.
er annum—lute out part of his house fur a guinea
a seek, and has his coals and candles sent to his
house in the country, who neglected all these
duties, that hu might art as Surveyor of Taxes,
aid who, on Mr. William Dutidas's retir-
ing, hail received a pension of 1501. per annum,
for extraordinary services rendered to Mr. W.
Dundas during the two years he keid the office of
ticcolary at War. Ile also mentioited a servant
of Mr. C. Jenkinsoo, who held the office of a
Messenger hi the War-Office for upwards of 30
years, during all of which time lie never quitted
his Master's (then Lord Liveopool) service : that
31r. Fitzpatrick's Secretary had also, on his re-
tiring, received a pensiou as Mr. W. Dundas's
bad Moir. Mr. W. then said that these were
shameful proceedings ; he did not hesitate to de-
clare, that a man who would take money out of
the public purse, in order to provide a pension to
his own domestic, who had never dune the public
any service, was a character he would never trust
private concerns. So much would he sus.
pre t hi that if he had mousy on a table,
he writiltl not turn his back upon it, if such
a character was' within reach of .that motley.
The Iltruourable Gentlentats, said there were only
ttUO Members of the Ibsen of Common who were
supposed to be influenced by like Minister. lie
(Mr. Waltham) maintained that there sata sot
tweety le Zb& *bolt' Hein 'wile were emapieliallf
disinterested, be recant through themselves of rela.
Lives, or through Peers smith whom they might be
connected, or in stations natal er military; mos
*light be as much influesseed by expeetteg es by
baring; sad what lesteseam influence must not a
resetius of 78 millions per tioutout be supposed to
create ? When Lord Amherst was Commander
in Chief, the whole exposes of his office was
WWI. a year, now it amounted to 8.000.—
Colonel Gordon, the Secretary to the Coin.
wader, had 110001. a.year, being doable the
whole expense in Lord Amherst's time, yet it
steely would net be contended that the business
we' not as well done then as it seas now. The
Annourablc Gentleman called the Resolution of
the Worthy Alderman crude. He must rather
conceive the speech of the Worthy Gentleman to
be so. lie had never left the Court more in the
dark than on the present occasion, though be him..
self seemed to have been getting new lights lately,
which taught him to advise the Court to support
site prerogative against the people. Ha VW :ceded
• le read a quotation from a speech of Mr. Justice
iii the case of Sir C. Hawkins, in skids the
!ranted udge states, that if the tights of eketion are
ett to be trampled on, the Constitution, which is
now our boast, will be something even less than a
shadow. 'Yids was the opinion of one of the
Judges of England, and where was this shadow
new to be found, if the iloose of Commons, in-
Wad of discharging their duty, was to prntect the
prerogative against the people. The Rote Gent's.
argatnents went to prove quite the reverse of
ivhst he wished, and completely sheered that the
Country could not at present have any confidence
in Ministers. They hod now so much to do
in the floes' of Commons in Keeping parties
together, and preserving majorities to support
every Administration, that they had not time
to think of the affairs of the nation. 'The
worthy Gentlemen seemed to forget some parts
of his former minded ; he seemed to forget
the tiuse when he had said that they ought to
go up with an Address every week, upon the sub-
ject of Reform, until it was obtained. Ano-
ther Gentleman seemed to be equally forgetful,
who hail more lately stated, that his blood was
chilled at such doings: he now saw worse things
happen—a fine army destroyed—the resources of
the country squatidered ; and yet he was willing to
join in the call for the rescinding of a vote, %hie&
had done them more credit than any they had ever
'come to. His excuse was the particular potties
of affairs; now that (according to his own el..
pension) Bonaparte was bringing his troops into
a focus, he thought it right to resist bins by this
means. As to bringing his troops into a focus,
it must be acknowledged that he had adopted a
very singular way, that of spreading them over the