The Statesman.
London, England, 1821-06-20 00:00:00

'ATF.B

Mr. Serjeant BLOPIIETT was heard for the Applireet
nn the Stretbatere rage ; and INt. WITNTRIILL

reply. Further proceedings postponed to Tuesday
next.

Mr. Jouttanx, from the Office of Secretary of state
for !rebind, presented certain returns, pursuant to order.
—Laid on the tattle.
LONDON WHARFS.
Counsel aosl evidence having been heard at the Bar
in favour of the London Wharfs Bill, that Bill was
read* second time, and ordered to be committed on
Friday.
! The Justice of Peace Regnlatioo Bill west through
a Committee, and the Report was received.
FOREIGN SLAVE TRADE.
The Marquess of LANSDOWNE postponed his
motion respecting the Foreign Slave Trade to Monday
next, as the papers which had been printed on that
subject were very voluminous, and had but just been
delivered.
The Earl of DARNLEY also postponed I►is motion
respecting the Navy. to next Tuesday, for which
day their Lordships were ordered to be summoned.
STATIONERY IN IRELAND.
The Earl of DARNLEY reminded their Lordships,
that in the course of the last Session, and at the re-.
quest of a Noble Friend of his, he had moved for cer-
tain papers relative to the mode of supplying the Pub-
lic Offices in Ireland with Stationery. Those papers
had been proluced, and he considered it his
duty to attract the at ention of the House to
their contents. Of the individual most concerned
in the inquiry to uhicb those papers belonged,
be knew personally nothing, escept that he
he was a warm partisan, and helot at this moment the
situation of Lord Mayor of Dab In, a situation of
some importance, and likely to become of still greater,
should the intended Royal visit of Ireland he carried
into effect. In that case he had no doubt that the in-
diyidual to would give his Majesty a very
warm Irish reception. Whatever effect theetatensents he
should make might produce on their Lordship's minds,
he was acting on public grounds only, and if he should
expose any transactions of a suspicious or improper na-
ture, their Lordship would perceive that it would not
be his fault. It appeared by the papers on the table,
that a Patent had been granted by the Lord Lieute-
nant of Ireland in 17e0. in lieu of one granted in
1750, for serving the Public Offices of Ireland with
Stationery. The advantages of this Patent consisted
in supplying► exclusively with Stationery all the De-
parttuents in Ireland, with the exception of the Com-
mi-sariat Department. By a cotupr min which bad
taken place in 1614, hoverer, all the Departments had
been, nail still continued to be, supplied by the Paten-
' ter. The total amount of that supply for the last ten
years was not less than 226,606/.175. 8111., which, as
he had calculated it, formed an average of 35,129/. a
year. His object was to s'mow that half that amount
could be saved to the public if another male of sup-
plying Stationery were adopted. Should his state-
ments not prove sufficient at least to induce his Ma.
iesty's Ministers to impair, into the subject, he trusted
that their Lordships would agree with him in the pro-
priety of presenting ate Address to Ills Majesty, pray-
ing that he would be pleased to put an end to the Pa-
tent altogether, and after making such a compensa-
tion as the individual might be entitled to claim,
would estahlish another mode by which the Public
would not lose fifty per cent. The Noble Earl then
read vamions parts of the Reports on the table, sheet-
ing instances in which great insccnraci,.s had been
committed. It appeared that a person in the Sta-
tionery Office had discovered a charge of 600/. for
Ruling, a hich ought to have been done fur 3111. The
same person had offered to do for 501. what hail been
charged 1500/. The Commissioners of Excise had
also discovered that whereas the books supplied to
their Departments ought to hare been bound in vel-
lum. they were bound in an inferior article. The va-
lue of the amount of that fraud was not less than
1,192/. It appeared, however, to have been com-
mitted without the knowledge of Mr. Bradley King.
the Patentee, by the agent whom he had employed,
and to have arisen, not from the corruption of the
principal, but from the negligence with which busi-
ness was perhmps but ton► habitually carried on in
Ireland. Articles of the best quality were to be sup-
plied to all the Public Departments in Ireland ; hut
appeared from the Excise, In 1819, that very few of,
the Stationery furnished to that Department was of
the best quality ; that in general the quality wax
very had, and that the prices were in some instances
twice as high, and in all cases a great deal higher thaul
they ought to be. Superfine foolscap, which was
charged only nineteen shillings and elevenpence a
ream to the Excise in England, was charged to the
Irish Excise 2/. 4s. 9d. In time same manner, post
folio, which was charged here only 11. se. 9.1 was
charged there no less than 3/. 2s. He called upon
their Lordships to look into this business; to see how
far a monopoly, so bad in principle and prac-
tire, should be repressed, what compeusatiou should
he made to the Patentee, and what means should
be adopted to prevent the public from losing
su numb as it had hitherto done. He had heard
many things stated, but without imputing blame to
any one, it appeared clear to him that the public had
lost considerably. He therefore hoped that if their
Lordship should not agree to the resolutions whirls
he was about to prows-, they would at least direct
their serious attention to the subject. The Noble
Earl then proposed a series of resolutions, reciting
the various statements made in time coarse of his
speech, and declaring that under all the eirriumstances
of the case, it appeared that the public had greatly
suffered by a monopoly vicions in principle.
Visconsit SID:1101;TH observed, that it Lad been
admitted br the Noble Earl himself, that the fraud
with respect to the binding had been committed by
the instrumentality of a man of the name of Fox,
who bad derived no advantage from it. Now the
patentee, Mr. Bradley King, had employed that Ter%
Mr. Fox, at the special recommendation of the per-
sons by whom be was now inculpated, the Surveyor of
Stores, and Mr. Rowe. the Cleat of the Receipts.—
(The Noble Viscount spoke in a tone so unusually
low as to be but very imperfectly heard below the
Bar.)—The charge of negligence brought forward
against Lit. Bradley King applied marls more justly
to those
Otbirraerrtsksktreoirnspaltaitnche-d theythlot.wth;i:ebnasimotilest:
sal.

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