The Statesman.
London, England, 1812-01-17 00:00:00

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defray all the expences attending the Establishment of
the Household. In the first instance, it would be
necessary to draw front the Civil List 170,0001. and
then to add 70,0001. to it from the Consolidated
Fund. The Civil List would thus devolve upon
his Royal Highness the Prince Regent 100,0001.
less than when his Majesty came to the Throne.
—lle proposed that Commissioners should be
appointed by her Majesty, one of whom, he ton-
teived, abbuld be a Master in Chancery, for the pur-
pose of arranging and collecting all his Majesty's
property, and superintending the payments from the
Privy Purse; these Commissioners, he thought,
should act under an oath of secrecy, and he pro-
posed that the audit of the accounts of the Privy
Purse should devolve upon them, inasmuch as they
were interested in the management of the surplus of
that Fund.—[We understood that Mr. Tierney
asked across the table, what would be the salary of
the Commissioners? and that Mr. Percoval replied,
10001. per annum r this matter, however, he said,
might be the subject of a future discussion.] He now
came to the consideration of the situation of his
Royal Highness the Prince Regentvwith regard to
the Civil List Establishment. It sight seem the
best way to meet the addition to the Civil List,
by extinguishing his Royal Highness's revenue in
the Exchequer ; hut, as he had a right to hold
It till he came to the Throne, and as many ne-.
emery arrangements and obligations might he dis-
turbed, it was not proper to interfere with that Fund.
Ile therefore conceived, that when the whole ar-
rangement of the Household would devolve upon his
Royal Highness, with the deduction of one hundred
thousand pounds, the expenditure, which could not
be supposed to be so great ti's that of his Majesty's,
when in possession of the Royal Authority, would
be easily met by the addition which he proposed.
lie thought, that his Royal Highness and his ser-
vants would be unfairly dealt with, if the Civil List
was transferred to them under the condition, that it
should be solvent for the purpose of defraying his
Majesty's expences. To avoid this, there had been
laid before the House a correct account of the estimate
of the Civil List since 1401, and of the actual charge.
In the year ending January, 1805, theexcess of the ac-
tual charge of the Civil List beyond the estimate,
wits 120,0001. in the next year 160,(0)1. in the next
130,0001. in the next 89,0001. in the next 133,0001.
in the next 143,0001. and in the last year 110,0001.
From this account the excess could be averaged, as it
was found that in the last two years there was no
excess beyond what first took place. He rated the
average at 123,0001. or 124,0001. This excess, the
House was aware, had been always discharged out
of that part of his Majesty's revenue which was not
appropriated to any particular purpose; it had been
also paid out of the Droits of Admiralty. He was
convinced that the House would agree with him in
thinking it improper to apply to the public for assist-
ance, while another fund existed. In case of any
excess, it was right that the House should have inti-
mation of that excess; and it was, therefore, neces-
sary to provide that it should be brought under the
immediate notice of Parliament. There was another
point to which he wished to refer : he apprehended
that it would appear reasonable to the Committee,
to give a vote for defraying the expences incurred in
the assumption the Royal Authority, and in the main-
tenance of the dignity of the Prince Regent in the
palace in which he resides. He had prepared a
Resolution, declaring that provision should be made
for defraying such expenses, and he stated his inten-
tion of proposing a vote to his Royal Highness of
100,0001. for this purpose. The Hoeft) would per-
ceive that this was only for one year. Respecting the
p4manent grant of 70,0001. he conceived that, un-
der the existing circumstances, it could not bt less.
The Right Honourable Gentleman concluded by ex-
pressing a hope that his propositions of arrangement
had been intelligible to the Committee, and by mov-
ing a Resolution, expressive of the opinion of the
House, that an addition of 70,0001. from the Con-
solidated Fund, should be made to the Civil List,
when under the controul of his Royal Highness the
Prince Regent.
The Resolution was put from the Chair, upon which
Mr. PONSONRY observed, that he rose with no
disposition to criticise any thing in the plan which
the Right Honourable Gentleman had just submitted
to the Committee; bat still, with deference to him,
he must soy, that what the Right Hon. Gentleman
had stated, appeared to him a matter of more com-
plexity than any thipg which he had ever before heard
submitted to Parliament, notwithstanding that the
subject appeared to be one of almost the greatest
possible simplicity. The first question which natu-
rally occurred to every person was, What was the
amount of the expence demanded by the Chancellor
of the Exchequer from Parliament on the present
occasion ?--and the next question was—what ground
and necessity existed for the expence so demanded?
In entering upon the consideration of the subject be-
fore the Committee, it would be necessary for him
to reverse the order followed by the Right Honour.
able Gentleman, and to examine first, what had last
been by him submitted to them. The Right lion.
Gentleman had told them, that the Civil List was
not sufficient to defray the charges to which it was
liable, and that it would be necessary for them to I
calculate upon a permanent annual excess of the
charges over the means provided to answer them.—
All this might be very true—but for his part, as he
was ignorant of the causes which rendered the Civil
List inadequate, it was impossible for him to come
to the conclirsions of the Right Honourable Gentle-
man, for he must have proof that the present amount
was insufficient to meet the expenditure, and not the
mere allegation of the Chancellor of the Exchequer
that it was so. It was the duty of the House to know
how that excess had taken place, and that it had not
taken place from extravagance, but had arisen front
Just and necessary causes. But how oould any man be
justified in voting such a large additional sum of
money, without any proof, and upon nothing more
than a mere allegation of excess ?—The Right Ho-
nourable Gentleman had stated to them various
breeches of the service of the Civil List, which he
.thought in the present state of things ought to be
increased, and which, on that account, would re-
quire an additional expence. With respect to this
part of the statement, it struck him that the sins-1
pleat way of proceeding was this :—They had voted
a certain sum for the maintenance of tke dignity of
tike Crown, and for supporting the cipeaces of Go-