Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1816-05-25
HOUSE OFLOEDS,
BRITISH ARMY FRANCE

uatNC VI VIC DIltiSu troops now serving
| in France. The Marquis of Lansdown,
we understand, moved for some accounts
respecting the transaction, upon which
The Earl of Liverpool! observed that
| the House of Commons had deter
| mined to supply the money which was ne
| cessary Tor the payment of our troops in
! France. not ony in lieu of the contribute
| ons which the French Government had to
I pay. but to provide any surplus or excess
that might be incurred beyond the a.
, mount of those contributions.
Lord Holland animadverted in severe
| terms upon the conduct of the Noble Earl
/, III not having come down to Parliament in
! the first instance, and communicated the
| circumstance. The precedent, he conten-
| ded, was one Of 4 most alarming and dam
| gerous description. There was a period
| in our history in which, similar proceed
| ingS had nearly subverted the liberties of
| the country. Charles II. and James III.
received pecuniary aid from France, for
| the avowed purpose of subduing our indie
peadehce. He really thought that some
| farther explanation than what had vet
fallen from the Noble Earl was necessary,
| and in his opinion he could not do better
than come down to that House with a Bill
OF Indemnity for the share which he had
| IN the transaction.
Lord Liverpool said, that the paper mo-
we'd for by the Noble Marquis would bring
the subject regularly before their Lord
ships. when it could be disp .ssionately ar
gueo, and when he should be prepared to
| give every explanation. All he could say
at present was, that the sum in question
was part of contribution which the Ali
ed Powers, having military possession of
France, levied upon that, country, and
| which, by convention entered into, was
to be employed in ,lefraying the expences
| OF the armies maintained there.
Lord Greenviile observed, that the re-
solution of the House of Commons, for pay
ing the British army in France. had no re-
terence whatever to any possible surplus
OF expence which might arise beyond what
| the contributions paid by the French Co
vernnent would cover. The object of
| this resolution was wise and constitution
al one. 1t was to get rid of that DANCE
rous anomaly in our constitutional prac-
| tice, of having large army in foreign
country, paid by foreign power, and
consequently placed beyond the controul
and influence of Parliament. He would
venture 10 say that neither the House of
Commons nor the country anticipated
the idea OF any charge falling to us for the
support Of the army in France. The ex-
pence of that army was understood to be
completely provided fer, by the con,ribu-
tons payable from the French Govern
ment. He considered the present subject
as one of the greatest Importance, in a
constitutional point Of view, that British
Minister should receive large sums from
foreign state, and appropriate them with
out making any communication to Parlia.
ment ; and he trusted that it would be
brought before their Lordskips in man
ner different from the present accidental
Isode of discussing it.
Lord Lauderdale condemned the pro-
ceediugs Of the Noble Earl, as unprece-
dented ia the history of the country, and
as being frausht with the greatest danger
to the Constitution. IF so large a sum as
S00,000l. might be thus received and en,-
ployed by a Minister without the sanction
of Parliament, why might not much lar
ger sum be equally SO received and so
employed! Or why might net British
army be kept in any part of the Continent
in the pay OF foreign power, without any
controul over itby the Parliament of Eng
land 1t was impossible to view such pro.
ceedings without the greatest alarm, and
their Lordships would abandon their du-
ty il they did not make it subject of
their most serious and deliberate conside-
ration.
Earl Grey said. he could not suffer the
present discussion to close, without ex-
pressing the sentiments of Indignation and
establishment with which he was almost
overpowered. He did not mean to accuse
the Noble Earl of the deliberate intention
to deceive the country with respect to the
support of the British army in France, but
certainly the effect Of his declarations up
on that subject had been 20 deceive it in
the most decided manner. Until that
night it was universally believed that the
charge for maintaining that army would
be covered wholly and exclusively by the
amount Of contributions to be paid by the
French Government but when his No
bic Friend, with that acuteness which dis
tinguished him upon all questions of that
kind. Showed that in the present year We
| should, in fact, have to pay above 200. 000l.
| and in the next year, nearly 48O,0O0l.
then, and not till then, the Noble Earl had
| admitted the fact, because he could not dis
prove it.
With respect to what had been the con
duct ofthe Noble Earl, in appropriating
the 800, o00l. already received, without
making any communication to Parliament
upon the subject, he did not wish to use
any harsh or incorporate expression, but
| he would venture to say thatt was an act
Of delinquency on the part of the Noble
Earl. which, in the better times Of our his
| tory, would have been followed by an act
Of punishment. [Hear, hear las had
been well observed by his Noble Friend
..nr - fho pri,otsfe xrera c.os.