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"fore his majesty, with an humble address, that his majesty "will be graciously pleased to order to be laid before us the 66 particulars of the representations in consequence of which two new commissioners of the customs had been added, notwithstanding the resolutions of this house; and also that his ma"jesty will be graciously pleased to communicate to his faithful 66 commons, the names of the persons concerned in recommend66 ing that measure."

Mr. Conolly seconded the motion, and indignantly confessed he was ashamed of himself, when he saw his name inrolled in an assembly, that could first censure, and then support the Marquis of Buckingham; and if he could judge by the complexion of the house, was still determined to sanction his proceedings: he remarked, that the two additional commissioners were not only added to the original number, in despite of the resolutions of that house, but they were added for the purposes of corruption, coercion, and revenge.

The motion was vehemently opposed by Mr. John Beresford, the head commissioner of the customs, and more ably by Sir Hercules Langrishe,* who had been longer employed in the collec

*This gentleman in the course of his argument palliated though he did not deny the substance of the charges made by the opposition. He spoke a very intelligible language. "As to the occasional expences of the present time, as particularly alluded to, I shall only say, I hope I never was either the "preceptor or pupil of corruption, nor the advocate of prodigality. I am sure "I never shared in the one in order to practise or palliate the other; yet with every conviction on my mind of the duty of government to observe economy, "I must say, that critical occasions sometimes occur, in which the most pure "and perfect minister can scarcely adhere to it. I am afraid that the recol"lection of those who hear me cannot furnish an instance of strong dissensions "between the crown and the parliament, in which, through the progress of "accommodation, some public expence has not been incurred. These ideas "may not, perhaps, be justified on abstract reasoning: but from the nature "and habits of man, the fact is unavoidable; and if it be unavoidable, I think "it is pardonable; and I believe it is unavoidable, because it never was "avoided. No! whilst human affairs are administered by human creatures, "human passions will interpose, and the governors and governed will act un"der their impulse; but it is the purpose and the principle, the motive and "the magnitude that decide the venality of the action, and that a critical emergency may vindicate occasional expence from systematical prodigality. I "know very well nothing can justify corruption; the constitution that recog"nizes influence in the crown, rejects corruption, and though I admit that in"fluence may appear, I utterly deny that corruption does. I appeal to the "experience of some years, if, on great and interesting occasions, there has "ever been wanting a sufficient share of public virtue to assert the rights and "maintain the interests of this country; neither do I think it very prudent to "suggest contrary notions to the people, whose peace and prosperity depend "on their obedience to the laws they have made. They will not be fond to "drink of the stream, if you tell them the source, from which it flows is cor"rupted; suffer them to feel that they are happy, that they are free, that they "are masters of their property, and secure in their persons, and that it is un"necessary for them to feel the parallel or follow the example of a neighbour"ing people that has been referred to; a people, who have been long bending

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tion of the revenue, than any other member of that house. He entered into an elaborate disquisition of the origin, nature, union, and division of the boards of excise and customs, and limitation of the number of commissioners under different statutes, and strongly contended for the total dissimilarity between the periods of 1771 and 1790. The Attorney General and some few other members also opposed the motion. The debate was carried on with great violence till towards two o'clock in the morning, when upon a division there appeared 80 for and 135 against the motion.

The next effort of the opposition was Mr. Curran's motion, "That an humble address should be presented to his majesty, "praying that he would order to be laid before that house, the "particulars of the causes, consideration, and representations, "in consequence of which the boards of stamps and accounts "had been divided, with an increase of salary to the officers; also, that he would be graciously pleased to communicate to "that house the names of the persons who recommended that "measure."

He prefaced his motion with a speech of much point and ability. The board of accounts had been instituted in Lord Townshend's administration; it came forward in a manner rather inauspicious, it was questioned in parliament, and was decided in the house by the majority of the five members who had receiv ed places under it; born in corruption, it could only succeed by venality! It continued an useless board, until the granting of the stamp duties in Lord Harcourt's time; the management of the stamps was then committed to it, and a solemn compact was made, that the taxes should not be jobbed, but that both departments should be executed by one board; so it continued, till it was thought necessary to encrease the salaries of the commissioners in the Marquis of Buckingham's famous administration, but then nothing was holden sacred.

He brought forward that motion, not as a question of finance, not as a question of regulation, but as a penal enquiry, and the people would now see, whether they were to hope for help within these walls. He rose in an assembly of three hundred persons, one hundred of whom had places or pensions; in an assembly, one-third of whom had their ears sealed against the

"under slavery and oppression, and are now engaged in a bold effort to obtain "what they peaceably and perfectly enjoy already. They contended for equal "laws and ascertained rights; they had them. They fought for liberty; they

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enjoyed it; and long might they enjoy that first of human blessings, unim"paired by power on one hand, and undisturbed by groundless suspicions on "the other; and long might the parental vigilance of the right honourable member superintend and protect it; let his constitutional jealousy be ever "awake, let it be scrupulous, but let it be temperate, let it be severe, but let "it be practicable."

complaints of the people, and their eyes intently turned to their own interest; he rose before the whisperers of the treasury, the bargainers and the runners of the castle: he addressed an audience, before whom was holden forth the doctrine, that the crown ought to use its influence on the members of that house.

He rose to try when the sluices of corruption had been let loose upon them, whether there were any means left to stem that torrent.

The debate broke out into great intemperance from both sides the division upon the motion was 81 in support, and 141 against it.*

Whatever may have been the merits or demerits of the police bill, certain it is, that it was most vehemently supported and opposed by the contending parties, with more than ordinary expressions and means of recommendation and reprobation. In order to give more sanction to the measure, his majesty was advised to mark his personal approbation of their efforts to uphold and improve that system of policy, in his answer to the address of the commons, selecting as it were this alone out of several objects comprised in the address.

On the 11th of February, a fresh attack was made upon the ministry, who acted during the whole session upon the defensive. Mr. Forbes called the attention of the house to some particular branches of the public expenditure, in order to prepare the minds of gentlemen for the consideration of the two

In the course of this debate, a ministerial member (Mr. Moore) had made and repeated his declaration, that against a desperate party, combined to seize the crown, he, if he were a member, would think himself justified in employing all the influence of the crown, for the crown's protection. But the attorney general thought it prudent to rebut the imputation made at his concurrence in this opinion. 10 Par. Deb. p. 123. " Sir, said he, I never did insi"nuate in any way that we should obtain majorities by corruption: such a sen"timent never entered into my mind. I trust, Sir, that on my own account, I need "not make this declaration; to those who know me, it is unnecessary; but I "think it necessary to explain, that no such declaration was made on the part "of government, otherwise I know, that it would be put into the newspapers, "and be industriously propagated through the country, that government had "broached such doctrines, doctrines, which I believe, the gentlemen with "whom I act, reject and abhor."

† 10 Par. Deb. p. 135.

The KING'S Answer to the Address of the House of Commons. "GEORGE R.

"His majesty has received with great satisfaction, the dutiful "and loyal address of his faithful commons; the assurances of their attach"ment to his majesty's person, family and government, and the disposition "which they express to provide for the exigencies of the public service, and "to uphold and improve that system of policy, which has been attended with "such beneficial consequences to his majesty's faithful subjects in Ireland, "are highly pleasing to his majesty.

10 Par. Deb. p. 190.

"G. R."

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measures, a place bill and a pension bill, which he proposed to introduce in the course of some few days. He then expatiated at large upon every topic that had been agitated during the course of the session, and concluded with the following motion. "That an humble address be presented to his majesty, stating, "that having taken into our consideration the income and ex. "penditure of the nation, we find ourselves obliged to lay be"fore him certain abuses and misapplications of a considerable "portion of the public revenues; that the list of pensions on the "21st of January, 1789, appears to have increased to the sum "of 101,000l. exclusive of the military pensions, which amount "to 6,500l. a sum nearly equal to half the charges of the civil "establishment; that the pensions placed on the civil and military establishments since the 24th of February, 1784, exclu"sive of those granted in lieu or exchange of former pensions, amounted to 29,800l.; 12,3134. of which have been placed on "the establishment since December, 1787; that the amount of pensions on the civil establishment has increased since the "25th of March, 1784, in the sum of 16,000l.; that many of "those pensions have been granted to members of this house, during the pleasure of the crown, in violation of the princi"ples of the constitution, and honour of the House of Com&L mons; that a number of new and additional salaries, in "the nature of pensions, had of late been annexed, not only to "old offices, which had become obsolete and useless, but also to "lesser offices, mostly sinecure, or hitherto considered of so in"significant a nature, as to entitle the holders of such offices to very small salaries; that an addition of 300l. per annum, "been lately granted to the salary of the customer of Kinsale, to commence from the 29th of September, 1789; and a further “addition of 2007. payable on a contingency, both for the life "of the present possessor; an office which has been for years "considered as useless and obsolete, to which no duty whatso"ever is annexed, nor any attendance required; that an addi"tion of 400l. per annum has been lately granted to the salary "of comptroller of the pipe, though 53. 10s. has for years been "considered as an adequate compensation for the discharge of "the duties of that office. That an addition of 150l. per an"num has also been lately granted to the barrack-master of "Dublin. That the persons to whom those additional salaries "have been granted, are all members of this house. Humbly "beseeching his majesty graciously to interpose, to restrain the progress of a system of expence, which must soon induce a & necessity of resorting to new loans, and of imposing new « taxes.

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The motion was seconded by Mr. Conolly. Each debate grew warmer than the preceding. Many coarse personalities

were substituted for argument. The opposition not only upbraided the gentlemen of the treasury benches with being bought and hired to vote against their own convictions and the welfare of their country, but they taunted them, with the want of ability and talent, as well as of honour and honesty. This was highly resented by the attorney-general, who strongly charged his opponents with imperious turbulence, and overbearing, for no other purpose than to attain that power, which they could not behold enjoyed by others without envy. To which Mr. Forbes replied: he said, that he was not ashamed to declare, that he preferred the man, who contended for power rather than place; he was not ashamed to confess, that he wished for and ambitioned the possession of power, which might enable him and his friends to effectuate beneficial measures for the country, and obtain a pension, place, and a responsibility bill, and other salutary measures, in support of which, gentlemen, with whom he had the honour of co-operating, had publicly and solemnly pledged themselves. He said, he should ever prefer men who contended for such a power of serving their country, to a set of men who, regardless of principles, characters, and measures, were the indiscriminate supporters of any and every description of men, whom an unforeseen occurrence of circumstances, the confusion of times, or the coalition of parties, might enable to take possession of the government.

*On this occasion the opposition encreased: there being upon the division 92 for the address, against 136, that opposed

it.

* In the course of this debate, Mr. Monk Mason in defending the pension given to Mr. Orde as an usual thing, undertook to prove to the house, by an historical detail of the secretaryships, that so far from such grants being unprecedented, he should clearly prove to the house, that with the single exception of Mr. Fitzherbert, (that amiable man, whose departure from this country they all regretted) the secretary of every permanent administration, for these last forty years, had been invariably rewarded for his services in that station, at the expence of that kingdom: he had no doubt, that the practice was of more ancient date, but should confine himself to that period, which had fallen within his own experience.

He should therefore begin with the year 1749, in the administration of Lord Harrington, whose secretary, Mr. Weston, obtained as his reward, the office of alnager, for a term of years.

Mr. Weston was succeeded by Lord George Sackville, the son and secretary of the Duke of Dorset, who was appointed clerk of the council.

Lord George was succeeded by General Conway, the late clerk of the ha

naper.

General Conway was succeeded by Mr. Rigby, the late master of the rolls. Mr. Rigby was succeeded by Mr. Gerard Hamilton, whose office of chancellor of the exchequer, they had purchased from him, at the expence of a pension of 2,5007. a year for a number of lives.

Mr. Hamilton was succeeded by Lord Beauchamp, who, if he were not misinformed, derived some considerable emoluments from that country, though not in his own name.

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