Saalfeld, and expressing his persuasion of the concurrence and assistance of Parliament, in enabling him to make such a provision, with a view to the said marriage, as may be suitable to the honour and dignity of the country. A correspondent address was unanimously agreed to in both Houses. On the following day, the subject of a provision being taken into consideration in the House of Commons, the Chancellor of the Exchequer stated his intention, first to propose for the illustrious pair the annual sum of 60,000l., of which 10,000l. was to form a sort of privy purse for her Royal Highness, and the remainder would defray the domestic expenses of the Prince of Cobourg: this sum to be granted to them during their joint lives. If the Prince of Cobourg should die first, the whole sum to be continued to her Royal Highness: if he should be the survivor, the sum of 50,000l. to be continued to him. It was intended, that the allowance from the civil list to the Princess should cease, which would be a saving to the public of 30,000l. a year. With respect to the sum for outfit, which would hereafter be submitted, he should propose a vote equal to one year's expenditure, of which it was calculated that 40,000l. would defray the purchase of furniture, plate, equipages, &c. 10,000l. for the Princess's dress, and 10,0001. for addition to her jewels. He had another point to offer for the attention of the House. Hitherto it had not been possible to fix on a residence for the illustrious perVOL. LVIII. sonages; when that was determined upon, it might possibly be necessary to apply to the House for further aid. The right hon. gentleman concluded with moving a resolution for a grant of the annual sum of 60,000l. for the establishment of the Princess Charlotte and the Prince of Cobourg, on the conditions abovementioned, to commence from the day of their marriage. In the conversation which followed, various suggestions were made by different members, but without the least opposition to the resolution, which passed unanimously. A subsequent motion relative to the 60,0001. by way of outfit passed with the same unanimity. Another proceeding of parliament, consequent upon this important matrimonial union, was that of passing a bill for the naturalization of the Prince of Cobourg, which went through all its stages in both houses on March 28th. It was naturally to be supposed, that the heavy burdens under which the nation was labouring, at a time of much domestic distress, would render the independent members of parliament, as well as the habitual opposers of the ministry, vigilant in marking every deviation from that spirit of economy, which had been promised in the Regent's speech at the opening of the session, and was generally looked for as the only effectual remedy for the public difficulties. A subject relative to this point, important in its character, though inconsiderable in the amount at issue, was brought before the [D] House House of Commons on March 20th, by Mr. Methuen, a gentleman, who was habitually a supporter of the measures of government when he thought they deserved support. After having read some extracts from papers laid before the House, to prove the little attention paid to retrenchment, displayed by the augmentation of the salaries in various offices, he proceeded to a document consisting of the copy of an order in council, dated June 21st, 1815, and relating to the salaries of the secretaries of the Admiralty. It stated, that an order of council made in January 1800, having directed, that there should be a difference in the salaries of the secretaries and clerks in times of war and of peace, namely, an increase in time of war of one-fourth in those of the secretaries, and one-fifth in those of the clerks ; and a subsequent order of council in 1807, having sanctioned a principle laid down by the commissioners of naval revision, "That it is unjust that persons whose whole time either in war or peace, is required to be devoted to the public service, and who consequently cannot, even in peace, apply to any other occupation, should suffer a material diminution of their incomes when the war ceases;" the council, agreeing in this principle, humbly submitted to the Regent, that he would please to direct, that the salaries established as war salaries by the said orders of council, should be the permanent salaries both in war and peace of the persons therein named. The hon. gentleman then asked, if there was ever such a moment chosen for augmenting the expenses of the country in the wildest infatuation of ministerial indiscre tion? Instead of increasing salaries, they ought to be reduced, not only on account of the unex-~ampled difficulties in which we were placed, but on account of the diminution in price of the articles of life. He concluded with moving, "That this House does approve of the order in council of the 5th of June 1800, fixing the salaries of the secretaries of the Admiralty at a lower rate in time of peace than in time of war, and does consider the departure from this order, in the order of council of the 21st of June 1815, by which an increase of the salary is conferred on the secretaries, as highly unwarrantable.” Lord Castlereagh began his reply with stating the retrenchments actually made, and about to be made, in various departments of government, as a proof that the ministers were not inattentive to the point of economy; and these he stated at a total of 650,000l. On coming to the particular subject in question, he first observed, that the proposed resolution sanctioned the principle laid down in 1800, in contradistinction to that acted upon in 1815; but the former included the clerks as well as the secretaries: the resolution, therefore, if adopted, would modify a measure which it professed unqualifiedly to recommend: Proceeding to explain the reasons, which had induced the Board of Admiralty to recommend to the treasury the rise of salary for which the order of council had been obtained, he said that he owed it to his hon. friend, friend, the first secretary of the Admiralty (Mr. Croker) to state, that he had used no influence, nor made a suggestion of a wish, to obtain an increase of salary, and that the subject had been brought before government, by circumstances over which he exercised no control. The fact was, that the regulation which fixed the reduction of the salaries of the secretaries in time of peace at one-fourth, struck off from that of the clerks one-fifth. When the peace with America was concluded, the period of reduction was supposed to have arrived'; but the re-appearance of Buonaparte almost immediately followed, on which, without declared war, there were vigorous preparations for hostilities. Were then the Admiralty clerks to have a deduction from their remuneration, when there was no diminution of their labour? Government taking the case into consideration, thought it would be better to continue the war salary in time of peace, than to increase the peace salary to the necessary extent, and to adhere to the principle of the two rates. The only thing next to be considered was, whether the hon. secretary should participate in the rise, or remain the only exception; and of this, for reasons stated by the noble lord, there could, he said, be scarcely any difference of opinion. The whole question would be open for discussion, when the estimates came before the House. Convinced that this was not the proper time, he should move, that the House proceed to the other orders of the day. this explanation of the noble lord would prove generally satisfactory; and the speeches of several members expressed a conviction, that the resolution first moved for was well founded. Mr. Brougham distinguished himself by the severity of his censures upon the noble lord and his coadjutors. In adverting to the statement of great reductions which had been made by the ministers, he said, that above 400,0001. of the sum saved, arose merely from the discharge of workmen for whom there was now no employment; and that many offices abolished, those particularly of the commissariat, were such as there was no pretext for retaining. On the whole, he did not scruple to denominate the affair in question a scandalous job, of which the object was to put money in the pocket of the secretary of the Admiralty. Mr. Tierney, in an entertaining speech, compounded of irony and sarcasm, represented the matter as part of a deliberate system in the administration, of resisting every thing that looked like economy, or the diminution of the salaries of persons who had now few or no duties to perform. Much of the debate turned upon personal attacks and recriminations which may be passed over. The principal argument against the original motion was, that the proper time for discussing the subject would be subsequent to laying the estimates before the House; and this was concurred in by Mr. Bankes, though he declared it to be his decided opinion, that the increase of these It could not be expected, that salaries in time of peace was an [D 2] improper improper act. In the division on Lord Castlereagh's amendment for proceeding to the orders of the day, it was carried by a majority of 29, the numbers being For the amendment, 159, Against it, 130. The effect of this discussion was made apparent shortly after, when Sir G. W'arrender informed the House that he did not intend to move, that the salaries of the two secretaries of the Admiralty should be voted upon the war establishment. An attempt for the reduction of the public expenses, by abolishing a considerable state office, was made on April 3d, in a motion by Mr. Tierney, relative to the departments of the secretaries of state. The history of this inatter was thus stated by the right hon. member. Up to the year 1768, there were only two secretaries of state; but on account of the situation of the country, during the war with America, a third was afterwards added. This appointment continued till 1782, when by Mr. Burke's bill the office of third secretary was abolished; and from that time to 1794, the business was conducted by two secretaries of state, under the name of sccretary for the foreign, and for the home department. In 1794, Mr. Dundas, then home secretary, also carried on the business of what was then for the first time called the war department; but this business so much accumulated, that it was thought necessary to separate the two, and on that occasion, the office of secretary of state for the war department was created. For about seven years longer, all business connected with the colonies was transacted by the secretary for the home department, but in 1801, it was transferred to the office of the secretary of war. It appeared, however, from one of the papers on the table, that Mr. King, one of the home secretaries, had stated the business of his office to be the carrying on of all correspondence, relative to every part of the British empire, with the exception of the East Indies, and also every domestic matter, with the exception of the revenue, and those affairs which were under the management of the Lord Chancellor. It thus appearing (said Mr. T.) that the third secretaryship was created in 1794, solely to transact the business of the war, his conclusion was, that as the war was at an end, that office ought to be abolished. He then proceeded to the particulars of the charge at tending it, and calculated, that the plan he proposed as a substitute, would make a saving of 12 or 14,0001. After recapitu lating and enlarging upon his statements, he concluded with moving, that an address be presented to, the Prince Regent, humbly praying, that he would be pleased to give directions, that the division of the state offices in 1794, by which, in addition to the secretaries of state for the home and foreign departments, a secretary of state was constituted for the war department, be revived, and that the departments of the secretaries of state be, now that peace is happily resto: ed, again placed, with all convenient dispatch, upon the footing footing on which they stood in 1793." Mr. Goulburn, in opposing the motion, chiefly argued upon the great importance of our colonial possessions, which rendered it necessary to have a responsible ininister of the crown to superintend them. It would not be sufficient to give to them half, or one-third of the attention of a minister, nor would the suggested increase of clerks answer the purpose. If a comparison was made between the manner in which the colonial business was transacted by the home department, and that when it was committed to a separate establishment, it would be found, that the latter was much more efficient. Mr. Wynn, who had been appealed to, respecting the business. of the home department, said, that when he was in that office, he found that the superintendence of the volunteers and militia was entrusted to one under-secretary, and the superintendence of police and aliens to another. The whole of the labour of the volunteers was now taken away, and that of the militia nearly so; and there was also a great diminution in the business of superintending aliens. On the whole, the business of the alien office was now very much diminished, and might admit of considerable reductions; and he was confident, that in consolidating it with the business of the colonies, neither of them would be neglected. Mr. Addington, in his observations on the last speaker, said, that the business of the home department was so great, that his noble relation (Lord Sidmouth) had not been absent from his office ten days in the course of any one year, and that the duties of it were quite sufficient to occupy his tinie. Mr. Bathurst gave his opinion, that the business of the colonies was enough for the management of one person. Mr. J. H. Smyth said, that having had an opportunity of being acquainted with the business in the offices of secretary of state, he did not wish to give a silent vote on this occasion. He believed, that the business which the third secretary had lost by the peace, was more than equal to the whole business of the home department at the present time; and if he were asked, if he thought one secretary enough for both offices, his answer would be, that in his conscience he thought it was. The remainder of the debate, in which several members took part, was chiefly occupied in the recapitulation of arguments for and against the capability of two secretaries of state, for transacting at this time of peace the public business which had devolved upon three in time of war; in which the principal ground taken by the ministers, and their supporters, was the present state of our colonial possessions, which had augmented the superintending control of the colonial secretary of state, to a degree wholly unprecedented. After Mr. Tierney's concluding speech, in which he said, that the opposition made by the noble lord (Castlereagh) and his colleagues to this motion, would hold them up in their true colours to the country, the House divided, For the motion 100, Against it 182. CHAPTER |
