The debate having been resumed, the question was called for with some impatience, when, upon a division, it was determined for admitting the report by a majority of 148 to 48.

Sir S. Romilly then moved that the bill should be renewed for one year only, instead of two years as proposed. This amendment was rejected by 124 votes to 44.

Sir James Mackintosh then proposed a new clause for the purpose of giving effect to that right of appeal to the privy-council, which the bill held out to aliens as a security, but which a certain decision had rendered perfectly nugatory. The resolution on the clause being moved and seconded, an adjournment was moved by the opposition to give an opportunity for its full discussion. Lord Castlereagh, on the other hand, moved that the bill should be engrossed, which would be precluding all farther amendments in this stage; but at length he yielded to the adjournment.

When the motion was read on May 28th for the third reading of the bill, Lord Althorp said, that seeing no prospect of its rejection, he wished to do all the practical good in his power by guarding against its abusive exercise; he therefore proposed a clause to exempt from the operation of the bill any aliens who were resident in this country before January 1st, 1816, intimating that he would be willing to adopt any other date the House should think proper, his object being only to protect those aliens who had been long resident in this country.

The question having been put,

Lord Castlereagh objected to it as too much narrowing the operation of the bill. After a debate on the subject, Lord Althorp having amended his clause by substituting the 1st of January, 1813, it was put to the vote, when the numbers for the clause were 33; against it 76.

The debate on the third reading being resumed on the 31st, Lord Milton observed, that by its provisions as they now stood, an alien woman married to a natural-born subject, might be sent out of the kingdom. He wished to guard against such an abuse by a clause for the purpose.

Lord Castlereagh thought that a discretion upon that point might safely be left in the hands of government, and that the insertion of the clause would only be embarrassing the operations of the bill. This being his lordship's only argument against it, he was charged with opposing it solely because he wished to have the entire direction and control over the bill. The clause was rejected by 91 votes to 31.

It would be useless to mention other amendments which were proposed for the mitigation of the rigour of the bill: all which were negatived. The bill then passed.

The alien bill being introduced into the House of Lords, the debates upon it took the same. turn as those in the other House, and the fate of proposed clauses of amendment was exactly similar. The. reading of the bill a third time was carried on June 18th, after a division of Contents, 108; Non-contents, 48: Majority 60.

CHAPTER

Ο

NE of the most important of the parliamentary transactions of the present year, was the passing of a bill for the regulation of the Civil List. On May 3d, the order of the day being for taking into consideration the report made in June 1815, by the select committee appointed to consider the account presented to the House, by command of the Prince Regent, relative to the civil list, Lord Castlereagh rose, pursuant to notice, for leave to bring in a bill for the purpose above-stated.

The noble lord, after an introduction, stating the delicacy of the subject, and the mistaken notions which had prevailed concerning it, divided the topic, which it was his intention to treat of, into the following heads: 1. a retrospective view of the civil list expenditure for a series of years, compared with its revenues: 2. a prospective view of the probable future expenditure of the civil list, with a considera-. tion of the adequacy of the funds appropriated to it, and the most economical mode of augmenting them 3. the prospective regulations which would be necessary for upholding the proper splendor of the crown, paying at the samne time all due regard to economy.

It is obvious, that these heads could only be treated of by means of minute statements of accounts, which do not admit of abridg ment. Under that of regulations, however, the appointment of a new officer, on whom the control of the expenditure is in a great measure vested, affords an interesting object of information. The noble lord said, that for the purpose of bringing the expenditure under some direct control, it was necessary to create a new officer, who should act as the representative of the treasury in the superintendance of this expenditure. He was to have all facilities of communicating with the different departments, and of calling the officers before him, and inspecting the accounts. Thus he would be able to observe any expenditure as it was going on, and make representations to the treasury on any thing which should appear like extravagance. The salary annexed to this office was 15001. a year.

His lordship closed the subject, with saying, that "The crown had been most unfairly, unjustly, and unfortunately, accused of profusion and extravagance; from which charge it was his duty to rescue the Sovereign, and he hoped he had suc

ceeded."

ceeded." He informed the members, that there would be placed in their hands the documents necessary for a just understanding of the question, and he concluded by moving for leave to bring in the proposed bill, which was granted.

On May 6th, Mr. Tierney rose, according to notice, for the purpose of calling the attention of the House to the subject of the civil list. Going through at length the details of the accounts which had been laid before the House, he deduced from them very different results from those which had been stated by the noble lord, and which were far from justifying his encomiums on the economy displayed by the crown, or inspiring confidence in the effect of his prospective arrangements. He concluded an able speech, but of which no summary can be given, by moving, "That a select committee be appointed, to take into consideration the several accounts and papers which have been presented to this House, relating to his Majesty's civil list, with power to send for persons papers, and records." If this motion were carried, he declared his intention to move, "That it be an instruction to the said cominittee, to report on the question of the droits of Admiralty."

Lord Castlereagh, in answer, went into an examination of some of the statements of the right hon. gentleman, premising, that he had never heard a speech less conciliatory, or ore calculated to inflame a jealousy of the royal expenditure. Several other gentlemen joined in the debate on each side, whose arguments being

founded on the particulars of the accounts, cannot be understood, in a detached form. The House at length divided, when the numbers were, For Mr. Tierney's motion 192; Against it 213: Majority 91.

The report of the civil list bill being brought up on May 24th, M. Tierney rose again to call the attention of the House to it. He said, the present bill professed to afford a remedy for the constantly recurring excesses of the civil list, which consisted in separating the ordinary expenses from those which were less immediately connected with the splendor of the crown, and throwing the latter, partly on the consolidated fund, and partly leaving them to be provided for by the votes of the House. The whole of the annual charge for these purposes would amount to 1,338,000l., of which parliament must make good 255,000l.; this was therefore a most important bill, and it would well become the House, before they assented to it, to consider, whether means might not be found of paring down the civil list, before they resorted to other resources. On this point, he had nothing to say: having repeatedly directed the attention of the House to it, they had always refused to appoint a committee. The right hon. gentleman then proceeded to consider the estimate as it had been laid on the table; and made a number of observations, to show that parliament ought not to be called upon to make good any deficiency in the civil list, till proof had been given, that all the resources of

the

the crown had been exhausted. He concluded with moving as an amendment to the preamble of the bill, that instead of the words, "And whereas it is highly expedient, that the ordinary revenues of his Majesty's civil list should be made adequate to the ordinary charges thereon; and that several of the charges which have heretofore been borne upon the civil list revenues, should in future be made a charge upon, and be defrayed out of the consolidated fund of Great Britain, or otherwise provided for," there should be inserted, the words, "And whereas it is highly expedient, that the expenditure of the civil list should not exceed the revenues of the same, and that the several remaining charges which have heretofore been borne upon the civil list expenditure, or have been made good by applications of the droits of the crown, should in future be made a charge on the consolidated fund of Great Britain; or that the amount of such expenditure not provided for by parliament, if a sum exceeding the revenue arising from the droits of the crown, or other resources, should every year be submitted to parliament."

The debate consequent upon this motion, in which several speakers on both sides took part, was terminated by a division, in which there appeared, For the amendment 116, Against it 230; Majority 114.

The civil list bill received its second reading in the House of Lords on June 6th, after a short discussion, the Marquis of Lansdown remarking, that after the

The closest contest between the ministry and opposition, on a subject connected with finance, took place at a debate in the House of Commons, on May 7th. Lord Althorp rose, pursuant to notice, to submit to the House a motion on the subject of the increase or diminution in the number or amount of the salaries and emoluments of different public offices. He said, that being convinced that retrenchment practicable, and finding that nothing had been done, he had thought proper to bring the question before the House, that he might not be supposed to have made his former remarks on this

was

topic unadvisedly; and the object of his intended motion was, for a committee to examine and consider the increase or diminution of salaries of office since the year 1798, and to report what measures might be adopted for further reductions, without detriment to the public service. His reasons for urging this motion were, that frequent inquiries into the public expenditure had been productive of great advantage by repressing abuses; of which he gave some instances. In 1806 a committee had been appointed, which had almost exhausted thet

subjec

subject of sinecures and reversions, but had not inquired into the state of many offices, which had therefore been unexamined for nearly twenty years. Notwithstanding the pledge which had been given on the subject of economy, no one step had been taken to put it into practice. The only argument which he anticipated against his motion was, that a commission of inquiry had been appointed by the treasury, consisting of his noble friend, Lord Binning, and two right hon. gentlemen; but for various reasons, which he stated, he thought it not entitled to the confidence of the House. He concluded with moving, "That a select committee be appointed, to examine and consider what increase or diminution has taken place, since the year 1798, in the number or the amount of the salaries and emoluments of different public offices; and from time to time, with all convenient dispatch, to report what further measures can be adopted for diminishing the

amount of such salaries and emoluments, without detriment to the public service."

The Chancellor of the Exchequer entered into a train of argument, to prove that the business was already placed in better hands; and stated facts to controvert the charge against the ministers, of having done nothing to redeem their pledge respecting economy.

Lord Milton, in reply to the last speaker, who had referred to a reduction of 400,000l. in the naval department, said, it should be recollected, that all this reduction applied to underlings in office; for the salary of no one

in the higher departments had been touched-no, not one branch of any high family, nor any member of that House, had had his emoluments in the slightest degree reduced.

In the rest of the debate, which was much too copious to admit of an abstract, the leading topics were those above touched upon, namely, the disposition shewn, and the progress made, towards economical measures by the ministry, and the grounds for expecting such future results, under that management, as the public might have reason to be satisfied with. Several of the speeches were marked with personality and recrimination; and the keen sarcasms of Mr. Tierney against Lord Castlereagh, terminated with a warning, that if he should persist in following the system which he declared a resolution to pursue, he would raise a storm of resentment which he would find it impossible to allay.

After Lord Althorp had ended his reply by saying, that the question appeared to him to lie in a very narrow compass-whether the inquiry should be conducted by the treasury, or by a committee of the whole House, a division took place, which gave the numbers, For the motion 126; Against it 169; Majority 43.

An important financial measure which took place in this session of parliament, was the consolidation of the English and Irish exchequers.

On May 20th, Mr. Vezey Fitzgerald, Chancellor of the Exchequer in Ireland, having moved, that the House should resolve. itself into a committee of the

whole