the call being loud and general for the question, the House divided:

Ayes, for Mr. Ponsonby's motion
Noes

127

220

93

HOUSE OF LORDS.

MONDAY, FEB. 27.

Lord Darnley said, that he understood from the voter of the Committee, that the bill was in progress through that House to permit distillation from corn. This regu lation he considered as pregnant with the most fatal consequences, not only to Ireland, but to the rest of the empire. The subsistence of Great Britain, now that we were shut out from the Continent, and cut off from all intercourse with the United States, depended especially upon the supplies that might be expected from Ireland. He trusted that this bill, which he considered as of the most ruinous tendency, would never reach this House; but if it did, he was determined to oppose it in every stage. Adjourned.

HOUSE OF COMMON S.

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 27.

BANKRUPT LAWS.

Sir Samuel Romilly gave notice of a motion, för Wednesday, for leave to bring in a bill to alter and amend the laws relating to bankrupts. The objects he said were numerous and important, and the explanation at that moment would occupy more of the attention of the House than was customary, in giving mere notice of a motion. He should therefore postpone explaining the nature of the bill until the day of his motion.

On the motion of Mr. Foster, the House resolved itself into a Committee of supply.

Mr. Foster proceeded to move the remainder of the usual yearly grants. The first of which was a sum of 26,3257. for protestant charter schools.

On the question being put,

Sir John Newport desired to know, why the three reports made to the Irish government by the board of education,

had not been laid on the table of the House, previously to any motion for grants of this nature; two of those reports he knew were made a considerable time since, the third more recently; and he could conceive no just reason why they were kept back.

Sir A. Wellesley answered, that the reports alluded to by the right honourable baronet were certainly laid for some time before the lord lieutenant, who deemed it expedient that the board should have an opportunity of extending still further its inquiries, in order to obtain the fullest information before the documents should be laid before parliament.

Sir John Newport stated, that there had long existed, both in the schools of royal foundation, and others of a minor description, abuses of the grossest nature, under which the sums appropriated by the founders had sunk into the pockets of individuals, whereby the objects of those institutions were most flagrantly defeated. It surely could be neither necessary nor justifiable that those abuses should be suffered to continue until the whole system of education in Ireland should have undergone complete revision. In several of those schools there had been a most shameful misapplication of the funds, and particularly in two schools, the one in the Queen's county, and the other in the county of Westmeath. His object was, that parliament should rescue those funds out of the hands of peculating individuals, and apply them to their legiti mate purposes; and in order thereto, he should feel it his duty to move, at an early day, for the reports to be laid on the table.

Sir Arthur Wellesley admitted the abuses to exist, but thought that before parliament should adopt any proceeding on the subject they should have the fullest information before them, and upon the best consideration he could give the subject, this was the only cause why the reports had not yet been laid before the House.

Sir John Newport said, he should move for them on Thursday.

The following sums were then voted :—

Charter schools

€26,323

To the linen and hempen manufacturers

21,600

Salaries of the lottery office

2,382

Printing, stationary, messengers, &c. for the offices

of the chief and under secretary

21,900

ARMY ESTIMATES.

The Secretary at War then proceeded to move the army estimates, upon which he stated, that several exceedings would necessarily accrue under different heads of estimates, upon comparison with those of the last year; part of which arose from necessary occurrences of expenditure, as the increase of the public force both in the line and militia, the staff of garrisons, and the staff abroad; the increase of objects upon the Greenwich and Kilmainham hospitals, the pensions to widows, the additional deputy paymasters, and some increase of salary to the junior clerks in the war offices, with the necessary addition of some supernumeraries, occasioned by the pressure and increase of business in that department. Many of these exceedings again were merely nominal, and not a real ins crease, for they had been uniformly paid before under the head of military contingencies: but in compliance with the recommendation of the finance committee, it was deemed right to bring every charge which was ascertainable under some specific head of estimate; and where the estimate of the preceding year had fallen considerably short of the real expenditure, it was deemed right to make the estimate for the present at the real amount which experience had proved it to be. There was also another head of expenditure, where the sum charged would greatl exceed the reality, namely, the clothing for the local militia. This estimate was for four years, and therefore only one-fourth of the sum was really chargeable to the present year, although the whole must be advanced. But against the expence of this corps, there would be a considerable saving from that of the volunteers, great numbers of whom had transferred their services to the local militia. The right honourable Secretary, as he went on, specified the several sums of exceeding, and said, he was ready to answer any objections that might be offered.

Mr. Martin said, that upon the military estimate of the present year, so great an exceeding as 1,500,000l. over that of the last, when the burdens of the people were increased to such a pitch, was a subject that called for the most minute and satisfactory explanation. In the office of paymaster-general, for instance, there was a charge for deputy paymasters of 54,7717. exceeding by 20,000/. the estimate for the last year. This surely called for some ex

planation, more especially as it was understood that some of those persons performed their official duties by deputy; the paymaster of Gibraltar, for instance, who, he understood, never was seen there, but received his salary as a sinecure. Upon the charge of the office of secretary at war, 54,848. there was an exceeding over the last year of 27,818.; on the head of foreign corps there was another exceeding of 70,8001. and under other heads there was a sum of 54,000l. consisting entirely of new charges, Mr. Long rose to explain the nature of the apparent causes of increased expence in the office of paymaster general, which he attributed, in the chief degree, to the specification of sums in the estimate under their proper heads, which had been paid, in all former years, under other and more general heads. The charge to deputy paymasters with troops abroad, was always an item of expenditure every year, and regularly drawn for. There never was any deputy paymaster employed, since he came to office, who did not do his duty personally, but the paymaster of Gibraltar. He found that appointment so at his accession to office, and had not created it. But as to the increase of deputy paymasters on foreign stations, the exigencies of the service absolutely required it. The honourable gentleman surely would not say it was unnecessary to send deputy paymasters with the army to Portugal, and with those under Sir John Moore and Sir David Baird.

After a few observations from Lord Archibald Hamilton and General Fitzpatrick, the Secretary at War explained One item, of the increase in the expenditure, to be owing to the abolition of fees in some of the offices, and a conse quent increase of the salaries of the clerks.

Mr. Wynne rose to put some questions to the right honourable Secretary. He first wished to be informed respecting the local militia, whether government intended to relieve the parishes from the oppressive burden of the bounties that they were now obliged to pay to those who volunteered into the local militia. He also wished to know, respecting the volunteers, whether the difference arosé between the June corps and the August corps. It was now six years since the clothing had been given to the volunteers, and he conceived it was now time to give a further allowance on this account. He thought the August corps ought now to be allowed an adjutant on permanent pay, as well as the June ones. He wished to know what

diminution would now take place in the field officers attached to the volunteers. He was convinced that inspecting them six times a year would not be more useful or better than once or twice.

The Secretary at War said, that as to the first point, government certainly did intend to relieve the parishes from the greatest part of the burdens of which they com. plained, with respect to the local militia. The other points had engaged the serious attention of his Majesty's government; but he was not then prepared to say what was to be done.

Mr. Martin hoped that the ordnance estimates would not exceed the proportion of the army estimates; he took notice of a charge for brigade chaplains, which he believed was a thing not generally understood; as also of a sum of 40,0001. for telegraphs in Ireland, the atmosphere of which was well known not to be fit for that species of communication.

The Secretary at War explained the meaning of the institution of brigade chaplains. Formerly every regiment had its chaplain, whose pay was but 4s. 6d. per day, which was not sufficient to induce any respectable clergyman to stay with the regiment, The consequence of this was, that the chaplains got the business done in the cheapest way they could, and the regiments had seldom the benefit of proper persons to perforin public worship. About ten years ago, these chaplains were allowed to retire upon their pay, and the business was done by the parochial clergy of the place where the soldiers were quartered; but when the army went upon foreign service, it became necessary to bring other chaplains with them, who were called brigade chaplains. It was found necessary to give 15s. a day to induce respectable clergymen to undergo the fatigues and dangers of accompanying an expedition on foreign service.

Sir Arthur Wellesley explained the reason of erecting telegraphs in Ireland. They had at first constructed sig nal posts on the west coasts of Ireland; but they were not found to answer, and it was then resolved to have a teles graphic communication directly from Galway to Dublin through Athlone. From Athlone there was another line of telegraphs to Limerick and Cork, so that the communication was now very rapid from the west of Ireland to the seat of government, and to his Majesty's ships in Cork hare