the voice of parliament would arrest any such unconstitational projects as those he mentioned that those who contemplated them would recollect that they were citizens, as well as soldiers, and that in either capacity it was their duty to listen to the voice of their representatives, and to obey. In the course of these discussions, much had been said respecting the great benefits that were to be derived from having a royal person at the head of the army. Now he happened to have a quite contrary impression on his mind, and he believed such was the general feeling of the country. He believed they agreed with him in thinking that a son of the king should not be at the head of the army. They had heard something in the last de bate from an honourable General about the Duke of York stepping in between the unprotected officer and parliament. If it was meant to infer from this, that the command of the army would in any other hands be the source of corruption and undue influence, that was a doctrine against which he must protest. He was not one of those who was disposed to admit that every administration must be necessarily corrupt. But it was urged as an argument for continuing the Duke of York in office, that he was as liable to have his conduct investigated as any other man. What! could these charges have been made for a week, or even two days against any other man, and he still have retained his situation? Since the 1st of February, the House had been unceasingly engaged in this business, and what had they gained by it? The voluntary resignation of the Duke of York. The charges which were scouted at first, were at last brought into a

tangible shape;" into that shape for which some gen tlemen on the other side affected to thank his honourable friend. But when they found these charges began to pinch pretty closely, they were not quite so liberal of their thanks. When the idea of a vote of thanks to his honourable friend was thrown out, they immediately declared their intention of opposing it. They who were among the thankers, that the charges were brought forward, did not relish the idea of thanking his honourable friend for having prosecuted them to a conclusion so little expected by them. But his honourable friend had no Occasion for their thanks. He had the cordial thanks of the independent men who supported him in that House

and he believed of nine hundred and ninty-nine in a thousand of those out of it.

The Secretary at War said, that respecting the meeting of general officers, on which the honourable member who had just sat down had so much dwelt, he would only repeat the statement he made on a former evening. An address was talked of, but no form of address was read or proposed. It was merely the subject of a short conversa⚫ tion. So far was he from seconding such a proposition, that he knew nothing of it until the cloth was removed. He gave his opinion that nothing should be done until the investigation was at an end. There were only 13 officers present, very few of whom took any part in the conversa, tion. If he had been asked, on coming out of the room, whether such an address was intended or not, he would have been at a loss to answer the question..

Mr. Whitbread said, he understood a paper, the writing of General Dundas, had been read from the chair. He was happy to find, by the statement of the Secretary at War, that it was not so. It would make him more happy if he could learn from him that the idea was wholly abandoned.

Mr. Secretary Canning observed, that when he heard for the first time of an intention of addressing the Duke of York, he lost no time in expressing his marked dis approbation of such an interference of any part of the army. He did then suppose that the statement was made on some more grave authority than it now appeared to be. If there existed any intention of making such an use of any part of the army, a more culpable design could not be formed. But there seemed to be no foundation for such an apprehension on his part. A mere conver sation at a convivial meeting was swelled into an idea so alarming to his mind. If at any future time a design so criminal and unconstitutional should be formed by the army, or any other body, he could assure the honourable gentleman he would give him every support in his power in any measures he might think necessary to counteract such designs.

Mr. Whitbread said, that if any doubt was entertained respecting the accuracy of his information, the best way would be to call the persons to the bar, and investigate the fact. He understood the proposition had been made VOL. II.-1809. 4 G

before dinner, when perhaps the honourable member was not in the room.

The Chancellor of the Exchequer, in reply to an observation in Mr. Whitbread's speech, said, that the resignation of the Duke of York was his act alone. He was therefore at a loss to discover upon what grounds the honourable member would say that he had deserted his Royal Highness.

General Loftus confirmed the statement of the Secretary at War. He said, he was assured by an old general officer, who was present at the meeting, that the idea of an address was merely thrown out, and that the conversation on it lasted only for a very short time.

Mr. Legh Keck declared himself against the amendment proposed by the noble lord, and in favour of the original motion.

Mr. Bathurst replied. He would not consent to withdraw his motion. It did not come by surprize upon the House, but had been almost a week before them. He conceived the House was bound to pronounce upon the minor charge, that of his Royal Highness having permitted an improper influence to be exercised over him. The putting his resolution on the journals would be no bar to his Royal Highness's return to office. It did not charge him with corruption or connivance, but went merely to say that he had been indiscreet. He thought it incumbent on the House to mark their sense of this part of the Duke of York's conduct.

The question being loudly called for, strangers were ordered to withdraw. We understood Mr. Bathurst's resolution was negatived without a division.

The Chancellor of the Exchequer next moved, that the word "now" should be left out of Lord Althorpe's amend ment. After a conyersation of some length, from hearing which strangers were excluded, a division took place.

Majority 123 for leaving out the word "now." During the exclusion of strangers from the gallery, we understood that the further consideration of General Clavering's testimony was deferred to Thursday; that Lord Folkestone gave notice that he would move for the return of all the letters unconnected with the late inquiry to the

persons to whom they belonged, and that he would, on the 17th of April, lay before the House some farther discoveries in relation to his Royal Highness the Duke of York.-Adjourned.

HOUSE OF COMMONS.

TUESDAY MARCH 21.

VICTUALLING BOARD APPOINTMENTS.

Sir C. Pole, pursuant to notice, rose to call the atten-. tion of the House to the necessity which existed on the part of the board of admiralty, of selecting such members only for appointment to this board as were men of professional experience, ability, integrity, and indefatigable industry, in the duties of their office; and to the inconveniences and losses which obviously had, and unavoidably must continue to accrue. to the public service, and to the country, from the want of due attention to this salutary principle. The honourable baronet, in support of his proposition, recurred to a long series of documents in the reports of the committees of finance and of naval revision, and took an historical view of the state of the navy at different periods, in order as well to shew that that state was always affected either by the possession or the want of professional experience in those who at different times undertook its management, and directed its operations as to prove, that within the present reign, for the want of such experience, ability, and industry in those who at different periods superintended the various branches of naval expenditure, the most gross and flagitions profusion, improvidence, and peculation had prevailed in our dock-yards at home, and our fleets in foreign service; and that the public accounts in that department had been suffered to run into such arrear and confusion, as to render the audit of them totally impracticable for a series of twenty years together, to the preclusion of all effectual means to check the progress of peculation and fraud. In no one branch of the naval department had this system of inefficiency more mischievously prevailed than in that of the victualling board, where it appeared, by one of the latest reports of the commissioners of naval revision, that accounts to a very considerable extent had continued in arrear for above twenty years, without liqui

dation. But it was not merely of late years that such complaints had existed in this department; for ever since the reign of Queen Anne the victualling office accounts had been always in arrear, and at the time of the last report of the commissioners of naval revision, there were actually accounts to the amount of nine millions unsettled. He trusted, however, that since that report had been laid upon the table, no new arrears of account had been suffered to accumulate. At a time when the urgent affairs of this country called for great expenditure, and consequently for a heavy pressure of taxation on the people, it was but right and reasonable that the people should be convinced that a scrupulous and efficient vigilance was exerted in every department of office, in order to secure the fair application of every shilling granted for the public service; and his principal motive for now calling the attention of the House to this subject, was not to cast any blame on the present board of admiralty, but in order to record on the journals of the House a resolntion which he should have the honour to propose now, before the navy estimates came to be voted, in order to prove that the House coincided with the recommendation stated in the report of the commissioners of naval revision. He concluded by moving a resolution, "That it is the opinion of this House that neither the plan recommended by the commissioners of naval revision, respecting the victualling board, nor any other plan can be effectual, if that board be composed of any other than men of extensive experience, knowledge, ability, inte grity, and indefatigable perseverance in their duties."

Mr. R. Ward spoke at considerable length, in answer to the honourable baronet. He said that he should be totally at a loss to understand the real object of the honourable baronet's motion from his speech this night, if he had not heard the conversations both within and without those walls which had their origin in the suggestions of the honourable baronet, and were calculated to throw blame on the present board of admiralty. This he conceived to be the true motive of the honourable baronet for wishing now to enter upon the journals of the House the resolution which he proposed; the truth of which no man could deny, and which was the very ground laid for what the present board of admiralty had done, towards the very system of reform in the naval depart