In 1819, the estimate was 1,100,000l., and dence of the disposition and exertions of the amount in the last finance accounts ministers to carry their boasted schemes was 1,538,000l. being a difference of of retrenchment into effect. The Esti400,000l. which had in no way been ac- mates laid before the House, as he had counted for in that House. Perhaps he already said, proved nothing, showed had already said enough to prove the ne- nothing, and in order to procure some cessity of a more strict and rigorous in- light, he must again have recourse to the vestigation into the conduct of this de- reports of the finance committee. In partment. He had great reason to be- the 13th report of that committee, a very lieve that in various other branches of our minute account was set forth, such an military expenditure a similar course of account as should alone satisfy a House profusion would be found to prevail. At of Commons, when disposing of the a time when they must look to retrench- public money. It would be easy to show ment, and to that alone, for increasing and that where a saving had actually been strengthening their resources, the House made in one instance, the sum so recould not be too diligent in their inquiries trenched had, instead of being carried to upon this subject. His intention had at the credit of the public, been divided first been, to compare the different sums amongst other clerks or official persons. total, in their present or late amount, with The House must, he was sure, feel surthe expenditure for similar purposes in prise to learn that the salaries in the the year 1793, the last year of peace pre- Artillery department amounted to 43,000l. vious to the revolutionary war with France. or 8,000l. more than was recommended He was willing, however, considering the by the commissioners of military inquiry great change which had taken place in all in the year 1810. Under the head of our establishments, to select the year Tower and Pall-mall department, the 1796 as a fair period on which to found charge in the year 1782 was 38,000l.; in a comparison. That was the third year 1796 it had increased to 51,000/.; and, in of war, and a time when the scale of all 1805 its amount was 105,000l. Here, our military establishments had been then, was a regularly progressive increase greatly raised. He wished only to refer but it might be explained, and perhaps for one moment to the Ordnance expen-justified, by the circumstances of the diture during the three years previous to country, and the long continuance of war. the war. The amount of it in 1791 was But what would the House say on hearing 506,000l., including a sum of 70,000l. for that six months after the last mentioned the discharge of debt contracted. In period the charge under this head was 1792 it was 419,000/., and in 1793, just raised to 120,000/.? It was now, in the before the armament, it was, including fifth or rather sixth year of peace, 8,2371. the charge for artillery, 513,000l. The more than was recommended in 1810. In average was about 440,000l.; which another part of these accounts 30,0001. average, after all the reductions and al- would be found charged as gratuities for terations made, amounted in 1819, the length of service. He apprehended that fourth year of peace, to 1,400,000l., these were paid to persons who were and in the following year to 1,500,000l. receiving remuneration for their services It now appeared by the estimates for the under another head of expenditure. The service of the present year that the same finance committee of 1796 described the amount was to be continued, or at least gratuities as temporary additions to the that the whole saving did not exceed emoluments of the clerks and officers, 15,000l. A sum of 3,000l. had also rendered necessary by the then increased arisen under the head of "saving from price of provisions. They at that time old stores." Having arrived at the fifth amounted to 42,3021. As in all other year of peace, we had only yet effected cases, however, where the exercise of a reduction of 300,000l. in this part of patronage and pecuniary influence was our war establishments. In the last year left to the discretion of the board, the there was also a very large sum granted same effect continued long after the for special purposes; so that, with all the assigned cause or pretext was withdrawn. savings made, the expense of this year The sum was gradually increased from was much beyond that of 1819. the year 1796 till 1812, when it amounted to 8,000%. The next year it became 9,600l. the next year 10,000l., then 15,000l., 24,000, and so on till it now

In order to lay further ground for his motion, he should now refer to one or two articles, as affording practical evi

in 1796 and in 1820. Mr. Hume then mills at Feversham; he only blamed read extracts from them to prove his them for not breaking up the whole esassertion, and, after doing so, called the tablishment, when they let the premises attention of the House to a new and use- with which it was connected. If they less office, lately instituted; namely, had broken it up, they would not only that of store-keeper of ordnance in the have saved the country some thousands Artillery depôt in the Regent's park. a year in the payment of salaries, but What occasion there was for a depot of would have added to its revenue a large Artillery in that quarter, when the Tower sum, arising from the sale of the houses and Woolwich were so near, he was at connected with it. Similar instances of a loss to discover; but he found that a waste and extravagance were to be found Mr. Mash Wood was appointed to take in the same establishments at Sheerness. care of it with no less a salary than 360%. There, too, the different clerks had a year. When the public money was houses found them by government; for this frittered away in such useless expendi- ostensible reason-that they might always ture, surely gentlemen would agree with be on the spot to notice what occurred. him in thinking that it was their duty to How far that reason was a valid one the check it. By cutting away useless offices House would be better enabled to judge, in one quarter, and by curtailing the when he informed them that the various salaries of them in another, he was con- clerks resided at Queenborough, and let vinced that the Ordnance estimates might to strangers their houses at Sheerness. be reduced from 1,500,000l. to 1,100,000l. So far was that system carried, that one There was now a half-pay list of 330,000l. of the common labourers in the works, and it appeared to him that, under such who was entitled to a couple of rooms, circumstances, if in 1796 the estimates imitated the example of his betters, and were only 450,000l. the estimates in let them out to a convict-keeper. Such 1820 ought not to exceed three times was the system at these two places: he that amount. And yet they did exceed did not mean to say that every other stathat sum; nor was it wonderful, when tion was as bad, but he would undertake they recollected the gross and lavish to show before a committee, that every expenditure in the storekeeper's depart- one of them was faulty. The hon. genment at Sheerness, into the particulars tleman then alluded to the heavy expenof which Mr. Hume entered at considera- ses to which the country was put by the ble length. He next adverted to the floating magazines between Chatham and gunpowder department of the Ordnance, Sheerness. Besides the expence to the in which no attention to economy had country, a great evil had arisen from it to been displayed. For instance, the ex- the constitution. The persons employed pense of the establishment for main that service by the government were nufacturing gunpowder at Feversham amounted to more than 3,000l. in salaries and allowances for different officers; and yet not one barrel of gunpowder had been manufactured there for some years, and the very mills themselves had been let to a gentleman at Dartford. Strange, however, as the intelligence might appear to the House, he could inform them that in 1819, some time after the mills had been let, and when not a single barrel of gunpowder had been manufactured in them by government, a gentleman was appointed, with a large salary, inspector of the manufactory; and not only had he a salary assigned to him, but even a private House for his residence, in order that he might always be on the spot to perform the duties of his office. So, too, had the other officers of the establishment. Now, he did not blame the government for letting the

allowed to vote at elections, and were not disqualified as persons employed by it were in the Post-office and elsewhere. That was a point which he trusted that the House would notice, as it was intimately connected with its own privileges. To show how much the purity of election was likely to be affected by this system, he informed the House that not less than 66 freemen of Queenborough were employed in the Ordnance craft, who, under the direction of three magistrates of the place, returned the members for the borough. The whole system of these floating magazines, if properly examined into, would show how grossly the public money was sacrificed and exhibit in the broadest light the corruption of government.

He thought that he had now done enough to prove that some examination into the Ordnance estimates was abso

Sheerness, was it not fair to infer that all was not quite right in other places? What he wanted was information, detail, specification. It had been recommended again and again to the Ordnance department, that the artificers should appear in the estimates, divided and classed into corps and battalions, in the same way in which the different regiments appeared in the army estimates. Why should not that course be adopted? Why should not the house be allowed to see its way, instead of seeing a lumping charge of 250,000l. without one word of why or wherefore? 42,000l. stood against the item of "en

lutely necessary: he would, however, add another observation in order to strengthen the conviction which he trusted he had already created. Honourable gentlemen were perhaps aware, that if a common labourer took a couple of brass nails, or a log of wood out of the Ordnance stores, he was liable to be transported for life; but would they believe that if a storekeeper took a boatload of them, not the slightest notice was taken of that fact? He would prove that it was a frequent practice with the storekeepers to appropriate part of the old stores to their own use and especially in the case of Mr. Pennell, of Sheer-gineer officers." Engineer officers were ness. He had old carriages cut up for his own use, and not only cut up for his own use, but cut up for him by the servants of the public. Coals, too, had also been taken from the king's stores. This might be one of the perquisites of the storekeepers, or the right hon. gent. might not know that such things were practised. If he did not, and if such practices were not allowed, he trusted that his attention, would now be attracted to them, and that care would be taken to prevent them in future.-The hon. member then proceeded to notice the expenditure in the gunpowder manufactory at Waltham-abbey, where he said that every officer, now that only 1,000 barrels a year were manufactured, was receiving more than he did when 26,000 barrels were manufactured. The whole course in fact was calculated, and calculated only, to keep up the quantum of government patronage. There were items without end, to which he could refer there was a charge of 4,2681. for master gunners, without any thing in the nature of detail attached to it. How the gunners were employed, the House was not told; but this he could tell the House that one of them, kept a grocer's shop, nine miles from the place where he was supposed to be upon duty. At Woolwich, the expense was 14,000l. and the clerks upon the establishment were more numerous than the artificers employed. Again, at Feversham, 50%. or 100l. a-year was paid to a serjeant for looking after 15 men. Heavy expenses were incurred, and most needlessly, in taking returns of stores; individuals being sent from London especially to perform that duty which might as well be done by persons on the spot. If matters were shown to be in such a corrupt state at

not to be made in a day, and they ought doubtless to be taken care of; but the House ought to know the number provided for, and the rate of provision. Something more than "the master and civil officers of the military college at Woolwich" ought to be given for 7,700. In fact, with so many officers upon halfpay, the keeping up even of 150 cadets, might be well dispensed with. To provide commissions for them was quite impossible; their education fitted them only for military life; and the truth was, that a number of young gentlemen were ruined at a very considerable expense to the country. The expenses extraordinary" really presented a singular example of compendious statement: for 270,000l. the country had three words-" Repairs, current services, and contingencies." What the repairs consisted of, he could not conceive; and many military officers, whom he had questioned upon the subject, were in the same state of darkness. Stores, too, furnished a charge for 40,000l. Really, while the country was selling old stores every day, the House ought to be chary in granting thousands for the purchase of new ones. Members would see that single instances were not the subject of complaint. There was a laxity through the whole system. Even the mode of making up the accounts was most objectionable; and the house was scarcely free from blame in permitting claims for unprovided services to be brought up from time to time-charges made in 1820 for matters occurring in 1818, &c. He wished to be clearly understood. In protesting against existing expenses he did not complain that peculiar circumstances should have carried charges to an unprecedented height; all he blamed was, the indisposition to abate