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Irish public charters, praying for aid, which were ordered to lie on the table. He then moved for estimates of the expence of supporting these up to the 5th of January last. Ordered.

He then moved for leave to bring in a bill for the fur ther regulation of the sale of spirituous and other liquors in Ireland by retail. A bill to amend the act of the 40th of the king, for regulating the collection of the duties ou spirits in Ireland. A bill for the better recovering penalties, and altering the condition of bonds from brewers A bill to provide for the abolition of certain customs-fees, in Ireland, and for the regulation of the hours of attendance, &c. &c. All ordered.

fle then moved that the House should the next day go into a committee, to consider the carrying trade of Ireland; his object was to take off the duty from the export of provisions from Ireland. Ordered.

SIR H. MILDMAY.

Sir H. Mildmay observed, that a misconception had gone abroad, as if he had intended to cast an imputation on Lord Sidmonth's government. He had been treated by that government with perfect fairness and liberality. The first offer of his house was made to the barrack department during the existence of that government, but the whole of the rest of the transaction had taken place afterwards. But the object of his rising at present was to state that he had written to the only four men of the jury whose address he had. He bad received answers, from two of them, general Stuart, the foreman, and sir Wil liam From these it appeared that they hat given 6001. as the rent of 31 acres, and 7001. to restore the land

its former condition when government should give it up, which made up 13001. for the first year. He then read the letter, which contained a positive statement that the jury had not meant to include his house and grounds about it in the compensation, but that he was at perfect. liberty to do with it what he pleased. That from sir..William stated that the jury were aware at the time that a separate agreement for the House was depending. They had given 6007. a year for the damage, inconvenience, &c. &c. that he must unavoidably suffer. He then proceeded to state that he must return to the House again in June with all the inconveniences, with barracks within

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half a mile on each side, and military works within some hundred yards of his house. His receipts for the house for three years had been only 9201 The estate was worth from 11 to 12,000l. a year; the house had cost 70,000l. in building; it was destroyed as a residence, and this was his compensation. He declared that if he himself had been on a jury in the case of another he would have given considerably more damages than he had received. He was proceeding to move for letters, but being informed that private letters could not regularly be called for, he moved for a copy of the supplement to his memorial, which he had sent to the military commissioners, which contained the letters.

Lord Howick was satisfied there could be no disposition on the part of any person in that House to oppose the mo tion of the honourable baronet. He should be extremely happy that the documents, when presented, might prove equally satisfactory to the House as the statement of the worthy baronet had been. He confessed, however, for one, that the matter was not yet perfectly satisfactory to him. The worthy baronet, now, indeed, produced letters from two of the jury to prove their understanding of the nature of the property for which they granted him a compensation; and this, they now stated, did not comprehend the House. In the examination of the honourable baronet himself, however, before the commissioners of military in quiry, he had unfortunately stated, that this compensa tion extended to the House; and so the public were taught to believe that they had paid a double rent for it. From the statement now made it appeared that the sum awarded by the jury was for the land alone. He begged the honourable baronet, however, to observe, that it amonated only to thirty acres, and that 7001. of yearly rent for it amounted to upwards of 201. per acre. Also, if the whole compensation was meant to apply to the land, it ought to have been made to the tenants, and not to the honourable baronet. He hoped, however, the documents sought to be produced would prove satisfactory. If they were so to him, he should be one of the first to state so.

Mr. Canning thought if the worthy baronet had been guilty of any fault in making the present motion, it amounted to this, that he had gone too far, and that he -had done too much to render clear, a case which might have rested on the verdict of the jury. Whatever that.

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verdict was, it appeared to him (Mr. Canning), the honourable baronet had no more to do with it than any other individual whatever. The noble lord seemed to build on the opinion expressed by the honourable baronet, on a question put to him by the commissioners, as to which it appeared, that he had formed an erroneous idea. If this, however, was the head and front of his offending, in his (Mr. Canning's) opinion, the honourable baronet was without blame. The noble lord seemed to forget that the jury besides granting to the honourable baronet a compensation for his land had also to consider what was an equivalent for the nuisance to which, by the vicinity of the military works, he must be exposed in the event of his residing there. Surely, if it was competent for the honourable baronet to reside in his house, the noble lord did not mean to say, that he should not be at liberty to let it. The jury awarded to the honourable baronet a compensation for his land, and for the nuisance, but they still reserved to him the use and occupation of his house for himself and family, or for any others to whom he should let it.

Mr. Addington expressed his satisfaction that the honourable baronet had himself explained that the transaction in question did not take place during the administration of a noble friend of his, who he should otherwise have been prepared to shew, had before that date given in his resignation. He by no means, however, wished to insinuate that there was any thing improper in the transaction. Sir H. Mildmay explained, and the motion was agreed

to.

SALE OF VACANT COMMISSIONS.

Mr. Cochrane Johnstone, in pursuance of his notice, rose to move, that there be laid before the House, an ac count of all sums of money that had been received for the sale of commissions which at any time became vacant by death, dismission, or in consequence of the promotion of officers, who were not allowed to sell out, from the year 1795 to the present time, specifying the names of the persons, by whom paid and received, and the uses to which those sums were from time to time applied, together with the receipts which had been given for the same. He was not sufficiently conversant with the forms of the House, to know what was the most proper mode of shaping this motion. It had appeared to him sufficient to move for a • direct

direct order of the House for the production of the ac count: but the right honourable Secretary, at War seemed to think that his motion should be for an address to his majesty. As he was not competent to decide which mode was the more proper one, be submitted the matter to the decision of the chair.

The Speaker informed the honourable member, that, in his opinion, the most respectful was the most proper mode. It was the practice of the House, where any papers were called for from any public office, to make a direct order for their production; but when any thing was asked for that came under the personal cognizance or controul of his majesty, the usage of that House was to apply for its production by an address to his majesty. In this case, however, he did not give any opinion as to the course that should be pursued, but left it to the House to decide upon the statement that the honourable gentleman might make of the nature of the account for which he proposed to

move.

Mr. Cochrane Johnstone then said, that he did not think an address necessary, and therefore moved for a di sect order of the House.

On the question being put, the Secretary at War rose, and stated that he had no objection whatever to have the substance of the motion of the honourable gentleman produced to the House. At the same time he was not satisfied, that it would not be an interference with the prerogative of his majesty, to whom belonged by the constitution the whole disposal of commissions in the army. However, as he knew that it was the earnest desire of the illustrious personage at the head of the army, that this should be thoroughly sifted, he should agree to the substance of the motion, entering his protest against its effect, so far as it would interfere with the constitutional preroWith regard to the point, whether gatives of the crown. is motion should be framed in the shape of an address to his majesty, or of a direct order of the House, he had to observe, that the names of the persons appointed to commissions were presented to his majesty, and his royal opinion taken upon them, and, in that case, it was his conviction, that the motion ought to be for an address to his majesty. With respect to the papers moved for, it would be necessary for him to trespass upon the time of

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the House, though not at any length, in order to state the nature of the accounts proposed to be brought before them. He should avoid any useless detail, but a short statement on this point was necessary, in order to shew to the House, that no improper use had been made of the power of disposing of commissions, nor of the application of the sums procured in that manner. The sums so ob tained, were disposed of for two purposes, which were not only in themselves completely justifiable, but reflected the highest credit upon the illustrious personage at the head of the army. These purposes were promoted by that illustrious personage, no less upon views of public economy than upon principles of private benevolence, and what was equally to his honour, at the expence of his just and legitimate patronage. The objects to which the funds arising from the sale of vacant commissions, as stated in the mo tion, were applied, were, first to the reduction of the halfpay fund, of which he should say a few words presently; and secondly, to make a provision for the wives and lamilies of such officers, as may fall in the service of their country. The last instance that occurred of this second description, was in the case of Colonel Vassal. His commission was allowed to be sold for the benefit of his widow; and on every principle of rational policy, that must be considered as a saving to the public funds of the country, as otherwise the widow of that gallant and meritorious officer would have been justly entitled to some adequate provision from the public. The commander in chief had in this, as in other instances of that nature, acted upon the purest public grounds, though for himself he could not say that the instances of that description were in general personally known to him. As to the first purpose to which these sums were applied, the reduction of the half-pay fund, he should just say a few words. In time of peace there was no difficulty in filling up the commissions in the army by persons willing to purchase. In war it was not so; though a sufficient number were ready to purchase the higher commissions. This arose from the great augmentation of the military force, so, that there remained a considerable number of ensigncies vacant for which purchasers could not be found. This had happened particularly at the conclusion of the late war, so that there were many regiments without a single ensign.

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