70] 
impracticable, from the prodizious 
increase of business in each. The 
same objection lay td Others. Never 
bad the public service required 
more labour, and never indeed fad 
more been exerted by the respec~ 
tive incumbents in every office. 
The abolition of patent places, 
another subjeét of complaint, could 
not be always effeéted with equity ; 
but ‘still they’ were in a gradual 
course of ‘being abolished. Re- 
specting the system of barracks, so 
mucli reprobated ; the old plan el- 
lowed them for twenty thousand 
men, to which ‘the new one had, 
for considerations ‘well founded, 
added othefs for! fifteen thousand 
more. “Tbe! difficulty «f a speedy 
adjustment of accounts, if time of 
war, was too well Known to ‘en- 
large upon ;’ but the ‘ascertainment 
of all public expences occupied the 
attention of ministers to the fullest 
extent which their magnitude 
would permit, and they bad not the 
least apprehension of berg found 
defeétive in their a@eectats. With 
regard to the bank, the power 
vested in it was cleatly independent 
of Ministers, and ‘the ‘assistance it 
afforded to goveruiment Was entirely 
Optional. To ‘the’ oftits 
tions of the marquis he made such 
teplies as he thought justificatory of 
ministerial measures, and Concluded 
by asserting, that when impartially 
reviewed, they would meet with 
certain approbation. 
These answers, to the marquis of 
Lansdowne, were, by the earl of 
Lauderdale, represented as fallacious 
und unfounded. The -immense 
amount of the debts, which ministry 
left unfunded, shewed their ill- 
management and want of economy: 
the discount given occasionally on 
6xchequer-petes was equally dis- 
observa. 
ANN ULD RG IST BR! 1796. 
creditable and alarming: the ace 
counts relating to the barracks were 
confused and erroneous; and the 
reasons assigned for other measures 
were vague and unsatisfaétory. 
The difierence between the pe- 
cuniary situation of this country, in 
1783 and thatin 17935, was circum- 
stantially investigated by lord Auk- 
land, in erder to prove the superio- 
rity of our finances at the present 
day. ‘Tbe revenue was then two 
millions below the peace establish- 
ment, amounting to fifteen millions, 
but was now aétually three millions 
feurhundred thousand pounds above 
that establishment; and, by adding 
the two millions then deficient, was 
in reality five millions above it. 
The lurd chancellor, ear] Spen- 
cer, and lord Hawkesbury, opposed 
the motion, and it was farther sup- 
ported by lord Moira, and lord 
Guildford, who gave the house no- 
tice of his intention to move an 
inquiry into the state of the nation. 
The marquis of Lansdowne’s mo- 
tion was rejeGted by one hundred 
and four votes against twelve. 
The report of the committee of 
supply upon the resolution for grant- 
ing @ subsidy of two hundred thou- 
sand pounds to the king of Sardinia, 
was presented to the house of com- 
mons on the'third of May, when it 
was observed, by Mr. Fox, that cir- 
cumstances were no longer the same 
respecting that prince, as when that 
subsidy was first voted. He was 
then’to aét against France with the 
coalition; but it was now under- 
Stood that he was about to forsake 
it, and. to make a peace ‘with the 
enemy. If such were the case, it 
was proper to know whether he 
thought himself at liberty to aét in 
this ‘manner, or whether indeed he 
were able to act otherwise, and mi- 
2 nisters 
nt i> “hie “ab he <-_ cm “dG io: a. oe 
