‘ 7 
‘ ) , “ 
‘ 
4 
80 
would be great, and that the hon. 
member seemed to have no definite 
object in view, when he moved for 
their production. The subject, in 
fact, was already before the military 
commissioners, who were better 
qualified than the house of commons 
to investigate the abuses of this 
department, which, though enor- 
-mous in their aggregate amount, 
were made up of a number of mi- 
nute and inconsiderable particu- 
lars. 
The grants of public money dur- 
ing this session of parliament were 
‘numerous and considerable ; but 
the greater part of them were such, 
as fully to deserve as well as to re- 
ceive the approbation of the coun- 
try. The grants to the family of 
lord Nelson, to the seamen who 
had fought in the battle of Tra- 
falgar, to lord Collingwood, sir 
Richard Strachan, and sir John 
Duckworth, were of that deserip- 
tion. It was with equal pride and 
gratitude, that the nation recom- 
pensed its defenders for those 
actions, which had so eminently in. 
creased its power and added to its 
glory. Withnoless satisfaction, it 
contemplated the sums voted by 
the house of commons, to improve 
the present condition and add to 
the future comforts of its soldiers 
and seamen, and without a murmur 
it submitted to the additional bur- 
thens, to which these wise and be- 
neficial arrangements necessarily 
Jed. But, it was with feelings of a 
different sort, that it beheld, in this 
moment of national distress an 
additional allowance of income, so- 
licited from the throne and granted 
by the commons to the younger 
branches of the royal family. It 
was desirable, no doubt, that the 
royal dukes, as peers of parliament, 
ANNUAL REGISTER, 
1806. 
should be independent of the — 
minister of the day ; and, if their — 
present incomes were inadequate to — 
the necessary expences of their sta- 
tion, it was fitting, on the first pro- 
per occasion, to increase them. 
But,to see the ministers of the crown 
come with an application for that 
purpose to parliament, within a 
fortnight after raising the pro- 
perty tax to 10 per cent, excited a — 
general feeling in the country, 
against the importunity that could © 
solicit, and the facility that could 
grant so i!l-timed a largess; for 
no one would contend that the in- 
crease of income to the royal fa- 
mily, supposing it proper to have 
been granted, might not have been 
postponed till another session, or 
even till the return of peace. Why 
this measure was brought forward — 
at present we pretend not to ac- 
count for, It was said to be the 
fulfilment of a promise made by the 
former ministry ; but, though the © 
fact were so (which we do not 
vouch for), the responsibility of © 
the transaction would equally at- 
tach to those who now proposed the 
grant. It is to be observed, however, 
in extenuation of ministers, who 
seem on this occasion to have been 
so forgetful of prudence and con- 
sistency, that they availed them- 
selves of this opportunity to sup- 
press the public tables, which were 
kept at the expence of the civil list, — 
for two at least of the royal dukes.; — 
and by this reform they saved to | 
the public nearly as muchas the ad- © 
ditional income, in those two cases, 
amounted. to, 
We shall next proceed to the 
commercial Jaws passed during this 
session, the mostimportant of which, 
though far from being the one that 
attracted the greatest attention in 
parliament 
