J2] 



ANNUAL REGISTER, 1812. 



House of Lords. On the division, 

 there appeared, for Mr. Brougham's 

 motion 144, against it 216; ma- 

 jority 72. 



The bill which had been carried 

 respecting offices in reversion, 

 though laudable in its principle, was 

 evidently incapable of doing much 

 towards the relief of the national 

 burdens ; its author, therefore, 

 Mr. Bankes, with a view of strik- 

 ing a more effectual blow against 

 the waste of public money, rose in 

 the House of Commons on March 

 24, and moved the reading of the 

 three first resolutions of the com- 

 mittee relative to public ex- 

 penditure in May 1810. Their 

 substance was to recommend the 

 abolition of all offices which have 

 revenue without employment, and 

 the regulation of those which have 

 revenue extremely disproportionate 

 to employment (with the excep- 

 tion of those about the person of 

 his Majesty and the royal family), 

 and to reduce all eff"ective offices, 

 the duties of which are discharged 

 by deputy, to the salary and emo- 

 luments actually received for exe- 

 cuting the business of those offices. 

 These resolutions being read, the 

 honourable member said, that 

 there was nothing to which the 

 country looked with more pleasure 

 than to the salutary principles of 

 regulation which ought to be ap- 

 plied - to sinecure offices. He 

 guarded, however, against the in- 

 dulgence of too high expectations 

 of relief from the burdens incurred 

 during war from such a measure, 

 or, indeed, of any immediate 

 economical effect of the motion he 

 "neant to propose ; but if the prin- 

 ciple were once estabhshed, it 

 could not fail of a sure though 



did not 

 May 4, 

 day 



the 



slow effect. After some further 

 observations, he concluded by 

 moving, " That leave be given to 

 bring in a bill for abolishing and 

 regulating sinecures and offices ex- 

 ecuted by deputy, and for provid- 

 ing other means for recompensing 

 the faithful discharge of high or 

 effective civil offices, and for other 

 economical purposes." 



Leave was accordingly given ; 

 and Mr. Bankes, Mr. Wilberforce, 

 and Mr. I. W. Ward, were ordered 

 to prepare the same. 



The bill thus framed 

 come to a discussion till 

 when, upon the order of 

 for taking into consideration the 

 report of the bill, Mr. W. Dundas 

 rose, and objected to it as violating 

 the articles of union with Scot- 

 land. He said, that the people of 

 Scotland had stipulated at the union 

 that their chief offices of state 

 should be preserved, and he asked 

 upon what ground it was that the 

 very first offices of that country, 

 in defiance of solemn treaty 

 and national faith, were to be 

 abolished ? 



The Lord Advocate of Scotland 

 followed on the same side. He 

 instanced particularly as an in- 

 fringement of a stipulated right, 

 the abolition of the office of keeper 

 of the great seal of Scotland. The 

 fact being denied by Mr. Bankes, 

 he said the bill abolished the emo- 

 lument of the office ; and what re- 

 mained of the office after the emo- 

 lument.' This was what induced 

 responsible persons to undertake 

 it ; and the want of responsibility 

 was what he attributed to the 

 enactments of this bill. It gave 

 up a place of high trust to obscure 

 individuals who should act as dci- 



puties. 



