HISTORY OF EUROPE. 



95 



applied to the committee of the 

 privy council, to call upon these 

 commissioners to give in their ac- 

 counts to the treasury, to be then 

 transferred to the auditors of pub- 

 lic accounts to be passed. Upon 

 the whole, he did not think that 

 any practical convenience could 

 result from the adoption of the re- 

 solutions proposed. And certainly 

 he was not more to blame than the 

 noble lord (Petty) who had pre- 

 ceded him in office. But in fact 

 neither was to be blamed. The 

 effect of a general vote of censure 

 on all the successive governments 

 since the institution of these com- 

 missioners, would fall entirely on 

 the present government. Seeing 

 therefore that the act which had 

 been in operation for the last four 

 years provided for the effectual 

 check of these accounts, and that 

 the business was now in train to be 

 fully and finally settled, the house, 

 he was confident, would not think 

 it necessary to entertain the reso- 

 lutions. And he hoped that Mr. 

 Ord himself would withdraw his 

 motion. But if he should not,, it 

 was Mr. Perceval's intention to 

 move the previous question upon 

 his resolutions. 



Sir John NewpoH said, that if 

 there ever had been an instance of 

 malversation of trust, it was that 

 now under discussion. If such mal- 

 proceeds, when, proved incontesti- 

 bly, should not be marked by the se- 

 verest censure of that house, it would 

 be an encouragement to corruption. 

 The conduct of the commissioners 

 was aggravated by the manner in 

 which they had given their evidence 

 before the committee. On their 

 examination they gave amended and 

 explanatory answers to the ques- 



tions which were put to them, but 

 which in fact amounted to nothing 

 more than gross prevarication, and 

 a direct falsification of their for- 

 mer testimony. Within the first 

 year of their existence they had 

 lodged 850,000/. in the hand of 

 their private bankers, though dur- 

 ing that period, not a farthing had 

 been paid by them into the bank 

 of England. And within the three 

 last years, the whole sum lodged 

 in the bank of England amounted 

 to only 90,000/. He should sup- 

 port the resolutions. But whatever 

 might be the fate of these, he 

 should afterwards move for an ad- 

 dress to his majesty, to direct the 

 attorney-general to prosecute these 

 commissioners for malversation in 

 their trust. 



Mr. Rose said, that if any blame 

 was to be imputed in the present 

 matter, it must undoubtedly be to 

 that government by which they 

 were appointed. But the act ap- 

 pointing them required them to 

 produce their accounts ivhen called 

 'for, and to take their instructions 

 from the pi'ivy council. As to 

 their remuneration his idea was, 

 that it should be fixed when their 

 business should be completed. Mr. 

 Rose said that to him person- 

 ally blame was to be imputed if it 

 was imputable to any one. But as 

 to what had been stated about 

 a supposed leaning towards one 

 of the commissioners, Mr. John 

 Bowles, he did not so much as 

 know that man's person, nor had 

 he ever read any of his pamphlets, 

 though he allowed that they were 

 laid regularly upon his table. As 

 to the neglect that had taken place 

 of not paying attention to the pro- 

 duction to the proceedings of the 



Dutch 



