102 



ANNUAL REGISTER, 1809. 



withstanding which, no accumu- 

 lation had been suffered since the 

 appointments. And, in addition 

 to this, no less a sum than 

 6,000,000/., since the new ap- 

 pointments, had been investigated 

 and settled. Under these circum- 

 stances, he should vote for the 

 previous question. Mr. Peter 

 Moore defended the course pur- 

 sued by his honourable friend (sir 

 C. Pole). It was consistent with 

 the general tenour of his public 

 exertions, in bringing before that 

 house abuses, which, if suffered to 

 continue, must prove detrimental 

 to the best interests of the coun- 

 try. It was not as a dead letter 

 that he wished the laborious in- 

 vestigation of the commissioners 

 to lie on the table. He desired 

 to carry them into effect ; to let 

 the people enjoy the benefit of 

 such labours, by the operation of 

 the different remedies which were 

 recommended. Besides, the house 

 should recollect that to this de- 

 partment the utmost parliamen- 

 tary vigilance ought to be direct- 

 ed, that there was in the public 

 arrears of this board, 11,600,000/. 

 unaccounted for. Admiral Mark- 

 ham agreed to the proposition of 

 his honourable friend, which, he 

 thought, should be inserted in the 

 Journals. 



Sir C. Pole said, that he had no 

 other object in proposing that 

 measure, than the public service. 



He aimed at no individual. He 

 did not wish to cast the slightest 

 censure upon any one. But he 

 thought, that what he had proposed 

 was a measure by which the house 

 might show to the country its 

 intention of acting upon the re- 

 formations recommended. He 

 thought he was right in his object. 

 However, if the house were in- 

 clined to negative his motion, he 

 would not push it to the vote. — 

 The previous question being then 

 put, it was carried without a divi- 

 sion. 



Though no resolutions were 

 moved in parliament on the re- 

 ports of the commissioners of 

 military inquiry, they ought not 

 to be passed over, even in a 

 brief sketch of British history of 

 the year, unnoticed. The last of 

 these reports noticed in our an- 

 nals was the third, relating to 

 the peculations and frauds of Mr. 

 Alexander Davison, banker and 

 colonel of a regiment of volun- 

 teers, made early in the session of 

 parliament, 1807.* Of the re- 

 ports that have been made since, 

 our particular attention is sum- 

 moned to the seventh and the 

 ninth. From the seventh report, 

 it appears, that so far back as 

 1796, an office, unsanctioned by 

 parliament, and unknown to the 

 legislature, was added to the re- 

 gular war department, for the pur- 

 pose of inspecting and regulating 



the 



• See "Volume for that year (XLIX) Hist. Eur. p. 101. Alexander Davison and 

 John Bowles Xvere Iruder than any other men, in their professions of loyalty ; 

 thinking that loyalty, like charity, would cover a multitude of sins. They seem 

 to have entertained a worse opinion of their superiors than they really deserved ; 

 and to trust that, at the worst, government would protect, by" their powerful in- 

 fluence, in some shape or other, men of such signal loyalty. Nay, it is probable, 

 they might think ministers would not see any thing very heinous in the misconduct 

 of such attached partizans : on the same principle that some religious fanatics are 

 persuaded, that " God sees no sin in the elect." 



