116 ANNUAL REGISTER, 1810. 



CHAP. VII. 



Finance. — Ways and Means of the Year for Great Britain and/or Ire- 

 land. — Affairs of the East India Company. — Offices in Reversion Bill. 

 ■ — Passed in the House of Commons, but thrown out of the House of 



Lords Third Report of the Committee of Finance. — Motion by Mr. 



Martin respecting Public Economy. — Resolutions on this Subject moved 

 by Mr. Bankes — respecting Sinecure Places and exorbitant Salaries or 

 Emoluments. — Offices in Reversion BHl. — Resdutions moved by Mr. 

 Horner, and agreed to respecting Bullion and Foreign Coins, Bank 

 Notes, S)X, ^-c— Bullion Committee appointed. — Their Report. — 

 Twelfth Report of the Commissioners of Military In(/iiiry — Expulsion 

 of Mr. Hunt, for Peculatton,from the House of Commons. 



AS the various matters con- 

 tained in the last chapter 

 are closely linked together, in the 

 order of cause and effect, and, as 

 the whole arose out of the inquiry 

 into the unfortunate expedition to 

 theScheldt, it hasnotbeen thought 

 proper to interrupt ihat order in 

 our narrative by the introduction 

 of other debates and proceedings 

 in parliament, though prior in the 

 order of time. We now proceed 

 from views of past transactions, 

 and debates, and occurrences, to 

 which these gave birth, to busi- 

 ness of a prospective nature ; and, 

 first of all, to the important busi- 

 ness of Finance. 



House of Commons, Wednes- 

 day, May 16.— The House having 

 resolved itself into a committee of 

 Ways and Means, for examining 

 the account of the public debt, and 

 the other public accounts, usually 

 referred to that committee prepa- 

 ratory to the budget^ the chancel- 



lor of the Exchequer rose to sub- 

 mit to the consideration of the 

 committee a genr:al statement of 

 the supplies, and ways and means 

 of the year. These, he said, would 

 not only afford the best means of 

 forming a correct judgment how 

 fiir the country was able to support 

 its present burthens, but be the 

 best answer to those who were ac- 

 customed to take gloomy views of 

 the financial situation of the coun- 

 try. It would be highly satisfac- 

 tory to know, that such had been 

 the produce of our revenue in that 

 very year, when men of great 

 weight and authority in that House 

 anticipated a failure, that instead 

 of the deficit they apprehended, 

 there actually had been a very 

 considerable increase. He should 

 therefore, without farther prelimi- 

 nary observation, proceed to state 

 the supplies already voted, and 

 also the ways and means by which 

 he proposed to lower them. 



