124 ANNUAL REGISTER, 1810. 



to tliese, the object of his resolu- 

 tion would be to abolish what was 

 sinecure, and retain what was ne- 

 cessary; reducing the emolument 

 to that for which the duty was 

 perfornaed, with some increase in 

 many cases, no doubt, for the in- 

 creased responsibility. Mr. Bankes 

 illustrated the advantage of re- 

 warding merit by pensions rather 

 than by sinecure otfices, by stating 

 the manner in which a great sine- 

 cure had been lately applied. A 

 message had been brought down 

 by the ministers from his Majesty, 

 recommending the grant of a pen- 

 sion to lord Wellington. The 

 bill for granting that pension had 

 not passed through the Hou>e, 

 when that sinecure,* falling into 

 the hands of his right hon. friend, 

 was given to Mr. Yorke ; of whom 

 be spoke in the handsomest man- 

 ner, but who had never certainly 

 ■performed any particular service 

 to the country, for which any one 

 could have dreamt of conferring 

 on him a direct pension to the 

 amount of the emoluments of the 

 sinecure now in his possession. 



Mr. Bankes read certain resolu- 

 tions he had formed conformable 

 to the principle he had stated. 

 The first of these he proposed as 

 an amendment upon that which 

 had been read from the chair. The 

 substance of it was, " That it was 

 expedient to abolish sinecures, ex- 

 cept such as were connected with 

 the personal service of his Majesty 

 or the royal family ; to regulate 

 other offices, and to reduce the sa- 

 laries of such as were executed by 

 deputy, to the sum for which the 

 service was performed, willi an al- 



lowance for the additional respon- 

 sibility ; — ail to be done after the 

 interests in these offices had ex- 

 pired." He concluded by moving, 

 " That a select committee be ap- 

 pointed to examine to what offices 

 the principles he had thrown out 

 could be applied." — The Chan- 

 cellor of tlie Exchequer was of 

 opinion, tliat the House could not, 

 on such slight grounds as those 

 which had been stated by his ho- 

 nourable friend, assent to this 

 cliange, nor reasonably hope that 

 such a change would have any 

 effect in alleviating public bur- 

 thens, or removiig discontent. 

 The House would therefore do 

 well to consider gravely before it 

 gave in to a proposition so new 

 in itself, and so suddenly submit- 

 ted to their decision. As to the 

 office bc-^towed on Mr. Yorke, 

 who certainly had been some time 

 in his Majesty's service, the dis- 

 posal of it was part of the patron- 

 age of the crown, and that his 

 Majesty was at perfect liberty to 

 confer it on any meritorious indi- 

 vidual he pleased. Mr, Bankes 

 certainly thought, that less than the 

 aggregate amount of thesinecures, 

 in direct pensions, would afford 

 adequate means of rewarding pub- 

 lic services. As to the charge of 

 having taken the House by sur- 

 prise, an individual member could 

 only propose his resolutions in his 

 place : the House was called upon 

 at present merely to settle the 

 principle. He should be ex- 

 tremely glad if the House would 

 allow his resolutions to be printed, 

 that they might be considered with 

 care. To this the chancellor of 



The Tellership of the Exchequer. 



