I'iO ANNUAL REGISTER, 1810. 



suited. He concluded by moving 

 the following resolution : " That 

 Joseph Hunt, esq. late treasurer, 

 had been guilty of a violation of 

 the act of the 46th of his Majest)', 

 for regulating the office of trea- 

 surer of the ordnance, and of 

 misapplying certain sums of pub- 

 lic money whilst he held that 

 office :" which was agreed to 

 nem. con. lie then moved, " That 

 for tile said ofl'tiiices Josepli Hunt, 

 esq. be expelled tiiis House." 

 Tliis resolution was also agreed to 

 nem. con.* 



This session was passed what 

 was called the Embezzlement Bill ; 

 which was brought into the House 

 of Commons by sir John Newport. 

 A collector Iiad absconded with 

 27,000/. of the public money in 

 his hands, and had afterwards 

 been taken with 7,000/. of it in 

 his possession. In that case, if the 

 clerk of the collector had been 

 guilty, he would have suttered 

 death. But as the law at present 

 stood, no adequate punishment 

 could be inflicted on the principal, 

 and therefore the law officers had 

 not thought it desirable to proceed 

 against him. It was to remedy 

 this glaring defect in law that sir 

 John Newport brought forward 

 the Embezzlement bill. — Mr.Rose 

 observed, that gentlemen of re- 

 spectability would not be desirous 

 of engaging in the public service 

 in places of great trust, with the 

 penalty of transportation hanging 

 over them, as would be the case 

 if this bill were to pass. Sir John 



Newport said, when he consi- 

 dered that the right honourable 

 gentleman must have been a 

 party to the passing of a bill im- 

 posing the penalty of death on the 

 clerk or cashier of a hanker for 

 embezzlement ; and also to the 

 act for rendering it a transportable 

 oHence to shoot, ensnare, or kill a 

 deer in a close, park, or paddock, 

 he could not help admiring his 

 tender sensibility on an occasion 

 where the son or brotherof a great 

 man might be aft'ected. But it 

 was the duty of the House to 

 mete out equal justice to all ; to 

 have but one and the same law 

 for the rich and for the poor. 

 Could they forget the cases of Mr. 

 Villierstand Mr. Hunt, as well as 

 others which had recently occur- 

 red, and reflect on the consequences 

 of such cases remaining unpu- 

 nished, and yet think the punish- 

 ment of transportation too severe 

 forthe crime of fraudulentlyembez- 

 ziing or milking use of the public 

 money ? It would be for a jury 

 to determine what was the em- 

 bezzlement. 



The Solicitor-general observed, 

 that at present the embezzlement 

 of public money was punishable 

 by unlimited fine and imprison- 

 ment, and even pillory, while at 

 the same time all his property, his 

 person also, and all the property 

 of his sureties, were subject to the 

 writs of extent for the security of 

 the debt due to the public. By 

 the present measure, however, 

 supposing a publicdefaulterto flee 



* Mr. Hunt liad received notice to attend during the discussion in his place ; but 

 he htid gone for the beijeiit of his health to IJslioh.Crom whence lie was not in haste 

 to return. 



■f Vide extract of the fifth Report of tlie Committee on Public Ewenditwe, 

 Statc Papshs, p, 448. 



