478 ANNUAL REGISTER, 1810. 



ing medium of tlie kingdom ; and 

 the serious expectation of this 

 event must enforce a preparatory 

 reduction of the quantity of paper, 

 and all other measures which 

 accord with the true principles of 

 banking. The anticipation of the 

 time when the bank will be con- 

 strained to open, may also be ex- 

 pected to contribute to the im- 

 provement of the exchanges ; 

 whereas a postponement of this 

 . era, so indefinite as that of six 

 months after the termination of 

 the war, and especially in the 

 event of an exchange continuing 

 to fall (which more and more 

 would generally be perceived to 

 arise from an excess of paper, and 

 a consequent depreciation of it) 

 may lead under an unfavourable 

 state of public affairs, to such a 

 failure of confidence (and especi- 

 ally among foreigners) in the 

 determination of parliament to en- 

 force a return to the professed 

 standardofthemeasureofpayments 

 as may serve to precipitate the fur- 

 ther fall of iheexchanges, and lead 

 to consequences at once the most 

 discreditable and disastrous. 



Although the details of the best 

 mode of returning to cash pay- 

 ments ought to be left to the dis- 

 cretion of the bank of England, as 

 already stated, certain provisions 

 would be necessary, under the 

 authority of parliament, both for 

 the convenience of the bank itself, 

 and for the security of the other 

 banking establishments in this 

 country and in Ireland. 



Your committee conceive it 

 may be convenient for the bank 

 to be permitted to issue notes 

 under the vaku. of 51. for some 

 little time after it had resumed 

 pavments in specie. 



It will be convenient also for the 



chartered banks of Ireland and 

 Scotland, and all the country 

 banks, that they should not be 

 compelled to pay in specie until 

 some time after the resumption of 

 payments in cash by the Bank of 

 England ; but that tliey should 

 continue for a short period upon 

 their present footing, of being 

 liable to pay their own notes on 

 demand in Bank of England paper. 



Abstract of Report on Sine- 

 cuiiE Places. 



First Report from the select 

 Committee of the Honourable 

 House of Commons, appoirded to 

 consider tvkat Offices in the 

 United Kingdom, and in the 

 Foreign donii)tions of his Ma- 

 jesty, come within the purvieiv 0/ 

 the second, third, or fourth Reso- 

 lutions of the House, on the 

 third report from the Committee 

 on the Public Expenditure of 

 the United Kingdom. 



[Ordered to be printed 20th of June, 

 1810.] 



The resolutions referred to your 

 committee are as follow : 



II. Resolved, That in addition 

 to the useful and effective measures 

 already taken by parliament,for the 

 abolition and regulation of various 

 sinecureoffices,andofficesexecuted 

 by deputy, it is expedient, after 

 providingotherandsufGcientmeans 

 for enabling his majesty duly to re- 

 compence the faithful discharge of 

 high and efl'ective civil offices, to 

 abolish all offices which have reve- 

 nue without employment, and to 

 regulate all offices which have reve- 

 nue extremely disproportionate to 

 employment; excepting only such 



