GENERAL HISTORY. 
estimate was accordingly made, 
which stated that 979,000/. in 
addition to the relief afforded to 
the civil list, by taking 83,0001. 
from it to other departments, 
would prevent the necessity of 
any further recurrence to parlia- 
ment. It was said that this esti- 
mate:fell:short of the charge; 
but how this happened to be the 
case, was left in the dark, and 
must continue to be so till the ap- 
pointment of a committee with ad- 
ditional powers. 
Mr. I. then went through a 
variety of statements of expen- 
diture deduced from the accounts 
before the House, with remarks 
upon them, tending to shew the 
profusion and extravagance which 
prevailed in different departments. 
It was obvious, he said, either that 
there was some person who gave 
bad advice to the Prince Regent, 
or at least some person who ab- 
stained from giving good advice ; 
for itwas impossible not to believe 
that his Royal Highness was kept 
in the dark upon these subjects. 
- Heconcladed by moving “ That 
a select committee be appointed 
to take into consideration the ac- 
count presented tothe Houseupon 
the 20th of March last by Mr. 
Arbuthnot, by the command of 
his Royal Highness the Prince 
Regent, relating to his majesty’s 
civil list, and to examine the said 
account, and report the same as it 
shall appear to them, together 
with their observations thereupon, 
to the House ;' and that the said 
committee have power to send for 
persons, papers, and records.” 
The Chancellor of the Exchequer 
said, that if the right honourable 
Geotleman had omitted the latter 
clause: of his metion, he should 
[23 
have given it his approbation, as it 
was. but anticipating his own. in< 
tention; but» in his opinion no 
case had beenmade out to warrant 
giving powers toacommittee never 
before granted upon the subject 
of the immediate revenues of the 
crown. By taking too narrow a 
view of the accounts upon the ta- 
ble, hehad presented themin a fal- 
lacious light, and had drawn un- 
fair conclusions. The chancellor 
then went into a short review of 
the accounts, and particularly con- 
sidered the expenditure. since 
1811, which had been charged 
with peculiar extravagance. He 
said, that in this. period, Par- 
liament had thrown several bur- 
dens uponthe civil listfor political 
purposes, and for the establishment 
at Windsor, which made a great 
part of the apparentaugmentation. 
The attention of the House had 
especially been drawn to the three 
quarters from April, 1814, to 
January, 1815, which was taking 
the most unfavourable portion of 
the year, as it concluded all the. 
charges for the reception of the 
Royal Visitors. . The remaining 
branch of the civil list expenditure, 
was that of the occasional pay- 
ments, chiefly relating to diplo- 
matic expenses, which he thought 
ought to be provided for by a dis- 
tinct grant, as forming no part of 
the expenditure of . the king’s 
household. On the whole, he 
allowed. that it was proper, for 
the purpose of inquiring into the 
propriety of.some alteration of 
the plan of the civil list expen- 
diture, as well as into the reason 
of the excess in the last year’s 
expense, that a committee should 
be appointed, but he saw no ne~ 
cessity for arming it with extras’ 
