GENERAL HISTORY. 



[59 



This was the sum which his 

 Majesty's ministers would pro- 

 pose to the House for the service 

 of the present year ; but it would 

 be unfair to themselves not to de- 

 sire them to distinguish between 

 tliose items which might be more 

 durable, from those which, al- 

 though voted for the present year, 

 would in all probability not again 

 recur. For the army, for ex- 

 ample, the sum of 2'20,OOOl. was 

 for the purpose of defraying the 

 expense of regiments all which 

 were actually in a progi-ess of 

 reduction. The extraordinaries, 

 as well as could be anticipated, 

 would be reduced by 300,0001. 

 and the ordinance by 50,0001. In 

 the navy, he had stated, that 

 500,0001. of the sum proposed to 

 be voted was for the licjuidation of 

 a transport debt. These several 

 items added togetlier would amount 

 to 1,070,0001. which would di- 

 minish the future charge of the 

 year to the same value. 



There was another view of the 

 subject which he was desirous that 

 the House should take — that be- 

 tween charges which were for 

 services that had been performed, 

 and charges for services still to be 

 performed. He had already stated 

 that the army estimates contained 

 a sum of 2,551,0001. for services 

 that had actually been performed. 

 If charges of the same kind were 

 separated from the navy estimates, 

 they would amount to 1,271,0001. 

 Those in the ordnance service 

 were 223,0001. ; and the three 

 services put together would a- 

 niount to 4,045,0001. When the 

 House was therefore occupied in 

 contemplating the great existing 

 charge of the army and navy, 

 compared with those of former 



times, he begged that they would 

 always separate the charges which 

 were wholly unconnected with the 

 service of the present year. 



The right hon. member then 

 passed an eulogium on the Prince 

 Regent, who had resigned to the 

 public about a fifth of his whole 

 receipts, namely, fifty thousand 

 pounds ; and he stated that the 

 public servants of the crown weie 

 also anxicms to offer their assist- 

 ance by contributing what the 

 property-tax, had it been con- 

 tinued, would have taken from 

 them. In conclusion, he proposed 

 the formation of a select commit- 

 tee to inquire into and state the 

 income and expenditure of the 

 united kingdom for the year ended 

 the 5th of January, 1817; and 

 also to consider and state the 

 probable income and expenditure 

 (^so far as the same can now be 

 estimated) for the years ending 

 the 5th of January, 1818, and the 

 5th of January, 1819, respectively; 

 and to report the same, together 

 with their observations thereupon* 

 to the House ; and also to con- 

 sider what further measures may 

 be adopted for the relief of the 

 country from any part of the said 

 expenditure, without detriment to 

 the public interest." 



Mr. Brand said, that with re- 

 spect to the first part of the noble 

 lord's motion he had nothing at 

 present to observe ; but as to the 

 second part, he thought that 

 when, at such a conjuncture as 

 the present, the House was about 

 to inquire what reductions ought 

 to take place in the public expen- 

 diture, placemen and persons 

 holding sinecure-offices ought not 

 to be on the committee. He should 

 therefore move as an amendment, 



" That 



